The Power of Purging

I found myself with an unexpected day off yesterday so I made great use of my time by working on a project I started a few months ago - purging my kids' closets!  With the boys being 4 and 6 years old and no other babies in our future, I decided it was finally time to get rid of the pile of bins of clothes that have accumulated in our basement!  We are very fortunate to have more clothes than my kids could ever wear thanks to hand-me-downs and savvy-shopping grandparents but it was time to say good-bye to all those well-loved clothes!  And here's where I found homes for them:

• Consignment - I never really bought or sold at consignment stores before but was very intrigued by the RI Kids Consignment Sale that is held twice a year, in the fall and spring.  This was the first purge earlier this fall:  sell-off any baby gear and clothes that are in good shape and get one big check at the end of the weekend.  Over the last few months I've also gotten to know many owners of local children's consignment stores and they are wonderful women to deal with.

• Donation - After being given/gifted so many clothes, I knew I needed to give back to those in need.  Through a contact in a mom's group I'm part of, I found a church that gives clothes to families who need them - no paperwork, no questions, no money!  Perfect!  I loaded up 4 garbage-bags of clothes and dropped them off knowing they are going to be put to good use.  My husband and I also went through our very crammed coat closet and pulled any coat we haven't worn in years and donated it to One Warm Coat through a local coat drive.

• Trade & Swap - Since opening KT, finances have been on the tight side so I've learned new ways of doing business which includes trading and swapping.  I found a mom who wanted some little boy 'themed' clothes and toys, so I made up a few packages and traded them for some items she had on-hand that I could use.  Win-win and fun!

• Sell, Sell, Sell! - This summer I held my first yard sale ever and was able to un-load a handful of clothes and household items.  (Of course the boys had to stay at my parents house so they wouldn't see their stuff going to other homes!)  And with yard sale season just about over, I've now found a fun, direct, on-line way to sell (and buy) items:  Rhode Island Moms Sell and Swap.  This group is on FB and is similar to craigslist but the big difference is that it's a closed group and you can tell who you're buying from.  I see myself using this site often!

With my major purge finally done, I feel such a weight has been lifted not only from me but from my crowded storage rooms and closets.  Next on the list to purge:  trinkets, kitchen gadgets, candles, and holiday decor!  

-Aimee
owner of KT, mom to Josh and Matthew, ages 6 and 4