Weed, Then Shop!

Weeding a garden is one thing; weeding through closets is another! If the owner of the closet is a tween or teen girl, the collection can be especially daunting. Items that no longer fit. Items that were her favorites. Items that are no longer in fashion. Items that have spots, tears or missing buttons. Items that look good on a hanger but hang oddly on her. Items that fit but make her look too fat or too thin, too tall or too short, too old or too young. Items that she loves but you find too revealing or too childish. Plus, the items that she wears every day!

Before school resumes again, take time to weed. Invite your daughter to join you. Explain that money is tight everywhere right now and before you finance further clothes purchases, it would help you both to see what she has. It may even free up space for your daughter to store other treasures. Besides, making order from chaos is satisfying for its own sake. You can sweeten the deal by offering to help wash or iron your discoveries. Suggest that once she has finished, you will take her shopping.

First discuss destinations for the items you plan to sort.


* Items to keep: Acknowledge and validate your daughters taste. She has pretty, serviceable clothes. She also has sentiment, like all of us, and ought to be permitted to keep some useless (to adults!) items if she loves them.

* Items to share: Clothes in good condition that can be given to a sister, cousin, neighbor or friend.
* Items to repair/wash/iron: Clothes she likes and wishes to fix up.

* Items to donate: Clothes that are still wearable can be given to a second-hand store or advertised on craigslist (or similar site.)

* Items to throw away or put in the scrap basket: Even your daughter may admit that some things are beyond hope.

Second, weed! This can be a fun time to try things on, laugh about what used to look good, and discover how much she has grown. It is also an opportunity to muse with her about how much the clothes cost and how many resources--water, heat, energy-- were consumed to produce them.

Third, talk about what she still needs and what she wants. This tight economy makes us all aware of our budgets, and this process makes your daughter part of the family's planning. Having completed the weeding process, you both can see what she has and what she needs.

Finally, go shopping. The preceding steps inspire girls to make careful and deliberate purchases, behavior appropriate for our current economic climate-and a life skill.

For ideas, try zelaz.com