One of the first things I always think about at Back to School time, is the joy of shopping for new school clothes. Only now it is for my kids, and not for me, HA!(Not that I don’t sneak in a of couple things for myself.)

Shopping for new school clothes is a fond memory I have from my childhood. It usually involved a mini-fashion show for my dad when he got home from work, and lots of oohing and aahing!

Now with having three kids of my own I have the delight of being on the other end, and also on the organizing side! It can be a such big task. So, here are my steps for how I keep it all simplified.

{A}

Purge all existing clothes.

Pull every stitch of clothing out. Work with one child at a time, and you may want to do it without your child. This will completely depend on how helpful your child is. If they want to keep every camp shirt since ’06, you may want to do some pre-purging without them. I do find it helpful to have them around for some of the time, to check sizes and tastes. Often I find that there are many of their clothing items that they don’t like for one reason or another.

And, there is no reason to keep things that are not being worn. Be sure to evaluate how many items of clothing are really needed. The more pieces the more management. Error on the side of simplicity. Then put everything back that you are keeping, nice and neat.If you are saving clothes for younger kids, clothes that your older chid(ren) have outgrown, I encourage you to only keep the best of the best. This is coming from a momma who has pulled out stained tee shirts and ten pairs of size six pajamas, that had been stored for five years. Don’t keep more then you need, pass on, donate, and be sure to toss the worn out ones too!

{B}

Write a specific list.

As you purge start writing a list of what you will need to shop for. Look for the holes. What outfits need one more thing to be completed? Be sure to write the specific number of items you need. This will help to prevent over buying and also help to eliminate impulse purchases. Look at everything, shoes, PJ’s and coats…you might even jot down a few ideas for future Christmas shopping too.

{C}

Go shopping.

When your list is ready, it is time to go shopping! I try to do my shopping one on one with each child. This allows me to better focus and also a time to talk about the upcoming school year. Before you go, make a plan for which stores you want to go to, and don’t forget your list!

We have actually shifted to doing mostly online shopping since we are overseas, and it works really great. I simply sit down with each kiddo, we scan, click, put things in the cart, take them back out, and then checkout. I think we save a lot of time this way, and it gets delivered right to my door! That’s what I call simple.