I thought this was kind of funny.
This past Sunday was unseasonably warm(actually, it was downright hot!), and so Joshua needed a short sleeved shirt for church. I dug through his closet and found a short sleeved white polo shirt that I'd bought a while ago on clearance(when I see clothes for a really great price, I buy them and store them until my kids have grown into them). I love it when I happen to have a cheaply obtained, needed clothing item at just the right time! I remember this seeming like a huge shirt when I bought it, but Joshua had finally grown enough to fit it, so I took the tags off.
I bought the shirt for $1.74, and as you can see, after I bought it I peeled off the other price tags to see what it had been marked down to previously(I can't be the only one who does this!).
I wondered to myself how long ago I bought the shirt, and when I looked under the tag, I found this coupon, which answered my question.
Yeah...that expiration date is in 2003, so I bought this shirt about six years ago. That was unusually forward thinking of me(maybe a little too forward thinking...I don't know if it was worth it to store a $7 shirt for six years!). But I'm happy that I bought it because now I don't have to run out and pay more for a new shirt this spring.
For the record, I wouldn't buy something so far ahead of time if it was likely to go out of style, but solid white polo shirts aren't likely to be unfashionable any time soon. 😉
So, dear readers! Make me feel less alone....have any of you bought something six years before you'd need it??
My husband bought a Nike hoodie at the Nike outlet way before our oldest could fit it. It was really cheap and really cute so he just went ahead and bought it. He started wearing it this year and it's still big on him, unless he grows a ton, it'll fit him for another 2 years I would say. I normally don't buy that far ahead. But I do buy for the next season.
Yeah, I buy clothing on clearance in hopes of the kids growing into it, but I honestly don't think I've ever come close to 6 years. My goodness, that is organization. I got a bunch of long sleeved shirts on clearance last spring sizes 5 and 6 when my girl was just wearing a 2T at the time and almost 1 year old. She seems to be growing quickly, since at almost 2 years she's now wearing 3T and will probably be into the 4T's late summer or early fall. I'm thinking she's going to be wearing the 5's next year when she's almost 3. My kids are all tall for their ages. So, maybe she'll wear the 6 when she's 4. That's kind of the growth pattern the other kids were. So, while I do grab up the bargains when I see them, the most I'll probably have the jerseys in storage is 3 years max. I bought flowery and striped shirts mostly pinks, blues and greens to match with jeans or a khaki skirt-- 6 of them at $1 each. They were originally $6 at Kohl's, but that place always has so many weird sales, but I do think I got a bargain. I haven't seen as many good clearance sales this year, anyone think the same?
Well, at least you have kids to buy for! My husband and I are planning on starting our family once we move back to the US in a few months, but we began buying some baby things almost 2 years ago! I mean, duckies on baby clothes are not likely to go out of style, as well as some things to decorate a nursery (and some of this was bought when we were considering TTC). I think sometimes you have to buy things when you see a great deal. I mean, at least it is something you can use for your son.....I have some shoes that at the time I had to have, but have worn maybe a couple times each.
The tags remind me of my VERY frugal mother-in-law who would send me gifts with the price tags still
attached. At first I thought, "How cheap!" until she asked, "Did you see the amazing deal I got?" She
was a wise woman and a kick in the pants. I miss her.
In 1999 I bought a ribbon-trimmed pink tank top for our niece at a big sale at Freg Segal. That's an L.A. department store that's really hip and overpriced and I never shop there. But this little tank top was less than $10, I don't remember the exact amount. Since it was out of season, I put it in a bag and put it away to give her the following summer. But her birthday is in february and that wasn't a good gift, and then I forgot about it, and soon it was too small.
Flash forward to LAST YEAR- 8 years later! I gave it to another niece (different side of the family) for her 6th birthday in may and she still wears it constantly a year later. She loves it. Plus she lives in Arizona so she can wear it most of the year.
So even though it wasn't exactly INTENDED as something I was buying that far ahead of time, that's how it turned out. I don't have kids, but I do sometimes buy things on sale to use later, like khakis for my husband from the Gap or Banana Republic. The style doesn't change that much.
Well, I generally don't buy things that far in advance...but I DO peel the clearance stickers off. I once got a dress at a thrift store with the tags on it. I paid a dollar for it, and once I got it home and peeled the stickers off, the last clearance price was $29.99, and the original price was $135!!
You probably bought it at least 6 months to a year before the expiration. I'm an expert when it comes to Target clearance. I even know the days they'll mark things down further. Just an FYI. Most items first go 15%, then 30%, then 50% and then 75%. For holiday stuff, they even reduce to 90%. I have gotten some incredible bargains at Target. Whenever we take a trip, we make sure we hit all locals stores because you never know what one store will have.
My boys buy for themselves; I get them stuff for b'days and Christmas. All three of them are around 6 foot tall, so I can't buy sizes ahead lol.
A few years ago, going planet friendly, I made a deal with myself never to buy anything new except underwear/hosiery/shoes unless absolutely desperate. I get bargains on all my clothes as I always shop in charity/thrift shops for myself. You can find some amazing labels and really good stuff there. I am very picky and look for quality, ignoring cheap labels, and more people compliment me on outfits put together from those shops than they ever did buying outfits new from shops I could afford.
It's just a matter of being choosy. Most days my outfits are completely second hand.
Carole
I don't think I've bought things that far in advance, by I have educated myself on things that far in advance. Like I took an informal class on how to buy a house several years before I had anything saved at all, just because I was in the mood. And that was good, because when the time came, I knew just what order to do things in.
Oh, wait. I did buy a pattern for a wedding dress when there was no man in sight. That was probably 15 years ago now, and it's still unused. I still like it, though. And in color other than white, it would make a dress that doesn't look like a wedding dress. (Yes, it is a multi-size pattern.)
Yes, my mother did this. She passed away last year, and we are in the process of going through her rugs, blankets, and such. We donated a lot to Goodwill, because it was in her nature to give to the needy. I feel that buying children's clothes on sale might be okay if it's winter clothing and jeans, but kids might get more finicky in their teens.
God Bless you, Frugal girl!
Not nearly as far in advance as you did, but when my now 19- month old grandaughter was a tiny newborn, I found a red quilted hooded coat at Old Navy in the clearance section. It's a size 2, and looked HUGE at the time. I gave it to my daughter and she hung it in the baby's closet where it was easily the longest item hanging in there, lol. She wore it this past winter, it's long on her but looked fine, and she will wear it again this winter. I paid $2.