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You are here: Home / Archives for 31 Days of Cheap Tricks

February 7, 2014 by: The Domestic Fringe

Buying A New Car: Three Negotiations

fuzzy diceMy first car was a 1986 Honda Prelude.  I bought it in 1996, the year I graduated from college.

Riding in my car was like riding around in a metal wedge of cheese.  The brakes didn’t work, the heat didn’t work, the air-conditioner didn’t work, the defroster didn’t work, and the sunroof leaked rusty water every time I came to a stop.  I lived in the city, so stop-and-go was how I drove, and when it was go, it was all go.

I want to say it was a good car, but it wasn’t.

I wrapped the navy blue wedge of cheese around a tree early one morning on my way to work.

It was black outside and icy.  The defroster wouldn’t even work and I couldn’t see.  I fussed with the heat as I careened around a corner and right into a tree.  There were no air-bags in those days, so it was head to metal.  Lots of fun.

Through the years, I’ve had my share of less than adequate vehicles.  Some have been miracles sent straight from heaven and others, well, they acted like they came from hell.  The good news is I have learned my share of lessons from my cars.

Buying a new car is huge decision, one that needs thought and planning before you ever step foot on a lot.  If you don’t plan ahead of time, you will most certainly spend too much money and say yes to things you don’t even want or need.  Let’s be prepared ahead of time.

Buying A New Car:  The Three Negotiations - be shopper savvy, inform yourself, avoid getting ripped off

3 Negotiations in Buying A New Car

 

There are three basic negotiations in buying a new car.  The more prepared you are before you shop, the better car you’ll get for your money.

1.  Trade-In Value

Your first negotiation is trade-in value.  Before you ever step foot on a car lot, know what your trade-in is worth.  Set a price you are comfortable taking for your current vehicle.  If you get more than that price, great, but know your bottom line.

Get the Kelly Blue Book App for your mobile device.  It’s free!

 

2.  Purchase Price

Do your homework before you go shopping.  Narrow down your selection to three cars and test drive them.

Never give out your social security number before you’re ready to buy the car.  They will run your credit report while you are out test-driving the car.  Although they will tell you it doesn’t matter, it does.  Protect your credit rating!

Shop online before you talk to salesmen.  Get dealership recommendations from trusted friends.  Go someplace that has a reputation for being fair and honest.  Always remember it’s ok to say No.  Walk away from a deal if you must, but don’t regret your purchase.

And, say no to the add-ons.  It will drive up your purchase price and most of the time, you do not need or want the add-ons.

3.  Rate:  Terms of the Loan

Above all, know how much you can afford to pay.  Work and rework your budget.  Don’t fall for something new and shiny if you cannot afford it.  Living within your means is a wonderful discipline that will serve you well.  There is freedom in knowing your financial limitations and deciding to live within your budget.

If you can, get your financing before you go car shopping.  The salesmen will be more willing to work with you if you have financing.

If you do not have pre-approved financing, go car shopping during the week.  Banks are (for the most part) closed on the weekends.  They work out a rate with you, but then you will need to wait until the next business day to have that rate approved.  Sometimes it will not be approved and then you may be stuck with a higher rate.  It may be worth taking a day off from work to buy your car.

Check the loan rates before you go shopping.  Arm yourself with knowledge.  Be a savvy shopper.  You are your own advocate.

Buy GAP insurance.  When you drive your car off the lot, it begins to depreciate.  If you total your new car within the first year of purchase date, chances are your insurance will not pay off the full amount of your loan.  They will only pay the depreciated price.  GAP insurance covers you for the full amount.  It’s not expensive and it’s well worth it.  You can always cancel it after three or four years.

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My first car wasn’t such a great deal, but I know better now.  The next time I’m ready to shop for a new car (hopefully, it won’t be for a very long time), I’ll be armed with knowledge and I’ll be prepared.  Doing your homework is always worth the work, although my kids don’t always believe me.

Have you recently bought a new car?

Do you have any advice to share?

Signature 2014* This is a sponsored post.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.  A special thanks to my brother for the solid financial advice.

November 5, 2013 by: The Domestic Fringe

How Frugal Living Affects My Children

Frugal Living Sparks Debate

31 Days of Cheap Tricks began with a bit of controversy, or perhaps questioning more adequately describes the Facebook chatter.  It caught me off guard, because I didn’t expect frugal living to stir debate.

My goal throughout this series has been to help you live for less.

Frugality is not controversial.  How can it be?  It’s personal and it looks different for each of us.

