shopping

School Clothes Shopping

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Back to school sales are in full force now. With such great prices it’s tempting to buy enough clothes for your child to last most of the school year. But beware, if your child is still growing this could be a big problem.

There’s nothing more frustrating for a parent to invest in plenty of clothes for their child only to have that child outgrow the clothes before they even have a chance to wear them. This can happen if you buy too many clothes ahead of time. It’s still warm out but the fall and winter clothes are filling the racks in the stores. Even buying too many warm weather clothes now to get school started could mean completely outgrown clothes by next Spring.

Children’s growth spurts are unpredictable. So even if your child has always been fairly regular with their growth in the past doesn’t mean this year will be the same. I remember one year my son (5th or 6th grade) went through 3 sizes of blue jeans during one school year. Since money was tight back then I was glad I only bought him a few pairs to start the school year off. By Thanksgiving they were looking like high water jeans. He wasn’t growing out as much as he was growing up. By March he needed the the next size and longer length. It wasn’t quite warm enough for shorts yet so we had to buy more jeans.

So if your child is still growing just buy enough clothes for the next few months. Sales are always going on so you will be able to take advantage of them later. It’s better to have to do more laundry now then to have to give away unworn clothes that became too small too soon.

The added benefit to having fewer clothes in the closets is being able to keep it more organized and less cluttered.

Janice

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School Sales Tax Holiday 2009

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Many states are having their school sales tax holiday this coming weekend. This can save you a lot of money if you live in or near one of these states especially when buying computers. Each state has different requirements. Check out these two sites to find out more info. You can always Google your state tax department (usually the Dept of Revenue) to find out if your state participates.

http://www.mytwodollars.com/2009/07/01/find-the-2009-sales-tax-holiday-for-your-state/

http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/sales-tax-holiday-schedule.html

Before you go shopping make sure to go through what you already have in school supplies and clothing. There is no reason to buy more than you need even if you are saving a few dollars on taxes.

Here are several blog post from the past that deal with back to school. Check them out for more information.

http://organizebythemonth.com/?p=242

http://organizebythemonth.com/?p=100

http://organizebythemonth.com/?p=101

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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Do You Feel Guilty For NOT Shopping?

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Most of us have been cutting back on our shopping because of the economy. Plus if you have been following my blog and newsletters (you can sign up on the sidebar) you are probably trying to cut some of the clutter out of your life.

But the stores are always tempting us with “fantastic” sales. We are told that a healthy economy is one where people are spending. So are we hurting the economy because we are cutting back on shopping? Do you feel guilty because of this?

In the past we would justify a spending spree because we felt we deserved the items. This was especially true if we were feeling down or were upset about something. Shopping helped fill the emptiness, at least for a short time. Soon many of those items became clutter. But we were helping the economy stay strong.

Once you start decluttering you will find you won’t need to fill the emptiness with things. You won’t want to bring the clutter back into your home. But now we may feel a pang of guilt for not helping the economy. Will this become the new excuse to buy things we really don’t need or want?

What do you think? Please leave a comment and let me know.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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Deadlines Help Motivate Actions

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I have a wedding to attend in 2 1/2 weeks. I rarely get dressed up so I only have one dress that I wore to a couple of weddings two years ago. It’s one of those little black dresses and is still in style.

I tried it on today hoping it still fit. Well, it’s a tiny bit tight but with over two weeks to go and a lot of hard work it should fit good. There’s nothing like a deadline to motivate you to start taking action.

I made copies of my own revised copy of the Flylady Body Clutter Investigator and started keeping track of what I am eating. I have also started using my stickers and putting them on the calendar when I do exercises or activities. I have different stickers for different things. Gardening gets a butterfly sticker. Walking gets a footprint sticker. Aerobics gets a smiley face. And weight lifting/strength training gets a sticker of a hand. My goal is to have a very colorful calendar by the end of the month. Of course I expect a little weight loss and toned muscles too.

On another topic, Mother’s Day is this coming Sunday. My newsletter this week had a list of many ideas for gifts that could be considered non-clutter gifts. I’m posting a copy of the newsletter so you can plan your shopping now if you haven’t already done it.

If you are not signed up to receive my free newsletter in your email every week then please do so on the right sidebar (blue box). Thanks

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com
http://cutoutthebreastcancer.wordpress.com
http://twitter.com/jlscissors
Check out my articles at: http://www.ehow.com/members/jlscissors.html?view=3rd

Decluttering Tip Newsletter – Mother’s Day Gifts
Volume 2, Issue 18
May 5, 2009

Mother’s Day is this coming Sunday. What kind of gift will you give your mother and/or mother-in-law? What will your own children give you? What would you like to receive that won’t become clutter?

