As summer quickly approaches, sweaters are being shed and boots buried in the backs of our closets, their places filled with sundresses and sandals. As we make the transition from heavy wool to lightweight cotton, let’s lighten not just the fabric our clothes are made of, but our entire wardrobes!
First, go through your clothes and set aside the ones that are too big or too small. The shirts that have lain in the bottom of your drawer for the last two years, never worn. The skirt you loved in the store but still don’t have a top to match.
When you’re finished purging, look over what’s left in your closet and your drawers and make a list of what you need to find in order to have complete outfits.
Now it’s time for some fun! Let your girlfriends (and your sisters!) know that you’ve gone through your closet and are ready to give away all the items you don’t wear, but that you need a few select pieces and you’d love to look through the clothing they no longer wish to keep. Make up a few snacks and invite over your friends! (It is a wise idea to make sure that there are several people there of the same size.)
Set aside specific locations for dresses, skirts, pants, tops, shoes, and accessories, in order to make it easier for people to sort through what’s available. As you and your friends look for the items you need to complete your wardrobes, you’re helping each other clear out unwanted articles of clothing, saving money, and having fellowship at the same time!
Once the party’s over, box up the remaining clothing to give away. Thrift stores are great, as there’s usually at least one in every town. Another option, and one that I personally favor, is to donate your clothing to a girls’ home or battered women’s shelter. What a blessing to the ladies who live there!
For more great frugal tips and ideas, visit Biblical Womanhood.
(I am working on a special .pdf version of A Lady in Waiting that will cover topics on frugality, saving, and basic home economics - the actual economic part - and I need your help! If you have a great frugal tip you’d like to share, please e-mail it to rebekah@aladyinwaiting.com, along with your name and state. For everyone who submits a tip, I’ll send you a copy of this downloadable issue - not available for sale anywhere! If your tip if published in the magazine, I’ll enter your name into a prize drawing - gift to be announced at a later date.)