I hope I helped you explore ways to reign in your spending by putting an end to impulse shopping, and I certainly wanted to give you a few Cheap Tricks for everyday living.  I consider cheap date night ideas and tips for thrift store shopping practical; however, the first post of this series was on making do with what we have.

Do you remember it?

I absolutely believe this is the number one way we can save money.

We live in a world where we think every need we have should be met.  We are deserving, entitled, and might I even say coddled?  We are treated and we treat ourselves in an overindulgent way.

It’s not bad to need.

Let me say that again.  It’s not bad to need!

I know I didn’t mince my words, but I never once thought they would offend or be misunderstood.

That’s the thing with blogging, or writing in general.  All of us opinionated people put our ideas and thoughts into cyberspace and people read them.  We don’t get a second chance to explain or make people see things from our point of view.  The words are in black and white and people read them in shades of red, gray, yellow, and pink.

Here’s where the disconnect happened.

I wanted to make the concept of “making do” real, practical for everyday life.

How many times do you run to the store for milk or bread or eggs in one week?

If you run out of any of those items, will you die of starvation before your next regularly scheduled grocery shopping trip?

My friends, it’s very doubtful.

Your kids can eat dry cereal for two days in a row and live to tell the tale.  Maybe it will even become a story as big as a legend one day – like the one our parents tell us about walking miles uphill to school in the snow with only plastic bags covering their shoes.

It was just an example.

If running out of milk is a natural disaster in your house, by all means, buy a cow and keep her in your backyard.

We choose to make do.

How Frugal Living Affect my Kids - Part of the 31 Days of Cheap Tricks series on The Domestic Fringe, helping you live for less

What about the children?

Someone read through my post and became concerned that living in this (extreme?) frugal way would negatively impact her children.  They would think they were poor and possibly become worried over lack of necessities, soggy Cheerios, and the like.

I really try to see both sides of the story.  I’m wrong sometimes.  I’ve eaten crow a time or ten and it never tastes good, but I can woman up and admit when I’m wrong.

So I thought about it.  I thought about how we live.

By “normal” American standards, my family certainly doesn’t live in overabundance.  According to world standards, we have enough, too much.  Not every country is as wealthy as ours (blanket statement).

Is going without milk or other necessities negatively impacting my children?

I asked them.

My son said, “Well, I don’t even think about it.  We’ve always lived this way.”

“Do you think we’re poor?” I asked.

“No.  We’re definitely not poor.  Plus we have a lot more than a lot of other people around here.”

Perhaps that comes from living in a not-so-wealthy community.  It gives us a good dose of perspective.  We have enough.  We have too much at times.  We have more than enough to be grateful for.  We have so much, we can give some of it away.

So, while making do is a regular part of our lives, my children know they will have what they need, even if they are forced to wait to see their needs fulfilled.

The Impact on My Children

I will say that this lifestyle choice has made them sensitive to excess.  They notice abundance.  I’m not necessarily saying they notice it in a bad way.  They just acknowledge it and know that while it’s nice, it’s not necessary.

I’m careful to remind them we all make our own choices for how we live.  The things we all want and need and choose are different.  It’s good for other people to live differently than we do.  We’ve simply made a choice to live for less for this time in our lives.

Last weekend we attended an American Girl Doll Fashion Show.  They sold cute little girly things at this event and my mom gave my daughter ten dollars to spend.  At first she chose a pair of Christmas earrings.  She carried them around until she saw a bright purple crocheted headband.

The earrings were $2.99 and the headband $6.99.  She put the earrings back.  My mom saw and offered to give her the extra money for the tax, but she said, “No, that’s ok.  I really want the headband.”

If she took my mom up on her offer, I would never have given it a second thought.  I probably would have taken the money, but my daughter chose to stick within her budget and get what she wanted most.

I don’t think that way of living is going to negatively impact my children.

Is it possible I’m wrong and fifteen years from now I’ll be eating crow?  Yes, of course, but that’s a chance I’m willing to take.

It’s wise for children as well as adults to learn to live within their budget.

At eleven, my daughter wants to be a surgeon.  I realize that decision will change forty-two times by the age of eighteen, but if she wants to go to medical school (or any other type of specialized training), there will difficult decisions in her future.  She’ll have to make hard choices.  The earrings vs. the headband are practice for when it’s concert tickets vs. medical books.

For us, the Cheap Tricks work.  We make do as much as possible and occasionally splurge.  It’s how we live for less.

I most certainly do not believe everyone who reads this blog should worry about money or feel bad about spending it. 

