Shopping Ups and Downs

The Rhea Lana sale ended, and I am loving my 65 items which I bought for Arden and Owen. I should have looked for some jeans for Hudson, now that I actually pulled out my bins of Owen's old clothes from the attic. Oh well. It was a crazy night to shop since Arden was sick, and Stuart was trying to take her and the boys to the pediatrician. I sold all but 5 items of the 125 items which I put in, and I cleared over $300 profit. That made me feel like the effort was worth it (not to mention that it allowed me to shop at the presale). If you haven't consigned or shopped at the large children's consignment sales in your area, you really need to try it. Yes, it is crowded. Yes, you will have to plan to stand in line for a long time (I heard over an hour in the Little Rock Rhea Lana, but I only waited in line 20 minutes in Rogers). I averaged around $5.00 per item for each of the 65 items which I purchased, and they were all name brands like Gymboree, Children's Place, Gap,and Stride Rite. I only spent $60 above what I earned in selling my old clothes. Yep, that is only $60 for my children's entire fall wardrobe!! Any odds and ends or more shoes for Arden will be filled in with used items off Ebay throughout the winter.

Now, I wish I could go to a great consignment sale for clothing for me! I have lived in shorts, jeans, and yoga pants for the better part of the past six years as a SAHM. Now, I am teaching again, and we are only allowed to wear jeans with the school shirt on designated "spirit days." I literally own three pairs of pants that fit me right now! So, I went shopping on Sunday to find some pants, and two hours later I came home with one pair and $60 less in the bank. I am very hard to fit in pants. Yes, I am skinny and can't help that. It's genetic and nothing I try to attain. In fact, I purposefully have to eat ice cream or high calorie foods daily to keep up with my metabolism, or I would become downright gaunt if I don't pay attention! I just have a hard time keeping weight on. The negative side to my figure (or lack thereof) is that I have a long waist, short legs, and no curves. Most pants gap hugely at the waistband if they fit my hips because I have a small waist. The few pants that do fit me are often styled to the tastes of a teenager and are cut way too low or tight for someone who is 39, a teacher, and a mother of three. The pants I just bought were a 2 petite at Ann Taylor. They only had THREE entire pairs of pants in the entire store in my size! Two were too low on the waistband, so I left with one pair. I tried Gap, Banana Republic, and White House/Black Market, and very few people make pants in my size or stock more than one pair since the demand is low. If they do, then they must be sized for models who are 5'11 because they will be 35 inches in the inseam and require hemming and alterations. I'm trying to avoid paying for that after the ridiculous prices of the pants to begin with! It is frustating. So, I will probably get online and order this exact pair of Ann Taylor pants in two more colors. It's hard to be fashionable when you can't get clothing that fits. Too bad I'm not Arden; I could have had 65 items for the price of my one pair of pants!