Shopping with Teens and a Tween - a recap for Fashion Tip Tuesday
It's that time of year again. They NEED to go shopping.
It's not that I'm opposed to shopping. HARDLY! It just becomes a lot of work.
It's a lot of personalities. And basically. A lot of females!! And the man child needs new things too! Oiy!
So as I prepare myself...I thought it best to review my own tips on shopping with my girlies - and man child. And then I thought. Maybe you need a review too.
Hang with me. The last week has not been the easiest in my life. But more on that later.
Here's to coffee and chocolate and the MALL!
Cheers!
There is quite a bit of focus on fashion at our house. But don't be fooled. It's not because we are self obsessed. We truly enjoy the artistic sense of pulling together outfits. Pieces from here. Bits from there. Borrowed from her. Thrifted from them.
It's a sort of game.
I mean you have to get dressed right? Right?
So you might as well make it fun while you express yourself!
The challenge? Four females under one roof!
Four personalities.
Four senses of style.
Four different budgets.
And three of those "females" keep growing! Rotten kids! :)
For the first day of spring break we planned a shopping trip to Indianapolis...."just us girls". But I refuse to go into this blindly. And...are you ready for this? I really don't like to shop! I like to have a plan. Get in. Get out. Nobody gets hurt.
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| here's what I looked like in the morning... |
Here are a few tips to preparing AND shopping with your teens and tweens.
- Have them clean out their closets before hand. Take out what no longer fits and either hand it down to a willing recipient, or donate it.
- Make a list of what you want to look for. Needs vs. Wants. Be specific. Are you looking for floral jeans, this springs hot trend? What type of jeans? Cropped or skinny? How much are you willing to spend?
- Look through magazines or on websites of stores you like to shop at and get an idea of what is out there. Add or subtract to list.
- Parents - know before hand what is acceptable to you. How short is too short? How see through is too see through? Make sure they know you get the final "ok". Setting that up before you head out, makes saying "no" that much easier on all of you!
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Budget!
- We gave each of our kids a set amount of cash in an envelope. This was theirs to use. When it's gone. It's gone. This makes them responsible, and accountable.
- In addition to that amount we will buy necessities. Socks. Underwear. A pair of jeans or shorts if they have none. Again, decide this ahead of time and write it down.
- Take snacks. I refuse to buy expensive mall food unless we are stuck there for lunch. When they thanked me repeatedly for lunch yesterday I did tell them I was obligated to feed them at least once :) #kidding. But seriously, a pack of crackers and fruit snacks goes a long way. Just sayin.
- Everything gets tried on. And everything gets talked through. What will you wear this for? What do you have that goes with it? Is it on your list? You would be amazed at how many times something gets put back on the rack after really processing it out loud.
- Be willing to put things on hold. And mom, be willing to go back if they want to. I know this takes extra work. But they need to trust that if they are willing to think about with a hold...you will be willing to go back for them.
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Be honest. Be kind. Respect each others choices. And listen.
- You may learn a thing or two about why they like something.
- They might have excellent thoughts and ideas about what YOU try on. Example? I did not buy a pair of pants I thought were perfect on me because of Anneke's opinion. I did buy a dress because unanimously they said "I had to".
- Know when it's time to quit and go home! This is very important - trust me!
We had a blast. Really! The girls did great and found some amazing things. It was fun for me to watch them process their choices from a style stand point, as well as monetarily!
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| and what I looked like nearing the end of our day.... |
Oh, and I just may have found a few winning pieces myself. Yes!
Happy shopping!
xoxoxoxoxxoxo
lisa
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Posted on October 15 2013