Anyone who has ever been pregnant can tell you that maternity clothes are f-ing expensive. The companies know they’ve got a captive market so they charge outrageous prices for many staple wardrobe items. Worse yet, these clothes won’t get worn for more than a few months each pregnancy.

All in all, buying maternity clothes sucks. Fortunately, there are ways to get as much bang for your buck as possible.

Don’t buy maternity clothes until you absolutely have to. There are some very sneaky ways to get your regular clothes to fit for a few weeks longer. Try a belly band over your pants to get an extra few weeks out of them (or use the old rubber band through the button hole trick). If baby’s dad is in your life (and not too much bigger than you), borrow some of his dress shirts to wear instead of fitted blouses. The longer you wait to buy maternity clothes, the less you will have to buy.

Don’t buy too much at once. You may not think it’s possible to get any bigger than you are, but you will get bigger rather quickly. Buy only the absolute bare minimum in your current ‘size’ because what seems huge at month 5 may not even make it over your belly at month 7.

Learn what has to be bought in maternity styles and what can just be a larger size. While any ‘work’ clothes like blouses, blazers and dresses will probably need to be properly maternity fitted, there’s no reason to buy ‘maternity’ loungewear. I spend most of my time at home in slightly oversized t-shirts (5 for $10 on sale at craft stores) and men’s sweatpants. Many women don’t need special maternity underpants either.

Don’t go crazy buying bras. I know I already said not to buy a lot at once, but this goes double for over the shoulder boulder holders. Not only will your bra cup go up, but your band size will as well and it can grow continuously throughout the whole pregnancy (they may even get bigger after birth because you’re engorged with milk). Buy one or two bras at a time and invest in a bra extender or two.

Make friends with other moms. Women who are a few months ahead of you may be willing to loan you maternity clothes that they’re too big for. Moms who are done having kids may be willing to just give you bags of maternity clothes they won’t need again. I probably received about $500 worth of clothes this way. They didn’t all fit, but I passed them on to another preggo who could use them.

Hit the garage sale/rummage sale/thrift store circuit. On the whole, pregnancy clothes are worn for such a short period of time that second hand garments are usually in very good shape. If you need work clothes, try traveling to nearby affluent areas. Generally speaking, the more affluent the area, the higher the quality of goods up for resale and the more likely it is they are ‘in style/trendy’.

Go with classic styles over trendy and accessorize. We’re fortunate that more brands are making stylish maternity clothes rather than flower printed tents, but you still don’t want to buy trendy items that you won’t be able to wear again if you plan on more than one child. Stick to neutral styles and glam it up with accessories instead (you can always wear awesome accessories after pregnancy as well).

Any mom’s out there have a good shopping tip?

Popularity: unranked [?]

This is not a paid review, but I am in contact with this company.

I’m used very moderate summers, so the idea that I can run around outside with a tank top on is very new to me. Of course, half the time in Virginia I don’t want to go outside because it’s too damn hot and humid, but that’s not the point. Since I’ve been living in t-shirts I purchased at Joannes for $2 each, I decided it was high time I splurge a little and get myself some shirts I wouldn’t mind wearing out in public.Anyway, I needed some new hot weather appropriate gear that was both affordable and attractive.

I blogged about the 5 for $23 sale over at Americas Basics and then jumped on that. It took me awhile to pick out what I wanted because I wanted one of mostly everything, but eventually I ended up with 11 shirts and tank tops, including the shrug tee I was talking about. Guess how much I paid in the end. I’ll give you a hint. It starts with 5 and ends in 0. That’s right, $50 for 11 shirts.

I placed my order on July 1st. One of my items was out of stock and I got an e-mail from an actual person asking me what I wanted them to do. I asked for the same top in a different color and my package arrived on the 8th. When I opened it, I realized that the packing slip had actually been reviewed by another actual person (judging by the ball point pen marks).

I was impressed by the quality of the shirts, especially considering the price. Because I sew, I’m anal about making sure the seams and trim are done properly and I didn’t spot any problems. My only concern was that the white shrug was a little too thin to wear without layering it, but it was hardly a major issue.

I also discovered that I am massively in love with Nadine and I’m sad I only bought two. Not only is it comfortable, but the cut is extremely flattering on my less-than-spectacularly endowed shape (and it’s not too low cut!) and the polka dots gives it a little more oomph than your average camisole. I’ll probably throw a cardigan over these in the fall to extend their wear. I’m wearing one in red right now, and if they get them back in stock I will definitely be ordering the other colors.

I also think I’ll be getting tons of wear out of the shrug tees. They’re dressy enough to pair with a nice skirt, but I can see myself wearing them with a pair of jeans too. Actually, at the moment I’m picturing myself wearing my black one with a pair of white capris and a fun pair of colorful flats. Add a bold necklace, which that neckline is great for, and you’ve got a really cute outfit.