Buy all the milk you want!

If it’s your desire and you have the financial means, live in opulence.  I will be happy for you.  I will celebrate your life with you.

This series is specifically for those who want or need to live for less.

If you need a  Cheap Trick or twenty-five, click on the image below and you will be taken to the home page of money saving mania.

31 Days of Cheap Tricks - Living for Less - A series providing you with tips on saving money and living while spending less

If you’re worried your low-income or desire to live on less is messing with your children’s psyche, talk to them.  Find out what’s going on their head, but I can almost guarantee they don’t lose sleep over the empty milk carton.

How does your spending or lack of spending impact your children? 

Have you thought about it?

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October 30, 2013 by: The Domestic Fringe

When DIY doesn’t PAY

Note:  If you click on the images in this post, they will take you to the full DIY before/after or how-to.

When DIY doesn't PAY - part of the Cheap Tricks series on The Domestic Fringe.  Help you Live for Less.

I think we’re the DIY generation.  We want to do everything ourselves.  Not only that, we want to be good at it too!

Dare I say, pinnable.

Every time I’m up to my elbows in glitter and I have paint in my hair, this is the conversation I have with myself in my head.

What?  Tell me you don’t self-talk from time to time!

I hate DIY.  Glue is stupid.  Glitter is from the devil.  I never do projects the right way.  I never have all the supplies I need.  Now what can I use?  I’m never doing a craft, art, DIY project again for as long as I live.  I’m selling my glue gun and throwing out the glitter.  Pinterest causes normal women like me to turn into puke-worthy craft fairies of the worst kind.  Where ARE the Scissors???

Five minutes later…

I love this!  Why didn’t I do this sooner?  I need to go on a shopping spree at Hobby Lobby.  I wish they made a heavier duty glue gun.  Do they sell red glitter paint?  I have to check and see if Pinterest has any new projects.  DIY changed my life!  Wanna make something with me?

I am the Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde of the crap craft-tastic world.

living room decor

I have a love-hate relationship with DIY.  The truth is, I’m much more creative in my mind than I am in real life.  Can you identify?  I get some great ideas, but most of the time, I never follow through, or when I do, my ideas were waaaay better in my head.

Then I pull an old teacher’s desk out of the trash and turn it into a one-of-a-kind hand-painted desk and suddenly I think I’m Picasso.   Doing “it” yourself, whether that’s making some new wall art or a birthday balloon wreath, can save some big money.

DIY Chalk Paint Desk Renovation

Then there are all those times when we should hire our very own DIY guy and let him do the work.

Know when DIY doesn’t PAY.

Reasons to DIY

  • You’re feeling creative.
  • You can save money.
  • You want to pour yourself and your love into your creation.
  • You’re bored and don’t have cable TV.
  • You’re good at what you do.
  • You need a hobby.

There are tons of reasons to do things yourself.  I’m huge fan of being creative and getting in-touch with your inner Martha.

DIY Home Renovation - Kitchen Before & After

Then there are times when DIY doesn’t PAY.

Reasons NOT to DIY

  • Support artists and crafters.  Some people DIY for a living and they’re masters of their craft.  Support them by buying their art.  We don’t have to recreate everything we see.  Sometimes, it’s good to buy the original.  It helps support the artist and lets them know you value their work.  When you buy something that’s been hand-made, you’re being a blessing to the maker.
  • It’s out of your realm of knowledge/experience.  I especially think of this on some big home projects.  Maybe hiring that electrician or plumber is a really good idea.  You know?  We hired someone to install our chimney and woodstove, because we didn’t want to burn down our house.  Could we have DIY’d?  Probably.  In fact, we tried it and screwed it up first.  Then we hired the expert.  It’s good to know our limitations.  Sometimes hiring out work will save us money in the long-run.
  • DIY takes a lot of time.  Decide, do you have more time or money to spend on a project?
  • It’s not always cheaper.  I can cite countless times when DIY has saved us money, but not all the time.  Sometimes it’s cheaper to just go buy the item you like.
  • DIY stresses you out.  If you’re one of those people who breaks out in a cold sweat when someone takes out a pair of craft scissors, cut yourself some slack.  DIY isn’t for everyone.  Find a different way to be creative.
  • Count the cost.  Supplies aren’t cheap.  Count the cost before you begin the project, so you and your wallet aren’t surprised half-way through.

