What to do with clothes you can't wear

What to do with clothes you can't wear

Need to make room in your closets? Here are some tips for eliminating the clothes that no one currently wears.
In some countries of the world, a person might have just one or two outfits. But in the United States, most of us have numerous articles of clothing. Not only that, we typically replace those outfits several times throughout our lives. We are very rich indeed!
But what should you do with the clothes you no longer wear? Rather than merely throw them away, here are a few tips for recycling your well-worn commodities.

1. Set up a clothing exchange. Especially with kids' clothing, since they grow so fast, ask the school if an area can be set aside for used clothing that other families might find useful. Simply taking what is needed is one option. Or a can of food can be donated in exchange for a piece of clothing, with the collected food items given to a needy family or charitable organization during the holidays or at the end of the year. Families also may wish to bring in their own used clothing to exchange for someone else's.
2. Set out a "free" box in the neighborhood. This idea works well if you live in or near an apartment complex where freebies might be valued. Set a box of neatly folded clothing and a "free" sign near the mailboxes, in the laundry room, or under a stairwell. Your thoughtful action may encourage other families to donate articles as well, benefiting those with children who may not have much of a clothing budget. Just be sure not to make a mess, and remove remaining clothes items at the end of each month, giving them to a thrift store.
3. Donate clothing to a charitable organization. Homeless shelters, crisis pregnancy centers, and women's domestic violence escape houses may be interested in passing along used clothing to their clients. Look in the yellow pages for social service agencies that may be interested, and give them a call to find out. You may be able to collect a tax receipt for the donated items.
4. Start a church collection program for recycled clothing. Volunteers can sort, label, and organize clothing to be donated to needy families with unemployed parents. Or the church may want to hold a yard sale or raffle off the better quality items as a fund raiser to benefit various programs, such as Sunday school, youth, or seniors.
5. Use it for patchwork. Though patching worn knees and elbows of work clothing has long been out of style for most families, you may be one that still patches needed clothing on occasion. Or you may want to keep old clothing on hand for Halloween scarecrows, the kids' dress-up play, or for use as costumes or for yard work. Even torn or frayed clothing may be salvaged, at least the better pieces, for quilting if that is your hobby.

If all else fails, send your outgrown or discarded sweaters, nightgowns, jeans, dresses, shirts, pants, and tops to the thrift store. Someone may find them useful for a bargain price, and you can get a tax receipt that may come in useful. Remember, one person's trash is another person's treasure.

Fashion for less

Fashion for less

Fashion for less. We all have the desire to be fashionable, and in style, however, it does not have to cost a small fortune, look at how...
Fashion is a concept that we are all interested in to some extent. Anyone who watches television, or buys magazines that show people wearing clothing supports fashion. Celebrities are the biggest fashion billboards in media. Commercials and cataloogues no longer depict what is 'in' style, but rather, whatever celebrities are wearing is what we want to be wearing. We have all seen our favorite celebrities dressed in designer clothing and have said one of two things: (a) What ever possessed him/her to wear that? Or (b) Wow, I love that outfit, I wonder where I can get it? The latter of the two is usually followed by "If I could only afford that!" There are many trends that women are looking to follow this season, and it is very possible to spend hundreds of dollars on one outfit, and thousands on a new wardrobe to keep up with these short-lived trends. That outfit that you love, or the the style that you crave can be obtainable for a fraction of the cost.

One of the biggest trends this season is colour. Some of the hottest colours this season are reds and purples. You do not want to go out and spend a fortune on an entire wardrobe full of colours that will be outdated in three months. Instead, buy some key pieces in the season's hottest colours. Buy a shirt in purple or red to wear with a dark pant suit or skirt suit. You could also go for a skirt in one of the hot new colours. Your best bet is to stick with a few key articles though, rather then spending too much on an easily outdated wardrobe.

Leather is another big fashion statement this season, however, the cost of leather, along with the upkeep and wear is not very practical for just one or possible two seasons. If you want something that is leather, invest in a good leather car coat. It is a piece that will never go out of style, unless it is in an outragous colour. The less expensive, and more fun version of leather is pleather, a vinyl and synthetic blend of fabrics. It is a quarter of the cost of leather, it has a great shine to it, and the fabric allows the skin to breathe a little easier than with leather. Most pleather garments are easy to clean, which in the long run, saves you money in the dry cleaning department. Pleather pants are a great fashion staple, without the huge expense of their leather counterparts. These pants can be paired up with virtually anything for a casual look, but look the best matched up with a great tank for an evening look that will wow everyone.

Accessories in animal prints or hides are also hot this season, for both fall and winter. Crocodile and snake prints for shoes and boots are a must this year. Like most of the trends that we are following however, they will not last. Payless Shoe Source is a great place to pick up those fun shoes or boots for a very little amount of money. They have a wide selection of trendy shoes, and an even wider variety of colours and prices. Purses in animal hides such as pony or crocodile are also making a loud statement this season, and can be purchased very inexpensively. For actual jewellry, I tend to recommend that you buy timeless classics that you will not have to replace year after year. A few small pieces that are inexpensive and fun is a lot easier to part with when something else is hip.

If you are interested in buying 'retro' clothing, consignment and thrift stores are the best place to purchase gently worn treasures. You would be surprised what you can find in these stores. Some examples of my newest purchases... a patchwork leather purse that retails for over $100, I picked up for only $7.50. I also got a pair of platform wedge heels that retail for up around $60 for only $3.00. You do have to look closely, but you would be surprised with what you can find. If it is brand names or designer clothing that you are looking for, try outlet stores, or wait until the designer has a sale. Outlet stores generally sell clothing for 40-60% off the normal retail prices, and designer sales tend to happen at the end of the season. If you see in magazines or feel like the item will be a hit again the following season, then purchase it. Some good designer items to get on sale are coats, like a pea coat, this will never go out of style, black dresses, and dress pants in dark colours. All of these items remain timeless classics year, after year.

It is very possible as you can see to buy that favorite celebrities clothing without spending an entire paycheck on one item. Next timt that you see a star wearing something that you want, write down a list or cut out the picture and take it along with you, and copy it, but at a fraction of the cost. Happy shopping, and remember, it doesn't take thousands to look like a million bucks!!!