Thrifty Mommy » clothes

Inexpensive Ways to Look Festive

Karen Weideman — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:56:38 +0000

You may want to wear something that makes you feel cheery and bright, something that will show everyone that you’re celebrating. The problem is, many Christmas sweaters, vests, and accessories can be very expensive. I’m not one to wear Christmas sweaters, so I’ve been giving some thought to how to dress for the season, while keeping it low budget.

Wear cheery colors - Although you probably won’t see me in a Christmas sweater, you’ll likely see me wearing a bright red sweater. Many of us have something red or green in our closets.

Jazz it up a little - Add some festive tights or a fun scarf to a plain outfit.

Wear some colorful jewelry - Shop discount stores for jewelry or make your own.

Don’t rule out the “cheap” stores - Target has some really cute clothing and fairly inexpensive prices. Also try stores such as Marshalls, Ross, and T.J. Maxx.

Shop for used clothing and accessories - Last year’s holiday decorations, clothing, and accessories many times end up in yard sales. People don’t want to bother with them or they grow tired of what they have. This is a great opportunity for you to end of with a few treasures.

What ways do you save money on your Christmas outfits?

image francberg from sxc

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How to Keep Black Clothing from Fading

Karen Weideman — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:30:09 +0000

With the arrival of the fall and winter seasons comes the fact that we’ll be seeing more black clothing. I enjoy my black pants and skirts. They go with so many different sweaters and blouses. The problem is keeping them at their best. To save money on your clothing expenses, try these tips to keep your black clothing from fading.

Wear your black clothing more than once. If you’re wearing your black clothing to church or if you’re working in an office building, then you can probably get away with wearing them several times before laundering. Sometimes I take a damp washcloth and brush off any dirt or other marks.

Wash them inside out. This will prevent the fabric from being damaged and from losing it’s color.

Use the gentle cycle. If possible, wash your black clothing on the gentle cycle or hand wash it. The more agitation the garment receives in the wash cycle, the more color it loses.

Wash in cold water. This keeps the color from running and fading.

Use special detergent. There is detergent available that’s specially formulated for dark clothing.

If your black clothing does fade, try this tip – Wash the black solid garments with black Rit dye. I have done this with some of my black clothing to help freshen it up and make it look newer.

What tips do you have to keep your black clothing from fading?

image sxc

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How to make your denim last longer

Jennifer Chait — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:06:29 +0000

If you can make sure that your denim lasts longer you’ll shell out less in the long run for new jeans and other denim clothing. Here are some tips…

Jeans are wearable more than once. Unless they’re seriously muddy or otherwise grimy, only wash them every 2 to 3 wears.
Turn inside out when you wash them to protect the color.
I’ve read that you should wash jeans in a small load but with a lot of water. The water conservation part of me thinks this is a terrible idea, but I’ve heard that it reduces abrasion with other clothes and keeps them looking great. I wouldn’t do this, but thought I’d share.
Hang them to dry – which yes will make them somewhat stiff, so toss them in the dryer for a few minutes before putting them away.
Iron on lightweight patches at pressure points on the inside before they form holes.
After jeans have truly seen their last leg (ha) there’s even more you can do with them – see 13 ideas for old blue jeans.

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Big Clearance at The Shoe Dept

Karen Weideman — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:57:05 +0000

The Shoe Department is having a big clearance. Many of their sale and clearanced shoes are marked an additional 50% off. I was able to get great deals today on shoes for my kids. Here’s what I got:

boys’ Maui Island flip flops $4.99
boys’ Sketchers rubber sandals (croc type) $6.49
boys’ leather Hush Puppies sandals $12.49
girls’ Sugar Foot rubber sandals $3.49
girls’ leather Timberland sandals (brown and pink) $7.49
boys’ Sketchers flip flops $4.99
boys’ Croc sandals (brown and orange) $9.99

The regular price of all of these shoes (the Shoe Dept price) was $168.93. My pretax amount was only $49.93. This is a savings of about 70%! Woohoo!

Some of these shoes will fit my children this year and some of these we’ll save for next year. When you get buy shoes and clothing for such incredibly low prices, it saves a lot of money to shop ahead.

