Use it Up, Wear it Out, Make it do, or Do Without.

When my children were small we were on a very tight budget. Yard sales were not as popular in our area as they are now. I taught myself to sew just well enough to make basic play clothes and dresses for my daughters. Sewing can be expensive. Early in our marriage even buying the cheapest fabrics and supplies was out of our budget. I discovered that I could take old dresses of mine, or those that had been given to me, take them apart at the seams and use the fabric to make dresses for my daughter. I would reuse the zippers, especially the short ones from skirts, buttons and any salvageable trim as well. I used old dress pants of my husbands and made pants for my son. I also made all of their play clothes from old clothes. Any clothes made from suitable fabric were utilized. There was one particularly bleak financial year that I spent a total of only $15 on clothes for my children for the entire year and that was on shoes. With yard sales being as popular now days it is much easier to clothe children on a small budget so this tip is more about being creative with our finances instead of sewing. When faced with a need use creativity first before you go out and spend money. It is much more satisfying. Picture: Dress made from an old dress. The collar was from an man's dress shirt. Ribbon and thread left over from other projects. Check out Biblical Womanhood for more tips.