September 2, 2010

Daily Clothes Bags

This is another idea from the blog, "Prepared, not Scared". Thank you, Tricia, for sharing such a great idea!


A House of Order: Daily Clothes Bags!

Less IS More!
I'm sure we've all hear that a million times and it's not
always right . . . more time with family or a little more money
might be nice, but when it comes to clothes,
LESS truly is MORE!
Less IS . . . More Time
We have a responsibility to care for each of the things we
bring into our home.  It's easy to get sucked into a sale and
before we know it . . . we have WAY MORE than we need.
If we knew in that moment how much time we would actually have
to commit to the things we bring into our home, I have a feeling
we would become a lot more selective and thoughtful in our choices.
Having fewer clothes to wash will save time!
Less IS . . . More Space
Having fewer items takes up a lot less space!
It's a simple statement that obviously makes sense.
Can you imagine actually knowing what you have stored, and even
more important, being able to find it when you need it without
having to search for hours?
Less IS More space to store and properly care for the items
that are important to you.
Less IS . . . More Organized
Having more time, more space, and less to take care of
makes it easier to be organized.
A closet that is jam packed with clothes and shoes is a lot to
take in, and that's how we start our day . . .
EVERY MORNING!
What are we thinking? 
No wonder we're stressed out and over-whelmed!
Your Challenge for the Day . . .
Go through your closet and get rid of everything that doesn't fit.
It's time to donate that shirt or pair of pants you
try on all the time . . . but never wear.
Sometimes when we spend money on something, we feel
obligated to keep it, EVEN if we know we'll NEVER use it.
And then we have . . .
Clothes from the GLORY DAYS!
They take up a lot of space in our closets.
I admit it . . . I still have a pair of size 2 pants and
a cheerleading skirt from my high school years,
hidden in my closet. 
The waist band of the skirt fits perfectly! 
(On one thigh!)
I guess I could wear it as a guarder or something!?! 
The zipper on the pants is 12-inches long,
so hoping to get skinny enough to fit back into them, is just plain
SCARY!
I'm thinkin' it's time . . . for the pants to be on there way.
The cheerleading skirt will be added to my Halloween costumes!
You can't think about the money when you are trying to clear the space.
You have to be protective of your time and space. 
JUST LET GO,
and don't feel bad . . . leg warmers don't look good on everybody!
This is a photo of my boys
Daily Clothes Bags:
Clothes Bags are a great way to simplify! 
 When my family lived in Illinois, we had no closet space.
I had to be very creative in finding ways to store my
families clothes and make it so they would still be able to get to them.
That's when I came up with the Daily Clothes Bags.
I was able to fit 2 boys in a very small coat closet.
Each day's outfit fits on a hanger.
Here's what that looks like:
Here's what goes in the bag:
Undershirts
Socks
Underwear
Belts
and
Accessories
Here's a link for the bags:
You can also get them at Hobby Lobby and they are usually on sale.
OR
You can make your own.
The pattern is 8 1/2" x 11".
I also use these bags for Scouts and Soccer.
They work well for Dance Costumes and Gymnastics.
Everything you need for the specific activity . . .
is in the bag!
I'm not very good at sewing my boys scout badges on,
I told them to just hang the bag around their neck
if they want to show anyone their awards!
(I seriously need to work on that!)
Here's How They Work:
I had my boys choose 8 of their favorite outfits
for cold weather and hot weather.
(Remember . . . Less IS More!)
The clothes go on the hanger and the extras go in the bag,
along with a Days of the Week Tag that has been laminated,
attached to the hanger.
The tags are a great way to remind them what they
need for the day.
You could also use the tags to make an inventory list
for dance and sports accessories . . . etc.
I write on the tags with a wet-erase marker.
Here's the PDF for the Tags:
I included all the colors in the PDF!
I use hangers, but there are several options.
Days of the Week Clothing Organizers:
You can actually fit clothes for two small children
in one of these clothing organizers. 
This one has pockets on the side for library books
and homework folders!
I put 4 boys into 1 coat closet . . . just to see if it would fit
AND IT DID!
They are a great option when you have limited space.
Sweater Boxes:
I actually ended up using sweater boxes in Illinois.
(So that I could use the boys closet for Food Storage.)
I used one box for each day of the week.
Toddlers clothing can fit into a shoe box tote.
I stored their Days of the Week Clothes Boxes
under their beds.
Mornings are so much better, and
having all of the Scouts and Sports
Equipment in one place
is Pure Heaven!!!
One more thing . . .
The bags are a perfect place to store
gloves, scarves and hats.
Just hang the bag with their winter coat
and you're good to go!

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