How average are you?

This morning I was reading an article that said the young women are wearing a new outfit an average of 7 times. The reason for this is because they do not want to be seen on social media wearing the same clothes over and over and over again. That lead me to do a little research into what the average money spent on clothes per year. They say to get your average multiply your yearly income by .05. It averages out to about $1700 a year for a family of 4.

So of course this led to another search of the average sized home, the average grocery budget and the average amount of clothes people had in 1830. It didnt take long for me to find out that I was way below average.

This crazy search all started with my daughter and I looking for a pair of jeans yesterday. I refuse to pay over $10 for a pair of jeans. I promise you my family is not running around pantless. I find lots of good clearance sales and since we always wear pants I buy discounted ones even if no one really needs them right this second.

If you pay over $10 for your jeans I do not think you are evil. Your money is your business. We spent around $400 trying to save the bees this year. We spent close to that amount on organic dirt and expanding our garden. Some people like pants other people like urban farming. I bet if I googled the average money people spent on saving the bees I would be way above average.

Did you know that back in the 1800's people had their one outfit they wore daily and their Sunday dress clothes and a other odds and ends that they could switch out? To get a new item of clothing was a big deal. You loved that item and you wanted it to last forever and you did everything in your power to keep it nice looking. Imagine on Sunday morning in your church sanctuary if everyone was wearing the same clothes week after week and that was the norm or when you had any  special gatherings. I remember reading in the Little House On The Prairie books that the girls always got excited when Ma wore a special dress or Pa got dressed up. The girls were over the moon when they got new ribbons to wear in their hair.

I am not going to lie this is actually an easy thing for me to talk about with little conviction. I really could care less about clothes. I own like 6 pairs of pants, 2 skirts, 5 every day t-shirts, 5 nicer shirts, 3 pairs of pjs, 4 sweaters and 2 coats. I only had 3 pairs of socks until I recently bought 6 new pairs. I prefer to go shoeless and sockless. This might seem crazy to you but it works for me. I wont judge your overflowing closet if you dont judge seeing me in the same outfit three times a week.  I also only have 6-7 pairs of shoes some of which are hand me downs from my shoe loving sister.

Before I buy an article of clothing I think about it. I usually walk away from it. Sometimes even wait a few days and go back. Sort of  in hopes they are gone or at least my size is. Sometimes I just hope that I can find it on clearance later.

Like I said if you like clothes, what you spend is your business but if you are always wishing you had more money  clothing is an area where  you can cut costs if you really want. Right now lots of summer things are clearanced. I will snag me 4-5 tshirst for a dollar or two and next spring I will turn my other ones into work shirts in the garden or I will cut them up and knit a rug or cleaning clothes.

This is one of my favorite nicer than a tshirt shirt. I paid $15 for it which is actually extravagant for me. I have  worn it at least twice a week for the past year. Thats like fourteen cents every time I wear it and I am still going strong.  I think from now on all my selfies will be in the car and I can guarantee that anyone who follows me on social media will see this shirt again.

Do you like my shiny lips? My homemade lip gloss is so easy. Get a roller ball tube and poke a hole in 3-4 vitamin e capsules and squeeze them into the bottle. Add a few drops of essential oils or even cooking oils like peppermint or lemon. Then fill with fractionized coconut oil. Use as often as you like. Your lips will thank you.