Day 9: Clothing

My hubby mailed another Cd for Swap A Cd and then had to run to Walmart to get a doorknob safety lock as Joe has now figured out how to open the back door and has made a run for it several times this week. Last night it was right after his bath and I found him on the front porch, completely in his birthday suit! All this happened in less than a minute when I rushed upstairs for his pajamas. That boy is fast! Anyway, hubby picked up a few other things such as milk and popcorn so the total for yesterday was $18.77. Which means that the total we have left for the month is $519.52.

I am proud of myself for staying away from the stores and not making unnecessary runs to get anything. And while my husband is still picking up things here and there he hasn't been picking up nearly as much as he typically does.

My advice for saving money today is based on clothing. It could be expensive to clothe a family of 5 and wash and take care of those clothes, but it doesn't has to be.

#1. My best advice is to get yourself a clothesline. I have written about clotheslines many times before but since there are several new readers I want to reiterate again how much money they can save. We do a lot of laundry and by skipping the dryer I've noticed at least a $20 drop on the electric bill each month. The clothes last longer because they aren't being dried in a dryer (you know all that lint in your dryer trap? That is all part of your clothing!). And to top it all off, the clothing smells wonderful when dried in the sun! I know that some areas can not have clotheslines due to home owners associations but you can still get yourself a wooden drying rack or string up a line in your basement to dry some of your items.

(Yes, I still wear tie dye items...it is back in style you know!)

#2. Don't wash it if it isn't dirty. I am still trying to teach myself this trick. Washing wears out clothing. If, for example, you are putting your pajamas on after your bath and sleeping in them and then you get up and change into your clothes for the day, the pajamas aren't actually dirty. Fold them up and wear them again the next night. If you wear a skirt or dress to church and come home and change there is no reason to wash it, just hang it back up. If your clothes don't seem dirty, don't wash them. When wash days were such a chore people used to wear their clothes for a week or more at a time. While I don't know if we can stretch it that far I do know that jeans and other items can be worn for a few days before really seeming to be dirty. With my kids, the clothes seem to get dirty every single day, but for adults we can wear our clothes (usually) for more than one day.

#3. Wash in cold water. I reserve the hot water for a really dirty load or cloth diapers. Otherwise, the cold water gets the clothes just as clean and saves money.

#4. Garage Sales and thrift shops. I get almost all our clothing second hand (though often I find brand new with tag items at these places). It is more green...recycling something that is still fully functional instead of buying new and I can pay pennies on the dollar for clothes. You would be amazed at the deals that you can find and I am able to dress my children in brand name clothing for next to nothing. Hanna Andersson, Gymboree, Mini Boden, Gap and so on are found at garage sales. The best part is that as long as I keep the clothing in good condition I can often resell it for the same price, or more, than what I paid in the first place. So every year when I have a garage sale I am recouping the cost of the clothing.

#5. Accept hand-me-downs, either from others or from your own children. My aunt has a 6 year old boy. Occasionally she will hand some of his clothing down for my almost 5 year old. Mainly though, I save all my almost 5 year old's clothing for my two year old. It saves money to buy once and clothe two children. I store all the clothing from Jacob in a tote marked "Joe".

#6. Buy ahead. I don't wait until fall to buy jeans, jackets, and sweaters. When I find good deals at garage sales, thrift shops, and occasionally new online I stock up to two years in advance. I store all the clothing in rubbermaid totes in the closet and pull out what I need when I need it. Sometimes I feel as though I am "shopping" in our own closets and pulling out items that I didn't even remember that we had. It saves money and I don't have to go rushing about to find a new wardrobe each season.

#7. Take good care of your clothing. Repair small tears before they get big, replace buttons which have fallen off. Treat stains as soon as you notice them. Fold your clothes fresh out of the dryer or off the line and put it away.

Anything else that I have missed?