Thrifty tips for clothing your family nicely

I said I would share a picture of the dress that Mara made Megan for her birthday. Megan wore it this morning to church and I got a picture of her in it before we left. That started me thinking about the issue of clothes....

 

  We don't spend very much money on clothes. Nor do I shop very often, in fact this year two date I have bought a total of two clothing items: A pair of snow boots for Mara and a pair of hiking boots/shoes for Jonathan. Both were off clearance racks. This year we will probably buy even less than usual I am really trying to simplify and not buy anything that we don't need.

  Even if we don't spend very much money it is still fun to dress nicely and not wear they same things all the time. I thought I would share some of the ways that I clothe our family frugally, I know I have addressed this issue before but it has been a while so I thought it would be fun to write about again.

Here are some quick tips:

• Don't buy more than you need.
• Buy quality not quantity. To get that more economically look for it second hand or make it.
• Gratefully accept hand-me-downs if they are offered to you. Keep what you can use and pass on the rest.
• Be creative with putting together outfits using the clothes you already have in your drawers.
• Have "good" clothes and "everyday" clothes so that your "good" clothes stay in good shape.
• Polish your shoes when they need it - it really extends their looking good time.
• Mend things before they get worse.
• Patch your pants.
• Shop clearance racks.
• Shop at garage sales or second hand stores.
• Use high value (like $10 off a $10 purchase!) coupons.
• Pass clothes on from one child to the next. We have specially marked boxes (according to age/size and gender) in our closets that we put clothes in to have them ready for the next child.
• Sew your own clothes. Though don't go buy full price cloth and notions at a fabric store or it is unlikely that you will save money. Find sales, save notions off of old clothes, buy supplies from second hand stories, etc.
• Go to or even host a clothing swap. We tried that last year and we found it helpful. I think I have ideas for improving it for next year.
• Remake clothes. There have been so many times that we have something (either given to use or maybe something "Old" in our closet) that we just don't care for as is or maybe it doesn't even fit us but with a little creativity and a little sewing (or once a while maybe you can even fix something up without sewing) and you have something that does work for you.

 Remaking clothes is a favorite pastime of mine and if you look around you will find quite a few examples on this blog (like this skirt, a onesie dress, a big girl dress, and another dress and swimsuits). I have been working on some new remakes and mending lately and have quite a few more planned. I am hoping to just go through all of our clothes soon and either get rid of or remake those that we don't really like or wear. I have decided that I will try to do a bunch of posts on this subject as a series in May so if you like remaking clothes than I invite you to come join me then!

Meanwhile - how does your family save money on clothes? I would love to hear your tips!

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