 

built in book cases styled

Like I said, I have a love/hate relationship with DIY.  I think I’ll always tackle a few projects a year, because sometimes I need to burn my fingertips off with a glue gun be creative, but I’ve learned the hard way, DIY doesn’t always PAY.

Flower break

Do you DIY?

Are you a bit of a craft store junkie or do you run for the mall when someone suggests you make it yourself?

Has there been a time when DIY didn’t PAY?

 

If you’d like to Live for Less, please click the image below for more Cheap Tricks.

31 Days of Cheap Tricks - Living for Less - A series providing you with tips on saving money and living while spending less

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October 29, 2013 by: The Domestic Fringe

Mix & Match Outfits for Savings

Mix & Match - How to stretch your wardrobe and save money - part of the 31 Days of Cheap Tricks series to help you Live for Less

 The other day I had a conversation with a friend.  We talked about clothing and how we skimp in that area, because money is an issue.  We tend to wear the same things over and over again.  No big deal, but sometimes it gets old.  I’m sure you can identify.

Mix & Match Outfits

We’ve been talking about money all month and helping you live for less in the 31 Day series of Cheap Tricks, so today I thought we could explore another way to save money on your wardrobe.  Sure you can buy clothes out of season and wait for sales and coupons, but perhaps you can use what’s already in your closet.

You’ve probably seen bloggers remix their clothes.  They’ll begin with 5 or 7 or 10 pieces and make a bunch of different outfits from the basics.  I’m not great at remixing, but I can mix & match outfits and wear the same clothes in different ways.

Here’s how.

WIWW Mix & Match Clothes to Save money - Flowered Pants and Owl SweaterThis week I wore the owl sweater my daughter gave me last year for Christmas with a pair of flowered pants.  Now, you may not think printed pants are a good use of money, but I paid $8 for these pants in Kohl’s and I I’ve gotten a lot of wear out of them.

Here are a few ways I’ve worn them in different seasons.

WIWW:  Mix & Match Style - Ways to Wear Printed Pants

Now let’s take the owl sweater and mix & match.

WIWW:  Mix & Match Style - Ways to wear a graphic sweater

You can get a lot of wear out of printed clothes, maybe more than you think at first glance.

Let’s take the black and white striped skirt in the second photo above (it’s a dress) and mix & match.

Seven Ways to Wear One Target Dress

You don’t need a lot of clothes to build a wardrobe.  You just need a few well-thought outfits.

See that mustard colored cardigan in the photo above (fourth dress photo)?

Let’s mix & match.

Fashion Essential: Mustard Colored Cardigan - 6 ways to wear a mustard colored cardigan

 

Mix & Match Outfit Challenge

If you think you have nothing to wear, take one item from your closet and mix & match.  Some outfits won’t work, but others definitely will.  You may even surprise yourself and find something new to wear!

Here’s another mix & match outfit using a maxi skirt.

Ways to Wear a Chevron Striped Maxi Skirt @ thedomesticfringe.com

If you’re looking for one item to add to your closet, buy a chambray shirt.  The one I keep wearing in nearly all the photos above is a hand-me-down (another reason to cheerfully accept hand-me-downs), but it will be worth the $20-$30 dollars you’ll spend.

Use these 10 Rules for Thrift Store Shopping in order to save money while adding fun pieces to your closet

If you have a maxi dress hanging in your closet from this past summer, pull it out, layer it up and use it all year-long.

  • Add long-sleeved t-shirt underneath
  • Wrap a scarf around your neck
  • Wear boots
  • Layer a shirt and/or sweater over the dress

WIWW:  Maxi Dress Mix & Match - Summer to Winter StyleMake the most out of your clothes and your money – Mix & Match Outfits!

Flower breakWhat items do you wear again and again with different outfits?

Do you feel like you have too few clothes?  Will you take the mix & match challenge?

 

For more money-saving tips, please click the image below.

31 Days of Cheap Tricks - Living for Less - A series providing you with tips on saving money and living while spending less

 

Thanks so much for reading!  If you liked this post, please share it with your friends.

new signatureFashion Friday link up

October 29, 2013 by: The Domestic Fringe

Investment Pieces

Know when to buy investment pieces - part of the Cheap Tricks series @ The Domestic Fringe

We’ve all heard the saying, “You get what you pay for.”

It’s true.  Most often when we spend less on an item, we get less quality.  It’s a bit of a trade-off.  Sometimes, we don’t need quality, but other times it’s a foolish waste to throw money away on crap.

The Dollar Store is a perfect example.  Ever buy your kid a toy in the Dollar Store?  It’s broken in minutes if not seconds.  You get junk for a dollar.  It’s like throwing a bunch of one dollar bills in the trash.

Now, all you Dollar Store lovers are ready to throw tomatoes, I know.  There are a few steals at the Dollar Store, items worth the money; however, many of the items aren’t a deal.  If you start comparing ounce for ounce, you’ll be surprised to find you can get quite a few things cheaper in Walmart.  The throw away baking tins are a fabulous deal though, my favorite Dollar Store Steal.

Personal Pet Peeve:  Don’t fill your Christmas Shoe Boxes with junk toys.  Imagine being the child who has next to nothing.  He finally gets a box of cool stuff from Operation Christmas Child and his toy breaks the same day.  That’s a really big bummer.  Anything isn’t always better than nothing.

Investment pieces are personal choices.  We spend the most on what we love and that’s different for all of us; however, this one tip is universal.

Invest in your tools.

My husband is an electrician by trade.  He’s been wiring houses and commercial buildings since he got out of high school.  In a pinch, he’s bought cheap tools and they’ve never been worth the money, because when you really need them, they don’t work properly – the batteries die too quickly, they don’t have power, they’re cheaply made and break, etc.

It’s financially wise for him to invest more money into the purchase of his tools.

What are your tools?

Businessman/Woman – Power Suit

Painter – Brushes

Baker – A Quality Mixer

Cook – Pots and Pans / Knives

Photographer – Camera

Writer – Computer

Runner – Running Shoes / Sports Bra

Mother  – Ear Plugs  (just kidding)

Fashion Blogger – Clothes

Those are just a few examples, but I hope you get my point.  We all do different things.  We have jobs and hobbies, families and passions.

What tools do we need to help us be successful at life?  Those are the things we should invest our money in.  They will most often pay for themselves in the long run.

Skimp and save on the rest, but invest in tools that will help you get your job done well.

 

What items do you invest your money in?

What are your “tools”?

 

For more Cheap Tricks, please click the image below.

31 Days of Cheap Tricks - Living for Less - A series providing you with tips on saving money and living while spending less

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October 28, 2013 by: The Domestic Fringe

Financial Balance

Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:

Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.  ~Proverbs 30: 8b-9

When I was a young child, I took gymnastics.  Walking across the balance beam was a challenge.  You must understand how ridiculously clumsy I was as a kid.  I’m still clumsy, but I rarely stayed upright as a child.  I fell down more flights of stairs than is safe.  I tripped over air.  I fell off things, on things, and from things.  I was on the floor so often, it didn’t even phase my family when they found me in a heap.

And, God knew how clumsy I would be, because He gave me very strong bones.  It’s shocking I survived childhood, but that I survived it without any broken bones is truly miraculous.

I still have a difficult time walking a straight line.

Finding balance doesn’t come naturally or easy for me.  It’s a struggle to stay upright on some days, especially in fancy shoes.

Just as we all lose our physical balance from time to time, sometimes we also tend to get out of balance with our finances. 

Financial Balance - What is it? and How do we get it?  - Part of the 31 Days of Cheap Tricks series on The Domestic Fringe, helping you Live for Less

On one side, greed, desire, and want can easily tip the scale and throw us out of balance.  Before we know what’s happening, the almighty dollar is running our lives.  We live for it.  We give anything for it.  We sacrifice good things on the altar of money.  Money becomes our focus, an idol of sorts.

But, then there’s the other side, the side we don’t often talk about.  When you have too little money to live, sometimes money can also become the focus, just in a different way.

Because we have too little, we’re constantly thinking, plotting, scheming, and working to meet our most basic needs.  Money consumes our thinking, not the abundance, but the need.  We’re worried about the credit calls or the eviction notice.  We count every penny and hold them close to our heart.  We need every single penny.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that when we don’t have enough money, it can monopolize our minds, our heart, and our lives.  It can become an idol of sorts, in that it takes center stage.  Money becomes our first priority, our love.

And I think of the verses in Proverbs –  “Give me neither poverty nor riches…lest I be full, and deny thee, and say who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.”

Now, please don’t misunderstand, I believe you can be rich and not deny the Lord.  I also believe you can poor and not steal or curse God.  You can live a holy life whether rich or poor.  Yes and absolutely!

However, finding balance becomes a bit more difficult at either extreme.  Temptations are greater.

It’s easy to get tripped up when you’re walking on the financial balance beam.

What can we do to help find balance?

I’m not financial expert and honestly, we’re not in a great place financially.  We’re not where we need to be, but we’re working to get there.

