Make Do and Mend

Sarahsaver

Mended my kaftan this morning;)

furrypig

I think I could join this challenge as I find it very easy to buy 'bargain' clothes, mainly for the kids, so they have loads!! I do charity shops, hand me downs and sales and begrudge paying full price for anything. But sometimes I think that instead of saving money I spend almost as much as I will buy more things as they cost less!! Thanks to all you guys I am changing my way of thinking!! I do think though that cost per wear is a useful way to look at things, so if something cost £5 but you only wear it once it is very expensive compared to an item that cost £20 but you wear regularly over 40 times and already is less than 50p a wear! This sometimes stops me buying another cheap t shirt for the kids as part of me says 'it's only 50p' but they don't need it!
Just had to pay full price for shoes and trainers for my son so need to save some money now!
Also I buy things in advance and put them away for next year as it does save a fortune though I have to be very orgamised at remembering what I have bought them!!

Let's see how I get on!

crana999

If you join the Freecycle group for your area (if there is one) that can be a good source of clothes. I just got some clothes in my size from a girl who doesn't fit them any more.

A good starting place is to put in where you live (or the nearest major town/city) and Freecycle into the search engine on https://www.yahoogroups.com. Be careful you get a UK group as many place names are also the names of places in the US!

HOLsale

tiff wrote:

I think there is a stigma attached to buying things in charity shops. ... 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!

i got over that a long time ago but i know exactly what you mean :mad:

one thing i've always done is to tell them that far too many items of clothing wind up in the landfill when this needn't happen. explain that by NOT buying new clothing and by buying it via charity shops you are doing your part for both the environment and the charity served by the shop you are buying your items from.

if they balk at wearing something that someone else has worn ask them if they've ever borrowed someone elses clothing? have they ever tried something on in a department store and then bought it? chance are someone else tried it on before them! tell them that that kind of fuzzy 'logic' is wasteful and detrimental to the earth and make THEM feel weird or like the odd one out for not doing their part for the earth in general

HOLsale

crana999 wrote:

If you join the Freecycle group for your area (if there is one) that can be a good source of clothes. I just got some clothes in my size from a girl who doesn't fit them any more.

A good starting place is to put in where you live (or the nearest major town/city) and Freecycle into the search engine on https://www.yahoogroups.com. Be careful you get a UK group as many place names are also the names of places in the US!

i can definately vouch for the freecycle groups! i am with my local freecycle group and i've already benefitted from it, both by receiving items and by giving some away and clearing out space! we are very big on recycling in our house so this is just another way to go about it

toozie_2

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. This will be for myself AND the kids. So, I will be making sure I get my shoes/boots mended, and get the sewing box out if anything needs a mend.
We will go for a month, I think that is long enough, but maybe more if the kids dont suddenly have a growth spurt!;)
Looking back over the past month I got shoes £5, a jacket from the charity shop £3, cardigan for my daughter, £3, shirts for the littlun, £4.99, leather lined suede boots for middle son £15 (needs these cos of eczema) I also had to buy a suit because of setting up my own business, but I did manage to get a trouser suit, coordinating skirt and shirt for just over £34. that is going on the business expenses however.
I know it may be awkward, what with the weather changing and all that, but I am digging through stuff I haven't worn for ages, and I will be avoiding shops, particularly cheap kids clothes and charity shops, because the 'oh its just a couple of quid' a few times a month soon adds up.

Can I join Sarah?

Me and the other half, won't have a problem. But the teenage girls are mad about the latest fashion, but they both have part time jobs, so they'll have to use their own money, without top-ups from mum through out April.
Hope I don't need to attend any funerals-can't fit in my black trousers at the moment! Maybe I could try and cut down on food too!

I love charity shops, once my friend and I went out for the afternoon to a fairly posh (expensive, big houses) area, and did a few hours charityshop shopping, got some really expensive makes dirt cheap-still wearing most of it.
Daughters would not be seen dead in second hand clothes!

Bargain_Rzl

toozie wrote:

I love charity shops, once my friend and I went out for the afternoon to a fairly posh (expensive, big houses) area, and did a few hours charityshop shopping, got some really expensive makes dirt cheap-still wearing most of it.

Totally agree. I live in London and it's brilliant to charity shop in the posh areas. Oxfam on Kensington High Street is one of the best, plus there are quite a few on the King's Road (not the same end of the King's Road as all the designer places - you have to be prepared for a bit of a walk!)

I also find that Oxfam on Drury Lane provides me with a constant supply of good-condition stretchy Gap T-shirts, and Gap/Levi's jeans.

A friend of mine says the charity shops in Richmond are also rich pickings (no pun intended!)

mrsmab59

toozie wrote:

I love charity shops, once my friend and I went out for the afternoon to a fairly posh (expensive, big houses) area, and did a few hours charityshop shopping, got some really expensive makes dirt cheap-still wearing most of it.

What a great idea Toozie...I'll have to scout around the charity shops in our nearest posh area and see if I can find a few designer labels

Mrs_Thrift

Sarahsaver wrote:

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!!!

It's hard to find opaque ones (though I did find some a couple of years ago in M & S), but how about trying STOCKINGS? Much healthier than tights, and I find them more comfortable (and they make me feel a bit sexier, hehe!), but in true MSE style, if you buy a few pairs the same, if you ladder one, you only need to throw one away, not a whole pair like with tights.

If they do start to ladder at a point covered by your shoes / boots or skirt, my God send is clear nail varnish applied round the edge of the run or hole to stop it getting bigger. I'm still wearing tights and stockings that I've nail varnished that I've had for at least ten years!! Just need to re-varnish every few washes, and I only use cheap nail varnish that costs about 49p.

Penny-Wise_4

Ms_Thrift wrote:

but how about trying STOCKINGS? ... and they make me feel a bit sexier, hehe! ... I'm still wearing tights and stockings that I've nail varnished that I've had for at least ten years!! ...

very sexy - lol :rotfl: