Easing in to Fall

FALL is here!  To many this means Pumpkin Spice Lattes, leaves changing colors, and the warmth of a favorite hoodie while catching a football game.  And while I enjoy those things, I can also say this time of year puts dread in my heart.  I know you’ve been there whether you have multiples, a house full of singles, or even just a couple of kids.  This event is known as the changing out of the seasonal clothes.  As a frugal mom of three, I buy things on clearance at the end of the season, watch garage sales, shop local FB swaps, and

have been known to hide thrift store bags from my husband so he doesn’t see how much stuff I bring home.  (Sorry honey, no use in lying about it here.)  I throw these things in bins labeled with which season I expect the items to be worn or by size (ex: Girls Fall 2014, Boy 10/12) and put them in the garage.  

Like most of the country, our Midwest weather turned chilly quite early this year.  I can admit I was a bit excited to get the totes out for my girls.  I always forget what has been purchased and it is like opening gifts!  One of my 5 year old twins had grown quite a bit over the summer and was running out of things to wear.  I knew I had warmer outfits in just the right size.  I had also held on to things she wore last spring, just in case.  Well…I’m glad I held on to those things as they fit her twin perfectly.  As far as the larger things I bought…a total loss.  The girl is all booty and needs a bigger size in pants.  At least the tops and dresses fit!  So I’ve hit a few stores here and there (nothing new yet, gotta stay in budget) and have found very little.  I have a feeling most girls that age wear their clothes out completely!

But this wasn’t the dread I referred to in the beginning.  No, the REAL dread comes in the form of Mr. Sunshine returning to the fall party.  You know, where you need a winter jacket before school and are sweating by lunch time?  How do you dress for that?  You basically need access to almost everything you own!  In my house, that means a giant mess.  We

still have shorts in the dressers and sundresses in the closet, yet we have totes full of warmer gear in any corner we can make room.  Take that times 3 kids and the clothes take over the house!  Pretty soon we’ve picked through the totes so many times that they in no way resemble how they were originally packed.  And to make matters worse, my husband doesn’t know where he should put the clean clothes…in the dresser or back in the totes?  

This WOULD be a great time to just empty out all but a few pieces of summer clothing and just load up on the fall/winter items... 

And how PERFECT would it be to start tagging for the QC Mothers of Twins Club Swap coming up on October 18^th? 
How wonderful would it be to have my stuff organized in advance? 
How nice would it be to make some money off these clothes?

But no, we will likely live out of totes until Halloween and pretend it’s not making us nuts!

For your sanity, I hope that you make the switch and don’t look back!