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??
SandyH
Wednesday 12th of June 2013
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.
George
Tuesday 23rd of February 2010
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!
Debbie M
Sunday 3rd of May 2009
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.)
Carole
Friday 1st of May 2009
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
Randi
Friday 1st of May 2009
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.