Second Hand Clothing

Canada
March 2, 2009 10:13am CST
I often have to wonder why so much emphasis is put on clothing and brand names and how much you spend on your clothing. I am single mother of two children and to me buying brand names brand new off the rack is just not something that I can afford to do too often. For me it comes down to another box of diapers and a can or two of formula or buying those designer jeans over there. But there are quite a few consignment and second hand shops here in town and with the economy the way it is these days I swear by these places. It is possible to buy good quality items at these places if you are willing to spend some time to go through the racks and pick and choose, and more often than not you cannot even tell that they are second hand. Sure you have to wash it all before you wear it, and maybe make an alteration here and there. Does anyone else out there find good bargains where they are and what other money saving measures have you put in place during these hard economic times?
1 person likes this
2 responses
Porcospino
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
6 Mar 09
I am not very interested in brand names and I often buy second hand clothes. I haven't always felt that way, though. My mother doesn't like second hand clothes, she has never bought anything for my brother and me in a second hand shop, and that is probably one of the reasons why I bought nothing but new things when I started buying my own clothes. A couple of years ago a friend took me to a second hand shop, and I discovered that there were a lot of great clothes there. After that experience I started buying second hand clothes, and I have found some very nice clothes that way.
sysdexlicwriter
@sysdexlicwriter (1619)
• United States
2 Mar 09
Used clothing worked very well until the kids got older and the kids in school really started picking on them. Now there are even upscale resale shops which might help that problem. A great way to also save on clothing is to learn to sew. Just knowing how to mend rips and sew on buttons saves a lot. When I needed nice clothes for a job after college, I ran across a sale on suiting material for $1 a yard. I was able to make a suit for every day of the week for around $50. I think that also included the thread and notions needed. No one was ever the wiser and I made them so that they were washable. I had suits in multiple colors. It was fun. If you are a stay at home mom, try using washable diapers instead of the disposable. You will save bunches and it is better for the baby's skin and the environment. Bartering is a great idea. I sewed an outfit for a friend in exchange for her showing me how to use medicinal herbs. Also another friend wanted to get rid of her piano and we did an exchange of me watching her kids from time to time for the piano. She wanted to just give it to me because we were friends, but I wanted to do something for her also. My dad was the king of saving to the max. He taught us kids many tricks.