I know… it is Tuesday, again.
My excuse this time is that yesterday was Independence Day…
(How was your 4th BTW?)
Doesn’t that equal Independence from blogging? No, really…
I wanted to post yesterday but I woke up and realized that I’m 34 weeks pregnant which means that my little man is considered full term in just 3 short weeks and is due in just 6. So, instead of following my carefully planned out to-do list (which included working on posts) I ended up spending all day working on the nursery and hospital bags. I did get a bunch done though and feel like I can breathe a little bit easier today. Too bad that feeling of ease didn’t help me sleep last night.
But, enough about me. Today I have a guest blog post from a very special Mommy.
MY MOMMY!
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| Me, my mom and my hubby-taken with my iPhone |
She spent some time crafting a post about one way to save money after having a kiddo— although, this will work on saving money even if you don’t have kids. This is something she’s been doing for YEARS and is currently gaining huge popularity with the in-crowd. I’m currently following SEVERAL different bloggers who do this very thing and blog about it.
What does she do to save money? She re-purposes clothes!
Check out what she says about up-styling and re-purposing clothing to help save a few buckaroos.
~*~
Hello. My name is Carol and I am Jenni’s mom. When Jenni suggested that I do a blog post I was honored and well, a little nervous. I mean, what could I say that would be of interest to anyone?
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| Carol with Jenni (ME) and her sister Heather |
Several pieces of advise about being a new mom come to mind:
—sleep when the baby sleeps (you will need it),
—it’s ok for a baby to cry for a few minutes while you take a shower (a shower when you are stressed is a way to wash away the stress and gain a new outlook)
—dirt will not kill a child (it didn’t me or you)
—even junk food is OK once in a while for dinner (we all need our little treats in life and babies/kids are no exception).
However, how to put that in a blog post was escaping me and I figured that is all stuff that others will tell her or she may learn on her own anyway. So, I was left with my one favorite piece of advise that has served me well.
I do need to give you a bit of background as to how I learned this particular piece of advice.
I married Jenni’s dad when I was very young and I truly believed that love would conquer all problems. Hah! I was so naïve! We had 4 children in 5 years and money was tight! I had to learn how to cut corners and save in every way possible and in some cases that wasn’t enough. So I learned to re-use things. Re-using and re- cycling things saves so much money as well as the environment.
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| Sister (Heather), Carol and Jenni (ME) |
The item I am going to show you how to make came about right after Jenni’s birth.
Eating for two was my motto the whole time I was pregnant with Jenni. I ate everything in sight. There was a running joke in my family that everyone had to get to the table before I did or there would be nothing left. Seconds, thirds and midnight raids to the fridge were my life for nine months. Consequently, I gained 90 pounds!
Eating for two was my motto the whole time I was pregnant with Jenni. I ate everything in sight. There was a running joke in my family that everyone had to get to the table before I did or there would be nothing left. Seconds, thirds and midnight raids to the fridge were my life for nine months. Consequently, I gained 90 pounds!
NONE of my pre-pregnancy clothes fit after she was born.
I was MORTIFIED that I had to wear a maternity dress home from the hospital after she was born because nothing else I owned fit me!
In desperation I looked for clothes that I could “make” fit by letting them out.
I finally took a pair of my husband’s jeans and an old skirt that no longer fit my waist and fumbled my way through making me a skirt. I was so happy with the results that I hit the thrift stores looking for more jeans and skirts to give makeovers to!
READ ON for DIRECTIONS on how to make a fun new jean skirt and MORE
What you need:
—One skirt or dress (I used a dress that I loved the colors and the skirt but the top of the dress showed too much for me to be comfortable.)
—One pair of jeans (I used a pair that had shrunk to the point that they were too short.)
—Sewing machine
—One skirt or dress (I used a dress that I loved the colors and the skirt but the top of the dress showed too much for me to be comfortable.)
—One pair of jeans (I used a pair that had shrunk to the point that they were too short.)
—Sewing machine
(This can be hand sewn but it takes MUCH longer and the results are not as durable.)
{STEP ONE}
Cut the skirt off of the top of the dress. If you are using a skirt then cut the skirt off at the waist band.
{Step two}
Cut the jeans off just below the back pocket.
{Step three & four}
With right sides together pin the skirt to the jeans. And then sew the jeans to the skirt paying particular attention to not catching the front pockets of the jeans in the seam.
{Step five}
Iron the seam toward the jeans and turn right side out.
Done!
A new addition to Mommy’s wardrobe! This also works for dresses and jeans that toddlers outgrow.
So many things can be re-purposed and re-used if you just let your imagination run wild. I can think of four or five ways to re-purpose onsies and receiving blankets! (Maybe that’s the next blog post?)
Well, it’s been fun and I hope to see you again in the future!
Remember, don’t throw it away, re-use it in a fun new way!
~ Carol
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Thanks mom!
So, how do you save money with regards to clothing?
Check back later today for links to some of my favorite sites that focus on re-purposing or re-styling clothes as well as some links to great projects I’ve found!
Edit: Later may have to be tomorrow… I’m turning in for the evening!
2 Comments
for the kids especially, consignment sales! We have several local sales where moms can basically swap the clothes. In their early years, kids don’t wear through the clothes more than they outgrow them.
And buy mostly gender neutral for tiny ones, because you can pass sister’s white onesies to little brother!
I think the 4th of July is a completely legitimate excuse to have your Monday post be a day late.
I love your mom’s post, such a creative lady!