CarbAbuser's Journal, 02 August 2023

Congrats even tho I know it sucks buying new clothes and then they are too big. Just means you are doing it!!!! 

Thanks Erin. The annoying part is that I've always saved clothes I like, no matter the size. So if and when I change sizes, I have something. I have clothes from size 14 to size 24. Although my highest was a 32, I didn't save anything after size 24, except for ONE pair of 32's to remind myself DO NOT GET THIS BIG AGAIN! That being said, I'm missing 18s and 20s. Why? I don't know. But I didn't have any, so I had to go buy some in 20, then lost more and had to go back for 18s. *sigh* 

It's still good hun it's progress no matter what. I've literally got rid of all my bigger clothes because there is no way I'm going back to that. Your doing great keep it up!! 

I design and make most of my own clothing, so when I noticed my pants & shorts were a bit loose...okay falling off, I pulled out the machine, and took em in a bit... I love self-reliance :-)  

Take advantage of the good used clothing stores.. you will definitely find treasures and save a lot of money. 

I get rid of the ones that I've grown to small for. This makes it very expensive to gain weight, as the clothes are gone. I also recommend patronizing your local goodwill. I've found new or nearly new clothes there to bridge the sizes that I'm just passing through - that aren't worth investing in. Though of course, I've got bins of the smaller sizes that I'm working my way down to. We have four distinct seasons here in New England, so that requires a variety of clothes in every size! I also buy nicer clothes at the off season sales from my favorite online vendors. Yesterday I pulled a brand new pair of fun linen pants out of the closet for a dinner date. They were a large, not an XL I bought them in an optimistic moment, midwinter, and now they fit! 

Great NSV! and I am jelly of your cooler temps! @Erika congrats on the closet dig! I did that yesterday too, due to being out of clean pants....it's a nice feeling to be able to wear forgotten clothes! 

I can't sew worth spit. I get bored with it too quickly, lol. I can only handle loose fitting jeans/trousers for so long, then I *need* to get new ones. I spent decades tossing the old, buying the new... hundreds if not thousands of dollars doing the back and forth yo-yo of sizes. I got smart in my mid-40s and just boxed the no-longer-fits-me clothes. Oddly enough, although some are from 15-20years ago, my style has always been basic tee and jeans, so it never looks outdated, lol. 

I was in my mid-50's when I taught myself to sew... my pants usually cost around $6 a pair if I watch my fabric sales, or hit the endroll dept of my local shop.. who know me by name, since I am a bit of an unusual customer. I love pinstripes, so that is what my pant designs are. I have also become the go to tailor for the people in the building I live in, since most are on pension and cannot afford a professional tailor... I never get bored with saving money... I think it's genetic ;)  

I also come from a line of skinflints! If I buy something new, it must be at least 60% off. On sewing: when I was courting with my husband in the early 70's I made him a finely crafted shirt. He wore it last night out for his birthday. We calculated that it is 49 years old. He looked great in it! 

@Erikahollister 'skinflints' damn I love real language, not this pussyfied bunk they are trying to push in 'society' today. I have made myself WAY too many shirts, and they will probably outlast me.. so cool your Hubby still has, and fits the shirt you made him, so long ago.. that is so very cool. We were not raised in a throw away society, so it is a hard thing to relate to. 

LOL My husband says the only reason for me to save money is to buy more items. I used to make my kiddo's outfits when they were under 5. But as I said, I got bored too quickly and gave it up. 

I am ready for some cooler weather. More than ready.  

That's great progress! Good job!