Buying second hand

Ozgirlnc

charlies-aunt wrote: »

Have you thought about buying larger-than-you-need sizes and remodelling them to fit? This is a very inspiring blog and most refashions only need basic sewing skills

Thanks for the info!

Ozgirlnc

GreyQueen wrote: »

With clothes (aslo middle-aged, also a bit chubbier than I ought to be) I think the issue is that the first-hand clothing market caters very poorly for our age band and thus this is reflected in the second-hand markets. You seem to drop into a black hole, as not being able or willing to dress like a fresh young lass, but not being ready for a quilted nylon dressing-gown and sensible slippers, either.

Beggared if I know the answer, unless it's being very thin and very rich and buying extremely well-cut clothing from superior fabrics. I don't have that lifestyle so wear casual sporty trousers and longsleeved teeshirts on my own reconnaissance and black trews/ fitted blouses or tunic dresses for the office. Not going to be winning any fashion awards, but it's adequate for my undemanding life.

You're right! And even the plus size websites don't help, what looks good on a size 16/18 model who's about 21 does not necessarily work for someone in their 40s!
I also think that if you're big like me but find something that actually looks nice, you wear it til it falls to bits = not winding up in CS.

GreyQueen

Ozgirlnc wrote: »

You're right! And even the plus size websites don't help, what looks good on a size 16/18 model who's about 21 does not necessarily work for someone in their 40s!
I also think that if you're big like me but find something that actually looks nice, you wear it til it falls to bits = not winding up in CS.

I have the same issues in that although I am presently a 20, that's due to overweight, and my build dictates that a 16 should be about the right size.

But the trouble I have with a lot of clothes is that they are cut for a different kind of 16, a woman who is probably well under my 5 ft 11'' frame and has a bigger bust. I was reading a post on frugalincornwall's blog a few months ago, where she was going on about the difficulty of finding clothes to fit her, and realised that we shared most of the same issues in that our bodily proportions aren't being catered for.

I manage, but I detest shopping for clothes so much, and can't tell you how many times I've gone out to buy clothes or shoes and come back with the wallet intact and a seething sense of frustration. Not being catered for by the mass-market, and not being able to afford elite shops, has saved me a fortune over a lifetime.

And yes, whatever the fashion industry thinks, there are things which aren't appropriate for a woman of middle-age or older. As a late teen art student I used to skip about in minikilts and opaque tights in lairy colours with bovver boots. Not going to be revisiting that look at 50.

If I find something which works for me, the only way it ends up in the charity shop is as a worn-out contribution to the rag bag.

thriftwizard

I have the exact opposite problem here - 2" too short for most clothes at 5'4" (but too tall for "petite") and 4" wider on top than below decks, thus either having to live with clothes that fit my bust properly but make the rest of me look like I'm considerably larger than I actually am, or the dreaded bustline gaps/stretch-wrinkles that make me look as if I've been stuffed into everything & sewn up at the back!

The length thing isn't as simple as just turning up a hem, either; the whole proportions of the garment look wrong if the waist is lower than it should be, and tighter because it's actually halfway down my hips.

I'm longing for the chance to go & learn pattern-cutting/couture so that I can make clothes that fit me properly - I was dragooned into doing academic stuff at school & eventually forbidden to even stray down the corridor the Home Ec. department was located in - but life does not permit at the moment so I spend my life in separates and mostly in leggings & shorter skirts (longer skirts just make me look like a doll on roller skates, according to my 6'2" OH) and a variety of patterned jumpers & tops - plain ones just make the bulge more obvious, especially if there are crumbs...

So trips to buy new clothes nearly always end in tears of frustration. But I can nearly always find something decent quite quickly in charity shops; things that haven't fitted or flattered the original purchaser that will do me just fine!

pleasedelete, I think my kids would have every sympathy with you; our house & garage are full of bits & bobs that I pick up for next to nothing & re-home at a profit. Interestingly, the two boys who have left home have both become true minimalists! But one of the girls has taken after me, and now runs her own market stall & online vintage curio & ephemera shop... I too have come to the reluctant conclusion that I can't go on like this, it's not fair to the other inhabitants. Whenever I am dragged away to deal with one of life's little dramas, stuff piles up and gets out of hand, and I spend the next few months trying to reduce it to sensible levels again in every spare moment, instead of being able to relax & enjoy my home & family.

What about cars, by the way? We've never bought a new one, but we know plenty of people who would never buy anything but; it's not just the social cachet (if any!) but also the warranties, free services etc. & they religiously replace them after 3 years, when all that runs out. I'd be terrified of damaging the thing, but they'd be terrified that my 10 y.o. Citroen wouldn't get them to the end of the road without conking out.

But apart from that Swedish bed, which really is the only option to fit the space & fulfil all the functions that need doing in that space, buying new will always be the last option I consider. Never mind durability & moneysaving, the stuff just has no character...

Austin_Allegro

I think a lot of new frugalistas go through a stage of buying lots of stuff in charity shops; it's a kind of transitional stage where you are still in the consumer mindset, but also you buy things you don't really want just because they are cheap.

I think I'm through that now, and only buy from charity shops if I really need something.

By the way, it's my belief that the 'cream dream' home style popular in recent years (everything white, gleaming etc) is a deliberate ploy by manufacturers because they know light coloured things will wear out more quickly. Avoid!

If you like second hand furniture, remember it's dead easy to renovate old furniture. There are lots of books/websites on this. I used to be in a drama group and learnt lots of easy techniques for set design, like how to paint fake wood grain etc. You can do all this with furniture. If you go around historic houses you'll be surprised to learn how much 'antique' stuff is actually cheap Victorian furniture with imitation marbling, wood grain etc.

thriftwizard

Update: I have managed to snaffle an almost-new bed secondhand! Result! Bought 6 months ago to use as a guest bed by a Forces family, they've been posted elsewhere unexpectedly and can't take it with them, and it's hardly been used. It's not a huge bargain but I've saved £100 and saved the resources involved in making another new one.