Dressing your Family for Less

As hard as the times are these days, the kids seem to just keep on growing.  How is a family supposed to stay clothed when you can barely afford to put food on your table every day?  I have a few ideas I thought I might share with you that maybe you never thought about before.

Fancy hem add a touch of flair

Shop the clearance racks.  I often shop off the clearance racks these days.  You can find lots of great clothes at Walmart on the $1 rack. That is where I have gotten most on my clothes recently.  While they may not be the most stylish clothes, they will give you something to wear that is not ripped, worn, too small, and will keep you warm.

I'm usually not to discriminating when it comes to sizes.  Most things can be altered fairly easily.  Like the plain jeans that were way too long.  I added a designer touch at the hem.  One of a kind!
 Use gift cards. I just recently received a $10 gift card to our local Kohl's.  What a blessing!   If only we had still lived in MN I wouldn't have even had to pay the sales tax.  I got these 4 great shirts for my daughter for exactly $10 off the 90% off rack.  3 shirts were $1.60, and one was $5.20.  I think they're rather cute.  Hopefully the preteen daughter won't be too choosy to wear them!








Don't be afraid of accepting hand-me-downs.  Seriously that is all  I really seemed to wear when I was a kid and I survived.  Pass the ones your kids won't wear on to other kids.  Share the love, we can all use a little help these days!


Reuse old clothes.  Quit throwing them away, you can make them into something new!  Stained clothes can be dyed, drawn on, disguised, remade, or otherwise altered.  (But that is a post for another time!)  Pants that are too short can be made into capris, shorts, or even skirts. Shirts that fit well around, but show a bit more skin than you would like can be lengthened by adding some fabric to the bottom, the layered look is in these days anyway.

Shop thrift stores and garage sales.  I have shopped these for years.  They have clearance racks as well!  They also do 50% off certain color tickets each week at Goodwill.  I don't know if the Salvation Army still does it, but they always ran great back to school sales back when I lived in MN.  Despite what you may know about these places, they do get new clothing donations that have never been worn.  My husband does not like these stores because he claims they have a musty smell.  Apparently he hasn't discovered that these clothes can get washed and so they don't smell like that anymore.

Make your own clothes.  Yeah, I know, I know.  This one requires a lot more skill than any other idea, but if you have a pattern and some fabric you are good to go.  You would not believe all of the patterns and fabric I have seen at these places.  It isn't as hard as you might think, really.  (Seems I have all kinds of new post ideas today, huh???)



Thank you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Cindy