Year Round Minimalist Wardrobe for Kids- Boys and Girls

My kids have recently gone through a growth spurt....again....and I find myself in need of a new wardrobe! Buying a new wardrobe for a new size can be overwhelming, and expensive, so I like to take a minimalist approach. Here are some things I kept in mind when I was putting their wardrobe together:

• I do laundry once a week, unless there is an emergency
• We go to church once a week, so they need 1 nice outfit
• We spot clean pants if needed so they can wear their pants more than one time a week
• Rather than have designated pajamas, the kids wear their shorts and shirts to bed. Everything is comfy.
• Mix and match is a must, and not just because my kids dress themselves. I usually do neutral colored bottoms, and have a little more fun with the t-shirts. 
• The reason I have 2 separate jackets, 1 rain, 1 regular, is so they can keep the rain jacket in their backpacks for unexpected rainstorms at school. Also, if they forget a jacket at school, it's always good to have 1 backup.

Here is what I decided I needed for a boy:

• 8 T-shirts
• 3 pairs pants- 2 pairs jeans; 1 pair athletic/sweats
• 8 shorts (mostly athletic/comfy shorts)
• 1 nice outfit- pants, polo, and shoes
• 2 jackets (1 rain, 1 warm)
• 1 swimsuit
• 10 underwear
• 10 pairs socks
• 3 pairs of shoes: tennis shoes, flip flops/sandals, church shoes

For a girl, it's slightly different:

• 8 T-shirts/dresses
• 4 pairs pants- 2 pairs jeans; 2 pair athletic/sweats
• 6 shorts (mostly athletic/comfy shorts)
• 1 nice dress
• 2 jackets (1 rain, 1 warm)
• 1 swimsuit
• 10 underwear
• 10 pairs socks
• 3 pairs of shoes: tennis shoes, flip flops/sandals, church shoes 

The majority of the photos were found on Gymboree.com- a few are from Old Navy, Landsend, and a few are just google searches of similar items to what I bought. I really like shopping online at places where I can find cute, matching, basics that will endure a little wear and tear. If I shop the sales, I can also get them at a good price, too. What are your favorite places to get kid's clothes?

Buy it or Bag it

Is it really worth the cost to make your own lunch, or is it just as cost effective to buy lunch? For adults, there is no question that bagging it is less expensive and healthier. You could buy an inexpensive burger and fries for about the same cost as making your lunch, but there may be negative long term consequences for your health. Another option is to take leftovers for lunch. You can make your food stretch further, as well as saving the time making your lunch the next morning. For kids with school lunch, there are so many variables that the choice of how to provide lunch for your kids depends on what is important to you. Here are ideas to help you decide which is better for you.

Having kids eat cafeteria lunches is more convenient. It costs about $1.50 per day per child to eat school lunch if they are in elementary school and about $1.75 per day if they are in junior high and high school. Teenagers are more likely to spend more money than that since most don’t seem to like cafeteria lunches and may choose to eat elsewhere. It is important to ask yourself if your child will even eat the lunches at school. Some of our kids would rather skip lunch than have a cafeteria lunch. It is a waste of your money if they aren’t eating it. Are the lunches healthy enough for your standards? Do they get the nutrition they need or are there too many high-fat, fried foods? Let’s say you have 4 kids. Two are in elementary school and two are in junior high school. The weekly cost would be about $32.50. How much would it cost to make lunches? There are many variables to be considered. I did an analysis of prices in the most expensive grocery store in town. I used regular prices, not sale prices for the analysis. I could have saved $5 or more on the items I priced if I had used the store’s sale prices. If you buy individually wrapped items, the cost would likely be more than the cost of the cafeteria. On the other hand, you could save money if you make homemade bread and cookies or buy things on sale or at the least expensive store in town. It is also important to remember that younger children usually eat smaller portions. By sending half as much as is sent for older kids, your money will stretch further. And, if your kids like peanut butter and jelly every day of the week, then you could save even more! Kids never seem to have enough time to eat a big lunch at school, so you need to be wise in determining the amount to send.

This list includes groceries to make two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, two egg salad sandwiches and one tuna sandwich per child for the week. It also includes a daily drink, fruit or vegetable and a snack. All prices are regular store prices, not sale prices.

Expensive Store-Name Brand (ESNB): These groceries are all name brand items bought at the most expensive store in town. They are not sale prices. I could have saved over $5 with the regular sale prices on these name brands the day I shopped.

Expensive Store-Store Brand (ESSB): These groceries were bought at the most expensive store in town. Some of the store brands do not taste as good as the name brands, but are priced more reasonably if you are not as picky about name brands.

Homemade (HOME): When food is homemade, it usually tastes better and has fewer preservatives. You know exactly what is in your food when you make it. You can also buy juice concentrate and put in containers or use powdered drink mix or water to save even more.

Inexpensive Store-Name Brand (ISNB): These are name brands bought at the most reasonably priced store in town.

Inexpensive Store-Store Brand (ISSB): These are store brands bought at the most reasonably priced store in town.

