One Paycheck

Buying clothes for the children is fun but can be very, very dangerous. I’ve often spotted an irresistible blouse for my daughter from across a store only to find that: 1) it’s not on sale; and 2) it costs more than if it were made for an adult. Okay, buying one or two impulse items is not going to break the bank, but this becomes harder to justify when your kid wrecks the blouse after wearing it once. So my favorite spots to shop for children’s clothing are Marshalls, Daffy’s, and H&M. I try to shop after the holidays when there is a big push to unload inventory, and I look for the next size up from the actual sizes my children wear.

In addition, my neighbor and I swap children’s clothes. She has a boy who is older than my son, and I have a daughter who is older than her twin girls. Since we share similar style preferences, I am never worried that we won’t like what we receive from each other. We both get a kick out of seeing our kids’ clothes on someone else. Our children play well together, so it doesn’t upset them to see their old clothes worn by their friends.

My kids are constantly getting invited to birthday parties, sometimes two or three in one weekend. Marshalls and Daffy’s also sell toys, so I also try to stock up on gifts when I go shopping for clothes. That way, I’m always prepared with a closetful of age-appropriate gifts. The best gift is one that is not gender specific; I have a lot of arts-n-crafts kits ready to go.

So there you have it: my tips for maintaining a household on one paycheck. I guess I would have had to come up with a LOT more tips if we were living on my old publishing paycheck, instead of my husband’s bank paycheck! Ultimately, however, all my tips are just about using plain common sense when combating the evils of conspicuous consumption.

Now about that fifty-inch plasma television….