The rest of my haul were more basics, including the Unique Tank, the Polka Dot Tank and the Puff Sleeve Tee. I think the puff sleeve tee will go well with a nice spring/summer a-line skirt. Or my gigantic sushi skirt, but I’ll get into that later.

Now, if you’ve read this far, I’ve got a treat for you. Enter FRUGAL1 in the comments section of your order to get one of the tanks above for free.

And, if you sign up for the America’s Basics mailing list you can get a code for 30% off. In the past two weeks, I’ve only gotten on e-mail from them so don’t worry about a glut of e-mails in your inbox.

(P.S. I’m thinking about buying one of the Summer Casual Dresses as a beach cover up, so if you order one, please tell me what you think.)

Popularity: 15% [?]

I have just found out that America’s Basics is running a 5 for $23 sale on all of their styles. In addition, if you order more than $50, you get free shipping.

My friend turned me on to America’s Basics a couple of months ago. They’ve got a ton of different styles of shirts (I love the Shrug Wrap Tee) and unlike a certain other American company, they’re wearable by real people and reasonably priced.

Sale ends TOMORROW 7/1, so get crackin’ if you want in on this deal.

Popularity: 21% [?]

Look, I wear shorts in order to keep my butt covered. If I wanted my heinie hanging out, then I would wear thong or possibly a skimpy bathing suit. But I don’t want to show my derriere to the world, and my husband frowns on it as well.

I should be able to bend over and not have my butt cheeks fall out the bottom. Shaving my hoohah should not be a prerequisite of wearing shorts. And sitting on vinyl seats should not put me at risk of a first degree burn on my now exposed naughty bits.

When I go out, I don’t want to look like a streetwalker who got lost, or one of those 40 year olds who dress like they’re 16. I’ve already resorted to buying XL little girls’ shirts to find something that isn’t cut to the navel, but there’s no way in hell I can squeeze my child bearin’ hips into those pants.

All I’m asking for is a happy medium between low cut, 1-inch inseams, slutty shorts and waistband in the armpits, pleated, mom shorts. And no, these don’t count.

Popularity: 13% [?]

So this may seem a little counter intuitive at first. If you do your laundry more often, you’ll be using more water, detergent, gas, etc., right? If you think about it, you will be using the same amount of resources just over a longer period of time instead of all at once. The only thing that you’ll be using a bit more of is your time, and you can always use the time between switching the load to do something else.

So how does this save you money? Well, first off, you need less clothing if you do a load every few days instead of waiting until the last possible moment. Do you own a bunch of the same blouses? Is it because you just love them or because you need four of them to last you the three weeks between laundry days? I fully admit to owning about 60 pairs of underpants during college, because it was about two months between trips home where I could bring my gigantic laundry bag. I even admit that I would occasionally buy more just so I wouldn’t have to do the laundry. Alas, most of us don’t have that kind of disposable income anymore.

Let’s say that you do 2 loads of laundry every 3-4 days (one light, one dark), you could very easily cut your wardrobe down to around 7 of each type of outfit per season (work, casual) plus a fancy dress or two, a cardigan, and some grubby clothes and pjs. If you’re thinking “only 7 outfits?”, remember that any good shopper can find pieces that mix and match so those 7 become 14 or more.

The clothes that you have will last longer and look nicer. But washing items makes them fade, you say? Not if you properly sort and wash them, and if you aren’t trying to cram 3 loads of laundry into one machine you’ll be more likely to do that.  You will also be able to see things like frayed cuffs, loose buttons and other easily repairable problems if you’re not dealing with a mountain of dirty shirts.  If you catch these things before they become the button gets lost or the cuff is totally ruined, you can fix them.

Not to mention that the faster you treat a stain, the more likely it is to come out. If you leave that tomato stain on the baby pink shirt to set for a few weeks, you’re going to have to replace the shirt.

And as a bonus: You’ll get to enjoy what you have. When we moved, I donated an entire bag of clothes I actually forgot I had purchased and now that I’ve pared down my wardrobe by at least half (and I’ve still got a few more bags to go) I get to wear my favorite stff more often because it’s a) clean and b) not buried in the closet.

Photo from stock.xchng

Popularity: unranked [?]

Welcome, Stumblers! Feel free to check out the ‘about’ page to see what this is all about or snag the RSS feed.

I had a big post planned on how we’re paying down our debt, but then I realized I had no clean clothes so here’s a laundry post while I go rectify that. It’s super simple to save money on doing your laundry.

