Please see edit to post #1. I will edit it right after I finish this post.
I decided to expand this thread a bit to include not only ways to save up for Disney, but also to include alternative ways of saving on everything, bills, utilities, clothes, food, etc... My reasons for doing this will be explained in my edited post. I look forward to learning how everyone else lives their lives in a tough economy. What ways have you come up with to make ends meet????
This first post in the alternative methods posts will cover clothing. How do you save on clothing in your family? I may repeat some things I have said in previous posts, but I want to provide links in post #1 that come directly to the main posts about each area of alternative saving methods. If we get a lot of great ideas, I will then add those ideas to my list so as to give everyone awesome new ideas.
1. My first method is one I have mentioned before. I often shop resale. Many people frown on this, and I used to be one of them. When I was in jr. high, people got made fun of for shopping at K-mart or at yard sales, so I grew up very against these things. I was one of the ones getting picked on. I decided at that time to make my own money and buy my own things so I wouldn't be picked on anymore. I missed out on a lot of opportunities by completely ignoring resale shopping. My wardrobe could've been a lot bigger. It is all in how you shop at a resale store or a yard sale that matters. Here are my tips on how to shop smart at these kind of places:
a. I have two methods for shopping that seem to work for me in picking cool clothes. The first being: I let my eye roam the racks for items that stick out to me. Usually if a fabric sticks out at me, there is a good chance I will like it. The second being: If I have time, I will look at each item on the rack, moving through them at a fast pace. Again, what sticks out, I look at more closely.
b. Inspect items closely: I check for tears, stains (especially in the pit area), etc... If I love the item and it has a tiny tear or stain, I decide if I can fix it. If I can't, I don't buy it. Some stores won't go down on prices for a stain, so if the price is higher and there is a flaw, I won't buy it. At a yard sale I like to haggle with the person for a lower price, pointing out the issue with the item.
c. Look for brand names/designer labels. Let someone else spend the big money. Then when they get rid of it, it is your job to swoop in and pay a quarter for something they paid $35 for. I don't know if I mentioned this, but I once hit a garage sale that had clothing in my daughters' sizes (teen clothes), and they were all American Eagle, Limited, Justice, Gap, Charlotte Russe, etc... The woman was charging $1.00 per item. Thank you very much ma'am. I bought 35 items I think for $35.00. I walked out with two beautiful wool trench coats for church, and 32 sweaters, camis, and shirts. Each item looked like it had never been worn.
2. For younger kids clothing, find an outlet store. Not only did I shop at resale shops and yard sales for my kids' clothes, but also outlet malls. When my oldest kids were small I spent TONS of money on Gap, Osh Kosh, Nike, Carters, Gymboree, etc... At least I got my money's worth as all the girl clothing was worn by my 4 girls, my niece, and my cousin. I wish I could've made better choices then though. I discovered our local outlet mall had Carters, Osh Kosh, and Children's Place in it. My hubby and I once went there and bought 139 items for $79.00. Yeah buddy!!!
3. Create more modest clothes. My daughters are very modest. Not that they cover up head to toe, but they do like their shorts longer and their shirts to not show anything. I think we can all see that a lot of clothes in the stores do not follow those guidelines. My 8 year old almost had a heart attack when we walked into Justice once and there were underwear that were very nearly thongs for little girls. Sick. We won't shop there. I was faced last year with having to buy my two older girls walking shorts (just above the knee is their preference) for $12.99 each for Disney. I had a couple pairs in a shopping cart online and then realized that for what I was paying, I could get only a couple pairs since they both wear roughly the same size, and I would have to get each of them a couple pairs. That is when I started looking through their old jeans and decided to take the ones that still fit in the waist but not the length and cut them into shorts. I rolled them up, put a couple stitches in them, and they looked like brand new walking shorts!!! For someone who is a little challenged in the sewing area, the same thing can be accomplished with hem tape. You can go to a local sewing/craft store and pick some up, and it just irons on to seal the hem. If anyone would like a tutorial on that, let me know and i will pick up some hem tape and take pictures of the process. Now we go to resale shops, buy brand name jeans, and hem them up! So cheap, so cute.
4. Make your own Disney shirts. I buy plain t-shirts all through the year as I come across them. Today I stumbled on some when I walked down an aisle at Walmart when I was buying a paper cutter, We were looking for plain purple tees, and there they were! Right in the craft aisle for a couple bucks! I had picked some up months before for the kids at $1.28 a shirt on the discount rack at Target. When the adults decided purple was a good color for our family shirts, I thought it would be rough finding them. Yay!! Look in places you may not be used to. I found cheap shirts at Walgreens one day. They were 4 for $10.00. Not bad. Save them up until you are ready for your shirt projects, and you will be glad you saved so much on them by buying throughout the year. I also went a step further and bought an embroidery machine, but that was an expense, not a money saver. It will save us money in the long run though since I spent close to $200 on transfers last year.
5. Use coupons. I am pooh sized, so I shop at Lane Bryant. They have fantastic coupons that can be used in combination with sales. I save so much money since it is necessary for me to buy there. i know some of you may think this is TMI, but it qualifies as a money saver, so I am going to say it anyway! Since my "girls" are on the very large side, I have to buy my bras at Lane Bryant. Some of you may have to as well, or you may be able to buy elsewhere. In either case, look for sales and stock up. LB offers buy one get one half off sales and sometimes they offer a buy two get two free sale. That one is my favorite. My point is, I can use those sales in combination with a coupon to save a lot of money. By purchasing 6-8 bras this way, I can wear them all year, and they don't wear out as easily as if I buy 2 at a time.
*EDIT: I got a private message from someone suggesting that Kohls.com also sells them in larger sizes and that they often run sales. I will leave that person's name off unless they give me permission to use their name. Thanx for the tip!!!
6. If you have the time, hang your clothes on a line. I will address this later on when we talk about utilities, but it also helps clothes last longer. I have always done some version of this, even when I was in high school. I find my clothes line time to be the most peaceful time of my day. There's something wonderfully calming about doing something that people have done for centuries. Keeping clothing out of the dryer not only saves money on utilities, but also on replacing worn out clothes. Darks hold their color longer, whites become whiter from being in the sun, material holds up longer, etc... It is just so good for your clothes. I hang all my kids' flame retardent clothing even in winter b/c some fabric softeners and dryer sheets can take the flame retardency out of the clothes. i have my hubby put a hanging rod in every laundry room I have had, including when I only had a closet for my washer and dryer. I hang clothes I don't want to iron, pjs with flame retardency on the label, etc...
Well, I think that is a good start. I am sure I have other things that have just become so natural that I can't remember them right now. I will edit if I remember. Please, add your ideas, and we can all help each other to save for more Disney trips!!!!
Anyone else have a Target that doesn't sell cards? I know I can get them online, but since my credit card has been used two different times by strangers illegally, I'm worried about buying stuff online. Anyone know anywhere else I might buy them?
