What Is Considered New?

This is the time of the year, when I start planning and purchasing clothes for the kids for warmer weather.  A few weeks ago, I started taking inventory of what the kids have to help determine what the kids need, and sometimes, perhaps, what they want.  I do this twice a year.  Once in the late summer to prep for the fall and winter, and once in late winter to help prep for the spring and summer months.  I do this so that I can start purchasing their clothes slowly over several weeks so that our wallet doesn't take a huge hit all at one time with shopping for our four kiddos.

I almost always buy each child brand new swimwear, one brand new first day of school outfit, one brand new Easter outfit as well as about two brand new pairs of shoes each weather season at least.  Everything else, however, is up for anything so to speak.  They can come home brand new from a store, especially when there is a nice deal, or used from a consignment shop (Though I have to say that I have found brand new, with tags still on, apparel from such shops for only a few bucks!), or hand-me-downs from someone else.

This year, the boys are looking like they will be getting mostly new clothes or some from that of consignment shopping.  The girls on the other hand, will becoming from hand-me-downs.  Crazy Paizy will be mostly wearing Sky Baby's old clothes (with exception to some new shoes, Easter dress and swimsuit) while Sky Baby will be pulling out her warm weather clothes from two bags of hand-me-downs that we are blessed to have received. 

This past late summer, however, during the middle of the seasonal clothes shift and school shopping, Sky Baby ended up getting some brand spanking, new outfits from the store, with more coming from a consignment shop.  Crazy Paizy, however, wasn't so lucky.  She was going to use a bunch of Sky Baby's old clothes (FYI--Since then she did get two new pairs of jeans and three sets of leggings because she managed to put holes in Sky Baby's old ones and when we saw an outfit that screamed out Crazy Paizy, we didn't hesitate to get her a new outfit too just because she is the younger sister who deserves not to always wear just her sister's old clothes).

As Sky Baby, however, was going through her new clothes and as I was washing all the various sets of clothes for the kids, poor Crazy Paizy shrugged her shoulders and said sadly, "Why don't I get new clothes?"

"The majority of Sky Baby's clothes are second hand bought at a consignment shop," I replied.  "Meaning that even though most of them came from a shop, most of them were already worn by somebody else."

Crazy Paizy looked at me.

"They are new to her and this household perhaps,  but many of Sky Baby's clothes are either from that store or from family friends." I continued,  "They are clothes that are still in great shape and we don't need to waste perfectly good clothes just for the sake of buying something new, which for us means that it has never before been worn by anyone else," I said.  "When there is a need or something stands out of the clothes rack at the store, we will buy something new; however, for the most part we get and wear what is new to us, especially for you kids who are growing quickly, and who easily spoil clothes."

She smiled.

We don't have to have the best stuff on the largest scale.  With a family of six we are flexible.  We are opened minded about the fact that kids grow fast; kids will be kids in their clothes; and we have gotten healthier financially by not just buying whatever, whenever, and for the sake of brand names.  If it looks good we get it; and it is new to us!  We do what is practical.