I was reading this post on hobbies that help you save money. It probably would be impossible to come up with a complete list, but I notice that he leaves out sewing, and I thought I'd tell you the story of Joseph's 3 suits.
See this handsome guy? (You thought it was all girls over here, right? There are three boys too, and of course a dear husband…but we don't let them into LMLD, unless for illustration purposes.)
We had a crisis of the exchequer when we realized that he needed a suit for job interviews in his senior year last year. Dear Santa got him a good-looking set of duds, but there was a little problem. You see, this amazing person has the need for a small size around the waist…and he has very long arms and legs! The jacket fit him across the shoulders fine, but the sleeves were too short. Since the cuff was that placket style with buttons, I thought I wasn't up to fixing it myself.
I had a local tailor do it, and she charged $35. Don't get me wrong. This is actually a good price for a finicky job that has to look just right. I have done my share of sewing — and I thought I knew enough not to tackle tailoring.
Then he got an internship in Washington, D. C., for the summer. He needed at least two more suits! No way could we afford even the cheap one Santa had gotten at Kohl's, let alone two more, let alone alterations. What's a mother to do?
Off we marched to Goodwill. A prayer to his Guardian Angel later, we found two really nice suits that fit him perfectly (for $15 each!) — except for the sleeves.
Well, I decided to go for it. And you know what? I did it! I fixed the sleeves, and one day at work when he was wearing one of the Goodwill suits that I had fixed (the one in the picture), Joseph got a compliment from a guy at work (a natty dresser himself) — “Say, that's a nice suit you're wearing! Who's your tailor?”
Tee hee. Monsieur Bonnevolonte!
I'd estimate that this combination of thrifting and sewing saved our family about $320 — the cost of two suits similar to the first (not that they had the variety at the store), plus the alterations, minus the $30 for the Goodwill suits. Not bad!
theknuthut says
Oh I love love love Goodwill! Anytime we need a costume for anything we go straight to Goodwill (which reminds me, it's about time for me to get over there and look for items for Man-Cub's Indiana Jones costume). I would totally buy all our clothes there but The Viking and Redheaded Snippet get their feathers all ruffled when I suggest it.You did a great job on that suit! I'll to remember that tip as Man-Cub grows older and bigger.
Leila says
Thanks, Pippajo! I wish I had taken a shot of the actual cuff…this picture is older, but I wanted to comment on that guy's list (over at Get Rich Slowly). Sometimes I just can't do what's needed, but every once in a while I surprise myself!
Kimba says
Wow! Great finds on the suits. Major bargain!I prefer spray paint just because I think I get a smoother finish for a project like this…no brush marks. Although there were already brush marks from the prior owner.I don't usually have problems with the drawers sticking. I only paint the fronts of the drawers and then give the paint about a week to cure.