Cutting Clothing Costs

Some things are constant. Seasons change. Children grow. Clothing costs money. You can save a lot of money by buying during the off season. Now is the time to buy winter clothes on clearance that will fit your children next season. However, if you didn’t buy your summer clothes last year you can stretch the ones you have leftover with a little re-purposing.

Turn last year’s jeans into this year’s shorts. Boys don’t mind (and often enjoy) the raggedy edges of the traditional cutoffs. If you sew, a simple zig-zag stitch can prevent the jeans from continuing to fray. For girls, cut the jeans off above the knee, iron a cuff and stitch a quick tack to maintain it. You can even add jewels & buttons to the cuff or pockets for a designer look.

You can even turn the discarded legs into a little girl’s purse. Cut the remaining piece down to 6-8 inches. Turn the leg inside out and sew a seam across the edge. Sew or glue a ribbon strap onto the sides and she has a fun purse to match her new shorts.

Another great trick for re-purposing old clothes is a shirt dress. A too small dress can double as an A-line shirt over a pair of leggings. This works best with stretchy cotton dresses, 1-2 sizes smaller than she normally wears. She’ll get a kick out of wearing an old favorite and you get to save big!