Saving money for the important things in life like a home, taking care of your children and getting out of debt is almost always more important than having something nice to wear, however it can be a bit depressing when you get invited to a party, wedding or event and you know you can’t afford to buy that beautiful gold sequin top from your favorite boutique – even on sale.
Looking good and wearing things you love makes you feel great and really contributes to your enjoyment of special occasions, or even regular things like date nights, so finding ways to get clothes that make you feel amazing without going over budget is important. By bargain hunting or even hitting the thrift shop you can find some good stuff, but if you want a more reliable way of getting the style you want for cheap, the best thing you can do is learn to sew!
Even the Basics Will Help You Expand Your Wardrobe for Very Little Money
You don’t have to be ready for an appearance on Project Runway to improve your wardrobe by learning to sew. Even with the most rudimentary knowledge and a secondhand sewing machine, you can quickly whip up easy things like skirts. Whether you like full maxi skirts, swishy skater skirts or mini skirts, all of these can be made in under 30 minutes with only basic sewing skills, and you can use pretty much any fabric you like so by picking up roll ends from your local fabric store you can make skirts that can become wardrobe staples for a matter of a few dollars each, and of course you are guaranteed a perfect fit in a color or print you like! From there, it doesn’t take much to begin making simple tops and dresses, and within a couple of weeks of buying your machine you’ll find you have grown in confidence and are able to quickly run off all kinds of clothes.
Alterations
Another great thing about sewing from a money saving perspective is that it enables you to alter things that don’t fit. If you lose or gain weight your old clothes needn’t go to waste, and if you find something you like at a great price in a sale or thrift shop but it doesn’t fit right, you don’t have to pass up on it!
Upcycling
If you can sew even just a little, you can upcycle and update your outdated or damaged clothing into new, cool pieces. You can turn old jeans into skirts, old t-shirts into sexy new tops, and redesign dresses into a more up to date style as fashions change. These techniques not only save you money on looking good, but you also wind up with unique pieces nobody else has!
Sewing can be really interesting and fun, and will save you a fortune on clothing once you get the hang of it! Invest in a secondhand machine if you can’t afford a new one, watch some online tutorials, and get started!
1 comment
I enrolled in a sewing-related course a year ago because I love making dresses and wished to be a fashion designer before. I am glad that I did because I can make and design a simple dress for my kids and wouldn’t need to buy it in a shop, so we’re really saving much money in this area.