Here are few things that help keep us in balance.

  • Remember, God provides.  Philippians 4:19
  • Enjoy your blessings.  Ecclesiastes 5:19-20
  • Give with abandon.  Proverbs 19:17, Acts 20:35
  • The borrower is servant to the lender.  Always and always.  Proverbs 22:7
  • Distinguish between need and want.  Philippians 4:11
  • Work hard.  Colossians 3:23, Proverbs 13:4
  • Pay bills and stay out of debt.  Psalm 37:21
  • Rich or poor, one is not more Godly than the other.  Proverbs 28:6, Proverbs 10:4, Proverbs 10:22
  • God gives us all talents.  Some have the talent of making money.  Matthew 25:14-30
  • Money is not bad; the love of money is bad.  I Timothy 6:10
  • Learn to be content.  Philippians 4:11
  • Don’t despise or look down on the rich or poor.  James 2:1-9
  • Save.  Proverbs 21:20

These principles will help keep us in balance, because they are Biblical, not because they sound good or make a great blog post.  I believe we can find financial balance in our lives, because that’s what God told us to do.  In His word, He tells us how.

It doesn’t mean there will never be times of need and it doesn’t mean there won’t be times of great abundance, but through it all, in whatever state, I believe we can find a Biblical balance regarding our finances.

I’m still learning to walk a straight line.  At times, you’ll still find me in a heap at the bottom of the stairs, but I’m getting better and better at finding my physical balance.

I hope I’m also learning to find balance in my finances and contentment in my heart. I’m not anywhere near that place yet, but God’s not finished with me either.  This life is all about learning and growing and becoming more like Him.  There’s still time to find my balance.

Flower break

 

What about you?

What are your thoughts on this subject?

Can you see how living in extreme abundance or poverty can make it more difficult to find balance?  It’s certainly not impossible, but perhaps the temptation is greater?

For more Cheap Tricks, please click the image below.

31 Days of Cheap Tricks - Living for Less - A series providing you with tips on saving money and living while spending less

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October 26, 2013 by: The Domestic Fringe

Hand-me-Down Clothes

Hand-me-down clothes are hand-me-down love, and I love me some hand-me-down.  Did you follow that?  I’m not even sure it makes sense, but I’m a little tired and weary of writing about money.  It’s not my first or even second love.

If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you know I wear hand-me-down clothes and so do my kids.  My husband even wears hand-me-downs.  We just bypass the whole “break in the new clothes” step and get things after they’ve been washed soft and are comfortably used.

Hand-me-downs are good; they are little blessings.  Embrace them.  Use them.  Ask for them.

Let people know you take hand-me-downs.  If you don’t tell them, they may bring their old clothes to one of the great donation bins of no return.  Now, I’m not suggesting you walk around telling everyone you meet that you want their hand-me-downs, but let your friends know.  When your kids need clothes, ask if anyone has hand-me-downs first.  Maybe you can save money by buying from a friend, or maybe they’ll start leaving bags of clothes at your door.  Either way, it’s good.

If you don’t want something, pass it on.  Find other people who need what you have.  Those people are out there, trust me.

Before you can embrace hand-me-down style, you need to let go of your perfectionism.  It won’t be easy, but take a big breath, put on your big girl (or boy) panties, and accept less than perfect.

Perfect is an ideal, not a necessity, especially if you need/want to save money.

I can guarantee your kids won’t care if they don’t look like they just walked out of a J.Crew for kids catalog.

Wait, does J.Crew make kid’s clothes?  I don’t even know!

I have this theory.  Children only really wear clothes because we make them; otherwise, they’d run naked until they got too cold.

Children have a crazy sense of style.  I like to think of it as wacky-tacky.  Instead of fighting them on it, why not embrace the crazy?

Hand-Me-Downs:  Wacky-Tacky Kids - part of the Cheap Tricks series.Give them a box of hand-me-down clothes and let them mismatch to their heart’s content.  It’ll save you money and people will think they’re cute.  Then they’ll think you’re a good mother/father for allowing them to show-off their creativity and have their own sense of style, but really, you’re just saving a buck!

When picture day comes around or they need an outfit for the Christmas recital, you’ll be able to splurge on something nice.

Hand-me-downs are a very good thing.  See if you can get some for yourself too!

 

What do you think of hand-me-downs?

Do you wear them or let your children wear them?

For more Cheap Tricks, please click the image below.

31 Days of Cheap Tricks - Living for Less - A series providing you with tips on saving money and living while spending less

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