It's time for Spring Cleaning! Clothing that your child has outgrown and no longer needed clothing can be removed for more closet space to make way for spring and summer clothing. The question is how are you going to get rid of all the clothes?
First of all, when cleaning out your closet don't just get rid of clothes because they have long sleeves, you should still keep winter clothing that your child may be able to wear when it starts to get cold again.
Secondly, throw away any clothes that have been through enough play (stained, loose strings, etc.) and have your child try on the clothes and shoes that you are thinking of getting rid of to see if they might still fit.
Thirdly, wash and neatly fold your clothes and shoes in boxes or trash bags until you have figured out what you want to do with them. Keeping clothes in good condition by washing them helps you and/or the charity that you donate to sell your used clothing. No one wants to buy or be given clothing that is wrinkled and worn-looking, be considerate and keep that in mind.
Suggestions for getting rid of Clothes:
- Donate them
- Give them to a friend
- Re-purpose Tagged Items as gifts
- Re-purpose them for yourself or your child
- Store them somewhere cool and dry if you want to keep them for a second child
- Sell them at a Yard Sale
- Sell them In-Store
- Sell them Online
GETTING RID OF CLOTHING THE NON-PROFIT WAY
Donate them
By donating to a charity you can put your old clothing to good use. Making a donation can also be included as a tax write-off so make sure to get a receipt.
Some charities to donate to:
Goodwill
Salvation Army
The American Red Cross
Local Churches
Local Charities in your area
Give them to a friend
Clothing can be expensive and if you want to help out a friend or neighbor who has younger children then help them out by giving them clothing that your child no longer has any use for.
Re-purpose Tagged Items as gifts
When cleaning out the closet you more than likely always find something that
you’ve bought and completely forgot about, it's still cute and wearable with the tag
and all still there, but now too small for your child. With these items since
they have never been worn and they still have the tags, you can re-purpose this
item as a gift for someone else’s child so that they can prosper from your forgetfulness. lol =)
Re-purpose Favorited Items for yourself or child
Sometimes it is hard to let go of an outfit that you love very dearly or has a certain significance to it. For theses items you may choose to re-purpose them to hold on to them longer even though they no longer fit.
Some examples for re-purposing:
Making a pillow case with patches of old shirts
Making a quilt with patches of old clothing
Making a headband with strips of old clothing
Making a bracelet with strips of old clothing
Making bean bags to play with from old clothing
Store them somewhere cool and dry if you want to keep them for a second child
Like I said before, clothing your child ends up being expensive! So, instead of coming up with a whole new wardrobe give your child the good hand-me-downs and save your older child's clothing. The pro to this other than saving money is that the clothing you have previously bought is completely your taste and fashion sense and we all know that when your child grows out of that outfit you love them being in it is hard to think about getting rid of it.
MAKING A PROFIT FROM USED CLOTHING
The most valuable items are usually clothes that are still
new with tags, and name-brand baby clothes. Top end designer brands will
re-sell easily such as Ralph Lauren, Gap, Gymboree, and Abercrombie kids. But, even non-brand accessories and clothing can make money, especially if
grouped together. Grouping clothing typically
sells better online instead of trying to sell individually.
It is important to note that you may not get the exact price you want for clothing that you are trying to sell and that is when you have to come to the decision of letting your clothing go for a lower price or trying another method of selling.
Sell them at a Yard Sale
Yard sales seem to be a little bit more of a hassle since you have to price everything and then haggle with customers but you might actually get a better price out of a yard sale then selling your clothes to a store because you get to choose the price. Make sure to advertise your yard sale with large posted signs directing people to your house. You can even advertise about your yard sale in the paper, on
Craigslist, or on websites like
yardsalesearch.com
Sell them In-Store
The good thing about selling your used clothing in-store is that all you
have to do is drive to the store, hand over the boxes/bags, collect the
money and be done with the entire process. The con to this method is
that you might not get what you expect, the store expects to buy
clothing from you at a very low price so that they can mark up the cost
to make a profit. But, if you are trying to get rid of clothing fast, low hassle and
want money right this second then this might be the best option.
Some stores that will buy your gently used clothing:
Children’s Orchard
Local Consignment shops
Once Upon a Child
