Socks. Just that one word could cause nightmares for moms of larger families.
With nine people in our family, we have plenty of feet that require socks (preferably matching socks) on a daily basis. Unfortunately, sorting and matching socks has never been one of my favorite things to do. A few years ago, I got so frustrated with the never-ending pile of socks waiting to be matched, that I decided it was time to try a new method.
Here’s what works for me:
Buy only one kind of socks for each child. Pick a brand, style, and color–and stick with it! When all the socks are identical, no matching is necessary. Bonus: no “orphan” socks!
Buy socks with different colored stitching for each size. Color-coding makes it a cinch to separate the different sizes of socks: blue stitching for the older boys, green stitching for the younger ones, and so on.
Use a sock basket. Don’t want to take time to sort and distribute all those socks? Keep a laundry basket designated for clean socks, and toss ‘em all in! When all the socks in each size are exactly the same, even younger children can grab their own set of matching socks from the basket.
What works for you?
I’m sharing my solution at LFO @ Raising Arrows and Works for Me Wednesday.
This sounds like a great plan I try to do some of this but I will do more when I have more to do with. God Bless!
It can be difficult to maintain a balance between saving time and saving money, can’t it? I certainly find it challenging!
Thanks for stopping by!
I´d also considered purchasing lingerie bags for each member of the family so that each could stash socks in his own bag and know for sure that they would be easy to pair (granted you purchase one color and style of sock for each person).
Good idea, April! This would be very helpful for those who prefer not to purchase all one kind of socks. Thanks for sharing!
That’s pretty much what we do as well. We don’t intentionally store them in a basket for retrieval. just rarely manage to get them put away.
I think that’s how the whole “sock basket” idea got started at our house, too.
Thanks for visiting!
I have a sock “pile”—does that count?! lol Might be a lot neater if I’d just put them in a basket. Thanks for linking up!
Of course it counts–as long as you are saving time by NOT matching them, LOL!
Thanks so much for hosting!
Sounds like a great idea!! A bother idea is to color code your existing socks, if saving money was a big issue. A different sharpie color for each family member??
Great idea, Michelle! This would also be helpful for those who don’t want to be limited to just one color and style of socks.
Thanks for stopping by!