Upcycle Your Closet

According to research, women and girls spend an average of $545 per year on clothing, while men and boys spend just $326. Footwear costs the average household $314, while clothes for children under two comes in at $68. That comes to a total of $1,434 each year on clothes -- or about $120 a month!

This week's Thrifty Thursday saves you money by upcycling your own closet! Don't throw out those old clothes. Patch it, dye it, cut it, or give it to the dog! Considering the cost of clothes now days, whatever you choose to do with it will certainly help you save a TON of money in the long run!

What Is Upcycled Clothing?

Upcycling clothes is to take old, worn out, tattered & torn clothing and turn it into something new. Such items can be refashioned into a new product. Your repurposed, reused and recycled clothes, otherwise known as "upcycled clothing" is increasingly popular in today’s fashion industry.

Old hand-me-down or second-hand clothes used to be considered “cheap”, but now they are seen as sustainable. People are being more “green” by upcycling clothes, and due to popularity, that clothing style has become its own industry. Even such stores as the Urban Outfitters have jumped on board with this green trend, creating a brand called Urban Renewal. Their site states:

"From the beginning, giving new life to used and vintage goods has been a core part of what we believe in at Urban Outfitters. We gave those practices a name when we created Urban Renewal, a brand focused on repurposed, remade, and one-of-a-kind vintage goods. Today, Urban Renewal represents and expresses our commitment to sustainability, circularity, and reducing our impact to the environment."

Upcycling clothes is on the trend right now, thanks to Gen Z consumers jumping on board with sustainability instead of brand names. The hashtag #upcycledfashion is also hugely popular with more than 723 million views on TikTok.

How Do I Upcycle Clothing?

Whether it be patching it, dying it, cutting it up, or giving it to the dog, this article from the Readers Digest offers 10 various items to create when salvaging your old clothes. In some circumstances, you can create a whole new wardrobe using your old items, without the cost of buying new!

1. Dye It: So what if your shirt is stained. Give it new life by dying it!
2. Patch It: Hole in your favorite jeans? Give them a new look! Walmart sells various colors & patterns of iron on patches. Simply turn your pants inside out and cut the patch a little larger than the hole. Place the patch over the hole & iron it!
3. Cut It: We all have those unused bridesmaid or formal dresses you've worn once. Cut them shorter to use as a sundress! If it has sleeves, consider hacking them off and making it sleeveless for the warmer months. If you're not a seamstress, no worries. Your local box store or fabric store carries a type of hem fusing or adhesive. Fold over the edges & iron on the hem fusing. Although, keep in mind this is a temporary fix. Sewing the hems will last much longer.

If you cannot fathom cutting up your old clothes, consider a deep clean of your closet and create new outfits with what you already have that you haven't worn in a while.

If you enjoy learning new ways of saving money, rather than racking up those credit card bills, keep watching and following us here at CreditSoup.com for more tips on saving money!