Comments on: 5 Ways You Can Fight The Recession

By: Carla

Carla — Sun, 03 May 2009 17:17:45 +0000

Though I love to sew, its rarely cost effective. I do it for the love of fashion, not because it saves money. Though I do occasionally score a good deal on fabric, I have gotten clothes (sometimes luxury labels) for far less.

Doing my own repairs is a great deal though. I also like making napkins, pillow cases, and other misc. household goods.

By: Admin

Admin — Fri, 01 May 2009 00:59:24 +0000

Yeah but like you said, there are opportunities to buy discounted fabrics! Plus our grandparents would take the scrap material and make napkins, quilts, and other things. Plus, it’s pretty satisfying (even for a guy) to make something. If that keeps you from developing a more expensive hobby, you’re way ahead of the game!

By: Admin

Admin — Fri, 01 May 2009 00:57:19 +0000

Great find on those shorts!
But not everyone lives near a decent thrift store (like me for one!) We had one back home where you could find items on the rack with the price tags still on them.

By: Diana

Diana — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:27:26 +0000

Have you priced the cost of material lately?

While I completely agree that repairing clothes will save you money, the cost of making your own clothes is way ahead of what our grandparents paid.

If you are handy with a needle, you can often make better clothes than what you will find in the stores, but if your only sew-sew with a needle you might be better off buying. By the time you purchase the material, often more than you would spend on a finished garmet, and the time in processing the material you have stripped any savings that you could have had. This is a great oppurtunity for those that already like to sew and do projects, but frustrating for those that don’t.

That said, there are ways of saving even in this area. I check for material whenever I’m in a thrift store. I have found outstanding bargains on quality material that would have cost 5 times the amount I paid in a fabric store. If the thrift store is near a retirement community, they usually have an excellent supply.

By: Positively Present

Positively Present — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:35:45 +0000

Excellent ideas here! I read on other blog today (so sorry, I forget which one!) that a good way to save money is to think about what really makes you happy and spend money on that, rather than things you don’t care much about. I think this is great advice!

By: Jeff@MySuperChargedLife

Jeff@MySuperChargedLife — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:41:30 +0000

I’m fighting this recession all the way! My wife has been using some programs offered by Walgreens and CVS to stockpile health and beauty aids like toothpaste, pain reliever, shampoo, liquid soap, etc. She has saved us a ton of money off our grocery bill. We aren’t doing it because we think these items will become scarce, she does it to take advantage of some fantastic deals!

By: LP

LP — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:16:27 +0000

Love this piece. My fondest memories are when I canned and froze food that we had planted in a roadbed one time, long ago. It was hard as, well….. as a road. But we got more food on that plot of land than you can imagine. There was a storm one night and our corn, with the pole beans running up the stalks, fell over. My sweet husband and I got out there and propped up those stalks of corn, and they stayed there until the corn and beans were ready for picking. In that garden, we grew brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, onions, carrots, beans and peas, corn, tomatoes, 3 kinds of squash, lots of different peppers, potatoes and many herbs. I’m sure I have forgotten some things too. But, I also learned to have our boys to plant things they wanted to eat. Plus, it teaches them responsibility. It also is a great discipline to tend to your garden. And, a great way to get the kids to eat veggies and fruits too. The money we saved on gardening allowed us to buy one of our most favorite homes.

By: Trish

Trish — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:23:35 +0000

Sewing clothes is way more expensive than buying them at the thrift shop. I just bought a nice pair of Lands End shorts for $1.50. It would cost more than that for fabric to sew my own pair.

By: Tammy Brackett

Tammy Brackett — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:19:04 +0000

LOVED the Sew Whatcha Gonna Wear section of this post! I routinely repair clothing and not only is it economical is is soul satisfying! I don’t have a sewing machine but manage to patch, hem, darn and repair clothing just fine.
I agree sewing is such a valuable skill.
Thanks for the uplifting content this morning!