The economy may slowly be starting to pick up it’s pace, but for most of us, spending on lavish items may have become a thing of the past. Clipping coupons, Groupon, dollar days and clearance racks are becoming extremely popular with the unemployment rate at an all time high. And believe it or not, soup kitchens and thrift stores are also on the rise.
Whether you are unemployed, on a budget, or trying to build your nest egg, fashion is always needed. A good suit, a dress, a nice hand bag, a pair of jeans and a great pair of shoes are a must. But how do you purchase these, or look great when your budget is tight?
The answer may be sitting in your own unworn wardrobe, or can be attained at a local thrift store and found in gently used or new items.
Try the following ideas for quick, savvy, and sassy looking clothing to get you through your hard times.
Things you will need to invest in:
Furniture polish
Glitter (gold, silver, multi colors of your choice)
Crazy glue
Beads, or sequence from a dollar store or craft store
Needle and thread
Fabric dye
Scissors
Buttons
Go through all your unwanted clothing. Invest in the above essentials. Do you need a few pairs of jeans, a new handbag or even an evening dress? When shopping in your own attic, or storage closet for clothing you do not wear anymore, Wikihow.com elaborates by saying, “Decide if you can embellish it in some way to spice it up (paint, beads, extra fabric, trim, lengthen it, etc.) or if you can deconstruct it into something else (take off sleeves, shorten it, slash it for peek-a-boo effect with or without fabric underneath, iron on a transfer that you printed from your computer, etc). Maybe you can dye it a different color (or colors).It is probably best just to do one color of dye though.”
To save time and money, take a day to map out local thrift stores, a near by Salvation Army, you will be surprised at what you will find at a thrift store. You may find brand new jeans in your size with the tags on for under $10.00. You may find that Gucci handbag you have wanted for $25. Even if you purchase a used item of clothing, you have already invested in the equipment above to fix all buttons, rips and polish leather to make it look brand new. And no one has to know. Wisebread.com states that “that stains most likely will not come out, and zippers may be time consuming to fix and pricey”. So if you are purchasing items at a thrift store and there is a stain, or the zipper is not working, pass on the items. They may be more of a headache and waste of money. Try the following ideas to add some pizzazz to thrift store finds or your own clothing:
1) Shoes can be furniture polished to shine like new. Did you just find a great pair of cowboy boots, but the tips are worn out? No problem; utilize the crazy glue and glitter, and bedazzle the tips of the boots! Shine them up and presto: a hot new pair of boots.
2) Bedazzle a pair of jeans while you are at, or change the buttons on a shirt to make it appear fancier.
3) Go festive and add holiday buttons from a dollar store to that used shirt. Add glitter to old buttons. Beleive it or not, you can sew an old, unstained holiday dish rag into any article of clothing as a festive patch. Kids will love it.
4) Buy jeans and cut them into shorts. Or cut and hem a pair of pleated dress pants into shorts to be worn with stockings and shoe boots.
5) Buy a new wallet or handbag and polish it. Let the leather absorb the oils, and repeat. When the bag looks as shiny as new, glue some sequence on it, or sew some beading to make your initials. Make a style only you will have.
6) A good scrub with Clorox Wipes and a $2.00 new pair of shoelaces in bold colors can make sneakers look new.
7) Invest in a belt. Bedazzle it in a multitude of colors so that you can wear it with several outfits. Make a handbag out of old shirts and a neck ties.
8) Are the kids back pack straps broken? Sew an old neck tie to replace the straps to solve that problem.
9) Use the fabric from an old item, cut it up, and create patches or crumbled flowers to sew on a new item. Recycling your old items to create new is fun. You can create headbands that match. Have a blast creating new looks from your old clothing.
10) Can’t afford a New Year’s dress? Take an old cotton summer dress and die it black. Jazz it up with the glitter and beading. Add your own or purchase a shall. You can make your own chunky beaded neck piece to really bring it alive.
11) Be creative. Once you get the hang of this, you may want to recreate more than just clothing. Re creating furniture and household items is just as easy, and thrift stores, or your attic, have a plethora of items just screaming to be redone.