1. Do your laundry correctly. It may seem like you’re saving money by cramming everything into one load and doing it all on hot, but if you’re damaging or shrinking your clothes you’ll have to buy more.
2. Invest in proper extras. Put your delicates in mesh bags and your bras in a bra saver to protect them. Spending $10 now will save a ton of money down the road.
3. Pre-treat with regular detergent mixed with water. Treat stains immediately and you won’t need fancy pants cleaners later.
4. Wash clothes on cold. If you’re worried about cleanliness, they do make detergents specially formulated for cold water (regular detergent works fine, anyway.) I do everything except my whites on cold and have yet to run around looking dirty.
5. Don’t ever do a half load. Often I wait until the last minute to do laundry and end up with an orphan half-load that wastes the cost of a full load. Do a load as the basket fills rather than waiting until you have nothing but a bathrobe and mismatched pajamas left.
6. Don’t use so much detergent. Most people want to use a whole cap full, but if you look at the markings, you’ll see that the first line is usually about halfway down.
7. Don’t use ‘fabric softener’. If you feel like you need it, try 1/4 cup white vinegar instead. If you must use a sheet, use half at a time and then re-use the old ones to dust furniture.
8. Try making your own detergent. This is only for those who have the time to make it and the space to store it, but you can save by making your own powder or liquid detergent.
9. Dry clean only, isn’t. Most ‘dry clean only’ clothes can be cleaned by hand in cold water or even in a washer on cold/delicate. If you have a stain, it’s probably best to take it to the dry cleaners, but otherwise test the detergent on an inconspicuous spot and try for home cleaning.
10. Hang clothes to dry. In an apartment you can still set up a drying rack or string a temporary line across the room. If you can open the windows, all the better. If you don’t pay by the load, throw clothes in the dryer for 5 minutes to soften them up.
11. Wear clothes more than once. I’m not advocating reusing dirty underpants, but you can wear things like PJs, sweatshirts, jeans, dress skirts and jackets more than once. Same thing goes for towels. Don’t be like Mr. Frugal Urbanite and reuse a towel for a month (ew) but you can use that towel for a few days with no ill effects.
12. Put your clothes away properly. If you plan to wear something again, hang it up immediately. This way it looks fresh and new rather than like it’s been sitting on your floor in a crumpled heap (not to mention you won’t have to iron it again.)

Well, those are my tips. Anyone got any others for me?

Images from http://www.sxc.hu/

Popularity: unranked [?]

A sewing machine can save you a ton of money! The initial investment can be pretty big (depending on how well you shop) but you can avoid alteration and repair costs for years to come.

I don’t know about you, but I need alterations on almost all of my ‘good’ clothes. At the very least, my pants need to be hemmed, and I used to get it done at the cleaners for $15 a pop. That doesn’t seem to bad at first, but over the months it begins to add up.

Even if you’re a perfect size 6, sewing machines are great for things like fixing that tear in the crotch in your sweatpants and sewing the lining in your pockets so your keys stop falling through.

Sewing machines are also incredibly useful for frugal decorating. You can make amazing placemats, tablecloths, curtains, throw pillows and other decorative touches for a fraction of the cost of buying them in a store. Most projects just require you to be able to sew in a relatively straight line.

If you do decide to take the plunge and buy a machine, keep these tips in mind:

• You need quality. When in doubt pay a little more because a machine that breaks down all the time won’t do you any good.
• You don’t need 57 stitches. As long as you’ve got a straight (running stitch) and zig-zag, you’re golden.
• If you want to buy new, look for Brothers or Janome brand.
• If you are buying used, look for vintage Singer. Try stores that specialize in sewing machine repairs for refurbished machines at a fraction of the new cost.
• Other great places for used machines are: Freecycle, Craigslist, Rummage Sales, Estate Sales.
• For instructions on how to start machine sewing, try looking for classes at your local library, community college, church or community center. Great online tutorials are only a quick Google search away.

And for those of you who already own a sewing machine and know how to use it, were you aware of all the great, free patterns online? Try BurdaStyle or Craftster to start off with.

Popularity: unranked [?]

It’s around that time of year when people start pulling their summer clothes out of storage. Now is a good time to clean out your closet to not only make room, but to practice a little frugality as well.

First, go through the closet and remove everything that doesn’t fit you well and make you feel like a million bucks. Check and make sure you have at least one week’s worth of business clothes, one fancy dress, a few days of casual clothes, and a few days of play (grubby) clothes left. If you don’t go back through the ‘reject’ pile and pull a few items you can live with for now.

Second, go through the reject pile and start dividing it into a few more piles:

1. Designer and Brand Name Duds
2. Career Wear
3. Fancy Clothing (including bridesmaids dresses, cocktail dresses, and formal wear)
4. Casual Clothes
5. Grubby Clothes (things with holes, stains, etc)

Continue reading »

Popularity: 11% [?]