Getting kids' clothing ready for winter

Do you get caught each year not having organized your children's winter outerwear? Does the first (or second or third) snowfall find you not knowing whose boots from last year still fit or whose snowpants need repair? I used to be in this position, but a few years ago, Steve and I developed a good system for making sure we knew exactly what we had and what we needed. In early November, we make a grid like this one:


Then, it is simply a matter of hauling out the winter stuff and checking off the list.

Steve and I get the kids busy with a game or activity on the main floor and we head downstairs to our basement, put on the fire - sometimes some music - and get to work. Each child in our family has a small bin, labeled with his/her name. We toss the smaller items we think will fit into each child's respective bin and place larger items alongside the bins. Then, we call each child downstairs one by one and have them try their stuff on. As the things fit, we check off the list. Then, the bins are brought upstairs and placed on the shelf in our main floor bathroom. At the end, we have a clear list of what we need to find at the thrift store.

Okay, so this year, I kept meaning to get our stuff ready, but didn't actually get to it until yesterday, just after the first snow that stayed on the ground. However, today we are well organized and ready to go! I only need to shop for two pairs of boots. One pair is for my oldest son, whose feet grow like crazy and the other pair is for one of my daughters who would be traumatized by being forced to wear the 'ugly boy boots' that we have in her size. I would have called them unisex, but what do I know?