How to Acquire New Clothes on a Budget
A Teen and Tween's Guide to Shopping with Little to No Money
Oct 11, 2008
With the economy in crisis, money – or a lack thereof – appears to be on everyone’s mind. Even families that haven’t worried too much about money in the past are cutting back on luxuries and reexamining their budgets. Items that may have been a given in the past – a new winter party dress, numerous presents for birthdays – may not be feasible this year.
Part of being a tween or teen is wanting new stuff – junior highers and high schoolers are notorious for keeping up with trends, or starting new ones. But when money’s tight, what’s a young person to do?
The Family Budget
First of all, a talk with Mom or Dad is necessary. This not only shows that a tween or teen is responsible enough to look realistically at the family budget, but it will give valuable insight to what the family can or can’t afford.
Before the talk, map out a list of items or events that are important in the upcoming year – this can be anything from a new backpack for school, a dress for a dance or party or holiday, a vacation swimsuit or outfit, or birthday and holiday presents.
Try to think of all important upcoming events, from a winter formal to Grandma’s 80th birthday. Other examples: holidays, vacations, school celebrations or graduation, birthdays and anniversaries.
Shopping on a Budget
There are many ways to acquire new things without purchasing them full price at a department store or the mall.
Creative shopping methods include:
- Visit thrift stores.
- Shop out-of-season – purchase next year’s bathing suit during the winter or a coat in the summer.
- Borrow – ask Mom, Grandma, Aunt, Sister for their unwanted items.
- Clothing swap – gather friends and pool clothing, accessories, unused beauty products. Ask relatives for anything they are planning on donating to charity to add to the swap. After trading, give any leftover clothes or accessories to a charity or thrift store.
- Scour eBay and craiglist – these websites have specific categories for clothing, accessories and beauty items. It’s often easy to find unusual pieces or trendy items at a lower cost. Sites such as eBay often have the option of either bidding for an item or purchasing it at a set price.
Learn to Sew
It may be old-fashioned, but sewing has been around for ages for a reason. Consider signing up for an elementary sewing class (usually eight to ten lessons) or find someone in the area that can teach you or you and a group of friends how to sew. Pay them in money or with a favor (anything from mowing the lawn to helping them with their computer.)
Find someone with a sewing machine who is willing to share, or chip in with friends to buy an used sewing machine together.
A common contemporary complaint is that sometimes fabric at fabric stores ends up costing more than buying clothing at a shop. But sewing doesn’t always mean making a piece of clothing from absolute scratch. Sewing is an excellent way to alter clothing – from the too-big dress found at a thrift store to a bag that needs a new zipper.
 |
