Make Do and Mend

SnowyOwl_2

I'm not terribly interested in having a constant turnover of clothing...I can make thing last for years and years. However the one thing that I do spend far too much money on is tights (I am an office worker). Even if I don't snag the legs then the heel goes or the toe. Does anybody have any good tips for making them last longer than one wear, or recommend the best ones for repeated wear?

Sarahsaver

I was wondering the same myself because I hate tights but this time of year if i wear a dress or a skirt I need tights, and can't find any that last more than one wear, apart from aristoc(expensive) and boots opaques which i have had ages - one pair is about 8 years old!!!

moggins

SnowyOwl wrote:

I'm not terribly interested in having a constant turnover of clothing...I can make thing last for years and years. However the one thing that I do spend far too much money on is tights (I am an office worker). Even if I don't snag the legs then the heel goes or the toe. Does anybody have any good tips for making them last longer than one wear, or recommend the best ones for repeated wear?

I think they recommend putting them in the freezer to make them less likely to run. I tend to buy multi packs from peackocks or Primark as they are so cheap I don't worry too much if I wreck them.

You're supposed to handwash them too as machine washing is too hard on them.

I remember my mum cutting one leg off and using two pairs together if they developed a hole

Sarahsaver

How scary would that be for the other party if you pulled...;)

in_my_wellies

Let me start by saying that I am a woman. When my FIL died I had all his old plain M&S jumpers. They fitted me a treat with a broach and a scarf from the charity shop. Since then I have bought new mens jumpers in the sale as they always seem cheaper than the equivelant ladies ones.

jazzyjustlaw

Curry_Queen wrote:

I haven't bought myself any clothes for over 6 months

Wow I am a naughty girl and I spend a lot on clothes. How do you manage not to buy clothes for 6 months!!!!! I am impressed.

I am in but for April only!!

moggins

The last time I bought clothes was a pair of jeans from the charity shop as my other pair had got so thin with washing and wearing that they split right down the bum

Unfortunately I have lost nearly a stone in weight and now I am having to keep my trousers up with a belt. I'll see if the weight stays off for a couple of months and then I'll have to get some more clothes

HOLsale

tiff wrote:

Holsale, you have given some good tips there, I cant believe how thrifty you are! Fair play to you.

thankyou

actually i learned the hard way. my mother grew up in an upper middle class family and was a bit spoiled. when i was young we were dirt poor due to some not so wise decisions on her part (she led a far too sheltered life and everyone around her paid for it :rolleyes: )

even when things were the worst she would NOT go to boot sales or buy from charity shops. so i wound up only getting clothing twice a year from my grandparents, given that i was 5'2" by the time i was 10 you can see that i was a huge constantly growing kid! i was a tomboy but would beg for dresses as they weren't so noticeably too short by the time the next lot of clothing arrived...

i also got into major trouble for just being a kid. if i tore anything or stained anything my mother practically broke down because she knew she couldn't replace it (well, WOULDN'T replace it was more like it, she could have if she wasn't too proud to shop at charity shops) i vowed my own kids would never have to suffer through that so i have always shopped at charity shops for them

they can eat chocolate ice cream and make a huge mess, i don't bat an eyelid! they can tear up their clothes through rough play, and those are their play clothes then, no worries! i always buy in advance so if they outgrow their clothes i can go shopping in the bottom of their wardrobe which isn't dependent on what money is in the bank account at the time. buying in advance when i have the money saves me from having to pay over the odds for emergenices, simple as that!

my mother wasn't a good mother but she did teach me a lot of things NOT to do so for that i'm grateful...

tiff

I didnt have enough clothes when I was a kid either, I had my first pair of jeans at age 12 and then I only had one pair. My Mum never bought second hand either, and she always bought me clothes as presents for Christmas and birthday which I really resented because I felt they were things I should be getting anyway. So with my own kids I always make sure they have the clothes they need, I might buy them one item to go in with their Christmas presents, but they dont depend on Christmas for their clothes for the next season! I'm sure my Mum was doing her best, but I dont want my own kids to grow up that way.

I think there is a stigma attached to buying things in charity shops. I recently bought some jumpers for the first time, I didnt tell anyone where I bought them and they all have M & S labels so thats where I said I bought them. I think people are very judgemental if you buy from charity shops, ie you must be very poor/desperate etc. I wish it wasnt like that, maybe I should just admit it so they can accept it. I know my Mum would be horrified to think her grandkids were wearing charity shop clothes!

Murtle

Sarahsaver wrote:

Just wondered if anyone will join me in this, starting on 1st April. Im going to see how long I can go without buying any clothing or footwear, not that I buy loads anyway.

I think this is a great idea - especially as I have a sewing machine and overlocker...I think I managed to start already!!!! OH managed to make a tear in his jeans - and I stiched it up and made it look really good (well I think so). Although he probably wouldn't have bought another pair straight away if it hadn't been fixed, we'd probably have left it till it was so big they'd have to be chucked!!! I don't buy heaps of clothing, but I also don't wear lots of what I have so could be room for altering clothing as well to make it more enjoyable to wear. Will keep a note of all things I buy/fix!!