Cafeteria (CAFÉ): Lunch purchased at school cafeteria

	ESNB	ESSB	HOME	ISNB	ISSB	CAFE
2 Loaves of Bread	4.98	1.78	~1.00	4.38	1.58
2 lbs. carrots	1.49	1.49	.79	.79	.79
1 bag apples	2.99	2.99	1.99	1.99	1.99
Eggs for egg salad	2.29	1.49	1.29	1.29	1.29
Tuna	.79	.59	.49	.71	.49
Mayonnaise	2.49	1.89	1.67	2.18	1.67
Peanut Butter	2.69	2.19	1.29	2.13	1.29
Jam	2.49	1.99	1.90	2.42	1.90
Drink/Juice Boxes	6.98	5.00	~2.00	6.06	5.20
Chips or Cookies (2)	2.99	1.79	~2.00	2.89	1.62
Total	30.18	21.20	14.42	24.84	17.82	32.50

Figure out what really matters to you. Is your time or money more important? Is the quality of the food and nutritional value more important than the best value for your dollar? Saving ten dollars per week using store brands instead of name brands adds up to $520 per year. If you send homemade lunches, shop at a less expensive store, or shop sales and are more cost conscious, you can save over a $1,000 per year. It can really add up. Think of all the things you could do with that extra money. Not only are you saving, you also gain the opportunity to earn a return on the money saved. By experimenting and finding out the appropriate balance you will be happy with your decision.

Spend 5 Minutes a Day and Teach Your Child to Read

Teaching your child to read can be fun and very rewarding. It can also help them excel in school and improve their self esteem. By committing yourself to only five minutes a day, your child could start reading within two to three months. I have taught school and tutored individual children, and have found some wonderful resources available to teach your child to read. They are not expensive and are well worth the money. By buying a set of alphabet flash cards and a set of phonics readers, you have all you need to begin.

1. The first step in teaching your child to read is to help them recognize the letters in the alphabet. You can buy the alphabet cards at many different locations. (for example: Target, Walmart, Staples, etc.) Start with two or three letters and add one at a time until you get through the whole alphabet. Ask your child, “Which letter is a T? Which letter is an A?” Don’t ask them to tell you the name of the letter yet. They are learning to discriminate between the letters. Find letters that look very different so it will be easier for them to recognize them. You can place three in a row and ask them to find a certain letter. Do this little by little until they recognize all of the letters in the alphabet. Once they master finding the letter you ask them to find, they are ready for the next step.
   
   
2. The next step is to have them identify each letter. You can start using the same process with two or three cards and ask them to tell you the name of each letter. As they answer correctly, add one letter at a time until you get through the entire alphabet. You can also make bingo cards with the letters on them. Chose a letter and have them tell you what letter it is before they can put something on that space. You can also use a fishing pole or stick with a string and magnet and have them fish for letters that have paperclips attached so they will stick to the magnet. As they catch the letters, ask them what letter it is. If they get it right, they get to put it in a pile. If they get it wrong, it goes back down and they have to fish for it again. There is also an excellent book called Chalkboard in the Kitchen by Teresa Savage. It may be out of print, therefore you may only be able to buy used copies. The price has risen to approximately $30, but you can see about getting it at your local library or through interlibrary loan at your local library. Once your child can tell you all of the letters in the alphabet, they are ready to start reading.
   
   
3. The next step is to start on the phonics readers. I have tried several different reading programs, and I have found the Phonics Practice Readers published by Modern Curriculum Press to be the easiest and best available. Each set has 10 books: two for each vowel. There are eight pages in each book. They use different consonants and focus on one vowel at a time. There are both short and long vowel readers. The short vowel readers start with the book Max the Cat. After the short vowel readers, work through the long vowel readers. When your child is finished with both the short and long vowel series, they are ready to read other books. These phonics readers are the best I have found and I have had lots of success teaching both English-speaking and non English—speaking children to read with them. I found a company on the internet called Perfection Learning Corporation that sells these sets for $23.95 each. A set includes 10 books and a teacher’s guide. Their toll free number is 1-800-831-4190. I start with series A, set 1 (short vowels) and set 2 (long vowels). If you want to purchase more short or long vowel books, you can purchase series B or Series C. You may also be able to find them on the internet at Barnes and Noble or any other book site.
   
   
4. Margaret Hillert has written a series of books that focus on a limited vocabulary. These books are excellent to use as the next step in teaching your child to read. They can be checked out from your local library. If they don’t carry them, check the school library or get them through interlibrary loan. If you have several children you may consider purchasing them, but check one out first to see what they are like and to see if they are something you want to spend money on. The books cost about six dollars each. Some of the titles are: The Three Little Pigs, The Birthday Car, The Magic Beans, etc. Another book they might enjoy is Ten Apples Up On Top by Theo Lesieg. It has a limited vocabulary. Be careful about buying other brands of beginning readers without looking through them thoroughly. Some have a few words on the pages, but the vocabulary is much too difficult. I once looked at a book for K-1 that had the word anchovies in it. Just a limited number of words on the page does not make it a good book for your child.

By trying this method I think you will be very pleased. You will see your child progress and feel the rewards of your efforts. Don’t give up. There are times when it may get frustrating, but if you are consistent and spend 5 minutes a day you will make it.