We all want to honor our mother on this special day. We want our own children to honor us. But this is a big gift giving holiday and I don’t want to add clutter to my mother’s home or have my own children add clutter to my home. I know it’s the thought that counts but there are lots of gifts that will be appreciated and used.

If you are not sure which one your mother would like, then ask her. Suggest three or four different ones and then you will have a better idea of what she would like. If she tells you she doesn’t care because all of your suggestions are good then surprise her.

You can even give your children a list and let them shop from it. That will make it a lot easier for them and a better chance you’ll get something you want.
With the economy the way it is a gift card may be a great way for your mother to buy something she’s been cutting back on.

Here are some suggests for non-clutter gifts.

Food Gifts:

1. Sweets – smaller quantity but better quality is the rule here. Most people won’t splurge on that higher price chocolate for themselves so give it as a gift. A small quantity can be savored but not add body clutter.

2. Fruit baskets or a fancy roasted nut mix for a healthier food gift.

3. Take her out for brunch, lunch, or dinner.

4. Give her a gift certificate for her favorite restaurant or the fancy one she loves but rarely goes to.

Other Gifts:

1. Gift card or tickets for a play or movie.

2. Gift card for her favorite clothing store.

3. Bubble bath, shower gel, lotions, scented candle. All these things can be used up and leave little clutter. Create a gift bag (a basket could become clutter) with a bunch of the travel sizes. It’s always fun to play around with different scents.

4. Gift card for a day spa, pedicure, manicure, etc.

5. Create a certificate book for services from you and/or your family such as washing her car, trimming hedges, cleaning out her basement. This is a great no-cost, no-clutter way for grandchildren to give a gift. Just make sure it is something they can follow through with.

6. If you have a Botanical Garden, Museums, or other local places of interest you could buy her an annual pass.

7. If she has a garden you can buy her a pretty flowering plant she will enjoy the whole season. This works for pots on a deck or even a sunny window inside.

8. You can donate to her favorite charity in her honor.

If you would like to have any of these gifts for yourself be sure to let your family know. Don’t keep them guessing. They won’t know unless you tell them.

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Too Many Choices Cause Clutter

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The other day I was shopping for some new athletic shoes. I walked into a discount warehouse shoe store. Rows and rows of shoes were displayed on waist high shelves with boxes underneath. It was a large square store with a high ceiling. As I looked around I began to feel overwhelmed. With so many shoes where do I start looking?

I found the rows of athletic shoes. There were only two long rows so that wasn’t too bad. After not finding anything I liked in my size I thought I would look for some summer shoes. As I stood there looking at the vast rows in front of me I decided to walk out.

I don’t like shoe shopping because I have hard to fit feet. In my mind that store had way to many choices to even start looking up and down the rows. Of course, many people may love shoes and like having a large selection to choose from.

The question is, will you buy only what you need or will you buy more because you saw several pairs you liked and couldn’t decide which one you liked better? If you aren’t a discipline shopper then these kind of stores could spell trouble for you. Only you can decide that.

Having too many choices with anything we buy could be the main cause of our clutter. Some choice of products is a good thing. Everyone is an individual and has different tastes. But when there are too many choices it makes it a lot harder to make a decision. We’re afraid if we buy one over the other we might be sorry later. Nobody wants to make a wrong decision. So we buy both.

If you have a 100 pairs of shoes (we all know someone like that) how many are worn more than once a year? Of course with that many shoes you need lots of different outfits to wear them with. You can see where this is going.

Since we live in a materialist society we will continue to be bombarded with thousands of choices of products. With the economy the way it is many companies are discounting their products to survive. Great bargains can be found. Just remember, it’s not a bargain if it sits in the closet and is rarely, if ever worn.

I’ll admit, I’m not a shopper. But when I do need to buy clothes or shoes I prefer a smaller selection to choose from because it is easier to make a decision.

If you have a hard time knowing what styles look good on you check out this website: http://www.missussmartypants.com/. I was a member a couple of years ago and it really helped me find the styles that looked best on me. Going to the store with that kind of knowledge helped narrow the choices of clothes that I would even try on. It made shopping easier and more fun. I have joined the site again this spring because I need some new clothes. The old ones are looking a little worn out.

Ok, I know this was a rant and if you’ve read this far, thank you. The only way I know how to control clutter is to prevent it from coming into your home to begin with. I’ve learned to be selective with my shopping and that has helped a lot.

Let me know how you feel about too many choices and clutter build up. Please leave a comment.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://cutoutthebreastcancer.wordpress.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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