Happy saving!

image (c) Karen Weideman

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12 Ways to Save on Clothing Costs

Jennifer Chait — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 05:59:39 +0000

Shop sales at discount outlets before hitting the sales at major department stores and clothing boutiques. Of course clothing at discount stores are cheaper to begin with so sale wise, you’ll do way better.
Shop at Good Will, second-hand stores, school or church thrift sales, garage sales, and other secondhand clothing outlets. Little kids clothes are especially good deals used because usually they’re worn very little. I’ve seen entire wardrobes of never worn baby outfits at garage sales. Another good buy used are items you’ll only wear once – wedding attire, Halloween costumes, holiday kids clothing, and so on.
Pay more for major items. For example, winter boots or coats or a workplace suit. Choose quality over price for items like these that you’ll use over and over – sometimes many seasons over, because it’s worth it to not have to buy another. Keep in mind though, you can find these items on sale too, especially if you shop well ahead of time, for example buy a new winter coat at the end of the season in spring.
Always shop for clothing out of season. Swimsuits in fall, spring dresses in summer, and so on. If you need something that’s in season during the season wait for a holiday. All seasons have major holidays and all stores hold holiday sales, for example Christmas, Labor Day, and back-to-school (not so much a holiday but you get it).
Wash your clothing right. Always read the tags to see how you should wash an item before you just toss it in. Hang as much clothing as you can, because that alone makes items last so much longer.
Don’t buy clothing that requires special care unless it’s absolutely necessary. Dry cleaning bills pump your clothing costs up considerably.
Learn to sew. I’m not saying you need to sew your whole wardrobe, although that can save you money too, but if you’re tossing stuff because you can’t fix a simple button, zipper, or hem, it’s a huge waste of cash.
Avoid wearing heels when driving because it puts more pressure on your shoes and can cause a break. Simply carry a pair of flat shoes in the car.
Travel – IF you happen to live in a smaller town, it can be worth the cost of gar to drive to your closet bigger city to shop the deals and sales.
Always wash lingerie in one, a smooth basin to avoid snags, or in a safe lingerie bag on gentle, and always air dry. If you do wash your bras in the washer always hook them to avoid snagging other clothing items.
Grab some dye to perk up clothing that’s stained, dull, or otherwise boring to you. You’d be surprised how one simple dye job can make a shirt look brand new.
Most importantly, only buy what you need. 20 pairs of anything is excessive. If you must buy new items that are purely want based, not a clothing necessity, consider selling a few current items you don’t wear to a consignment shop to balance the cost.

Share your clothes saving tips in the comments.

[image via stock.xchng]

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Lands’ End Swimsuit Review

Karen Weideman — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 02:49:11 +0000

I confess that when Lands’ End asked me to review one of their swimsuits, I was a bit apprehensive. Swimsuit shopping is not a favorite activity of mine. I struggle with knowing what kind of suit to get and it seems I always pick a black one.

I was relieved and excited to find out that Lands’ End has a video explaining the different body types. In addition to this, they sell swimsuits specific to your body type! With this information, I suddenly felt more at ease about my swimsuit shopping.

I clicked on the Lands’ End website, clicked on swimwear, and then clicked on the shape for my body. Immediately, a selection swimsuits appeared which were designed to be more flattering for my shape. What was even more surprisingly is that they weren’t all black or solid colors. There were some nice prints. I pondered upon this and decided to go for it. I chose the polka dot floral enhancing v-neck swimshape tank swimsuit.

I am extremely pleased with this swimsuit. It is the nicest swimsuit I have ever owned. The suit has a built-in seamless bra and figure smoothing panels. I also like that the fabric provides UPF 50 sun protection. This suit feels great and is definitely well made.

By the way, I have a special surprise for you all this week. (hint, hint!)

Have you tried any Lands’ End swimsuits? What is your favorite feature?

image from lands’ end

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Thrifty Use for Old Jeans

Karen Weideman — Mon, 11 May 2009 00:00:51 +0000

Each year we have the same two problems:

1) My daughter outgrows almost all of her pants in the length.

2) It’s hard to find shorts that are long enough.

What is the deal with short shorts anyway????

This year, I decided to take some of her old jeans and try to make shorts out of them.

I cut the jeans right above the spot where she had wore out the knees. I was just going to roll them up,but decided they might unravel so I had my mom put a stitch in the bottom.

Ta-da. Now we have cute shorts that are long enough and they didn’t cost us any money. Reusing old pants is a great way to save money on your summer wardrobe.

You might also like this video on making maternity pants from old jeans.

images (c) Karen Weideman

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Stride Rite has a good sale right now

kellys — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:28:43 +0000

Stride Rite has a good sale in stores from March 5 to April 5th. This gives you a buy 1 get the second pair 50% off. They are fantastic shoes! Hope this helps.

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Disney Sale

kellys — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:16:21 +0000

At my mall, this weekend, the Disney Store was having a great sale on its pajamas. I am so cheap, I left brand new Disney PJ’s for $5 and $6 only because I knew I could get PJ’s for less than $4 at my consignment sale or at the great yard sales coming up.

So was I cheap or frugal? I want to hear from you.

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How to Make Your Own Maternity Jeans

Karen Weideman — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:36:48 +0000

I saw this tutorial this week and of course I thought of Kelly. Poor thing is small and petite and is having a hard time finding maternity jeans that fit. Kelly, maybe you and the other pregnant ladies can give this a try. This is a much more frugal choice for maternity clothes!

How to Make Maternity Jeans Using Regular Jeans and a T-shirt – More DIY How To Projects

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