Living With Less: Week 12

by Amy L. Hatch

This time of year I get a hankering to clean house.

I want to scrub, shine and generally get the place in tip-top condition, but usually what happens is that I get sidetracked by all the stuff that gets in my way.

That was the case last week, when I took a day off to clean. I tossed on a pair of dirty yoga pants and got down to business — only to get stymied by my daughter’s dresser drawers.

Photo by Karen A. Hatch

A mountain of backlogged laundry needed to be put away and there was no rhyme or reason to her drawers. I couldn’t fit the clean clothes in, and the stuff that was already in there was leaking out from every angle.

I sat down and did my seasonal clean-out: Stuff to keep out for the season; stuff she will probably still fit into in the fall; and stuff to get rid of.

It was only in the past year or two that I’ve begun to consign my kids’ clothes. Since we knew we were having a second child, I stowed most of Emmie’s stuff away in the basement, just in case we had another girl. When the sonogram showed a wee babyman, I trudged down there and hauled away about a metric ton of pink.

Now, I’m ruthless. I keep very little, and the rest gets sorted by category: Sell, give to friends and donations. Lucky for me — and you, too — the consignment options have just about tripled here in Chambana.

When I first started selling Emmie’s duds, I was limited to the now-defunct Yours, Mine & Ours. Now, options abound, like All Things Kids in Champaign, Urbana’s resale boutique Frogs and Fairies and now, Pink and Blue Closet in downtown Urbana.

These three options give me plenty of ways to clean out all the clothing — and related baby items — from two kids. We know Henry is our last baby, so everything! must! go!

After my session paring down Emmie’s closet, I took a load of stuff to Goodwill and then I stopped by Frogs and Fairies with the cream of her winter wardrobe. I found out that the store’s policy has changed somewhat.

The boutique used to take clothing from all seasons for a full pay-out, but now out-of-season items will only net you half of what they would in season. For example, I brought a pile of winter dresses, and I was offered a pay-out of $16. That same pile would have been worth twice that if I’d taken it home and returned to the store in November.

For me, it made more sense to take the cash (which I actually took as a credit to buy summer clothes for the boy), rather than return home with items I didn’t have room for.

I haven’t been to the new shop, Pink and Blue Closet, at 401 W. Springfield, but it did catch my eye as I was driving through downtown Urbana. I rarely go to All Things Kids since it is so far from my usual stomping grounds, and a trip there is something I have to plan for.

Now that we have a new shop right here in town, I may brings some of our larger, unneeded kids items there. Another bonus is that Pink and Blue Closet is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., meaning that I could do a drop-off after the kids are in bed, since it’s only a couple miles from home.

While I was down in the basement culling items from the “sell” pile, I ran across my maternity clothes, all folded nice and neat in plastic storage bags. When I had a wave of phantom morning sickness, I knew those had to go, too. Next week, I’ll tell you how.

What’s your favorite way to recycle clothing, yours or your kids’?

Related posts:

1. Living With Less: Where To Donate in Champaign-Urbana