Frugal Hacks for Winter Clothes
These are basically hillbilly ways to stay dry, but like many hillbilly hacks, they work.
The most important thing about keeping warm in the winter is to keep dry.
Children who insist on 'sledding' down a hill without the sled tend to get lots of tears in their snowpants. These tears let in moisture, which results in getting wet and cold before the fun is over. Duct tape will fix that. Ask us how we know these things.=)
Missing mittens? Put a sock on each hand, then put a plastic bag over each hand (sandwich bags work for little hands, we use plastic grocery bags for bigger hands) and another sock over the bag. The layers help with warmth, and the plastic bags keep hands dry, which also helps with warmth. This is a dandy use for all those unmatched socks you might have around the house.
Little baby socks make great mittens for babies- they don't need a separate casing for their thumbs, in fact, their little hands will stay warmer without them. Double layer them for extra warmth.
Plastic grocery bags also help keep feet dry in snowboots that spring a leak. Put on warm socks (two pairs if necessary), then slip your feet into the plastic grocery bag and slip the boots on over that. I have also saved the clear bags from the produce department- they are thinner, so get holes in them quicker, but they also take up less space in the boot. Duct tape will also work to fix leaky winter boots. Tape inside the boot (this works for regular shoes, too).
Even if you intend to buy new boots and mittens, these work as a temporary fix until you get to the store or until payday, whichever period of space you need most.
It's also helpful in some circumstances to have two sets of snowclothes; a decent pair of boots, mittens, and a coat for going out in public, and another set for roughing it out on the homefront. I really don't mind my kidlets sliding down our hills on their personal seats instead of a sled, I think it's a great experience for them. I just mind the destruction to their snowsuits. So if they have a sloppy, duct-taped back up pair of snow-pants, we're all happy.
When the five oldest girls were younger, I kept my eyes open for snowsuits at thriftshops and yard sales and until recently tried to keep a full supply of sizes on hand, because it's much better to pay ten dollars for two snowsuits, one which you may not need, than it is to pay several times that much for one, when that one stands a very good chance of not making it through the winter. I also stock up on long johns from the thrift shop. Of course, if you don't live in a northern state and don't visit wintry places, this would be silly.=)
One more frugal tip- similar to what some large families do for socks, I started buying gloves and mittens in one color only. That way the singles are more likely to find a mate.
For ideas on frugal winterizing, see this previous post at our regular blog. One more tip on keeping warm at night- in my experience, cold feet are the worst- it takes forever for them to warm up. When I was in college, our dorm room had two bathroom sinks with vanities in it, and we girls used to sit on the bathroom counters with our feet in a sink of hot water, sipping cocoa or hot tea and chatting just before bed. Then we would quickly dry our feet and slip on socks or slippers and dash to our beds.
My fifth and sixth daughters dislike shoes and socks immensely, and they go barefoot all the time- ending up with icy feet by bedtime. We fill mismatched socks about 3/4 of the way full with dried rice, buckwheat, beans, or dried corn (we live in a cornfield, so this is free) and tie it shut (some people would sew them shut and then make a pretty slip case for them to disguise the fact that they are old socks. I think this is lovely. I am not one of those people who can do this however, tying it in a knot works for me). They then microwave one or two of these socks for a few minutes before bed, tuck it into their pajama shirts and dash upstairs to bed, slipping the sock warmer under the blankets and down by their feet. Ahhh. Toasty warmth.
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5 Responses to “Frugal Hacks for Winter Clothes”
December 5th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Are you actually finding long johns in little kid sizes at your thrift shops, or are you stocking up on them mostly for the bigs? (I’m finding it hard to find long underwear in size 4T, even new.)
December 5th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
My youngest child is 10, and he wears a size 12, so it’s been a long time since I looked for smaller sizes.
I remember that one thing I did when they were small is put the girls in knee socks made for much older children- the knee socks came up to their thighs (when they were small, just below the diapers).
Tights also help. I do know a woman who puts tights on little boys, underneath their other clothes. She stops this when they are around three of four years old.
December 5th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
We often buy winter clothes on clearance in the spring for the following year. We usually pay only 20% or 30% of what it was only six months before depending on when and where we buy.
December 6th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
for building snow men and for snow, the plastic bag over hands idea is golden – then layering with socks – however, for going around town, not possible – i’d feel a bit uncomfy from looks -
in the park or for a walk on a snowy day – it’s fine -
my children would be a little ashamed of that one – but if daddy told them it was a science experiment, they’d be for it at any cost to their little egos – however, tights on boys? ha ha aha
frugality at its best – making the most of what you have — cool idea.
thanks for sharing your ideas with us!
December 7th, 2008 at 9:48 am
When our daughter was smaller (4T and under), we used two-piece cotton pajamas as long underwear. Target sells great sets of two for $20; they are often marked down, and you can get them for 50% or more off if you buy them in the spring. I also picked up Gymboree leggings at thrift stores or in lots on ebay for wear under other pants; one of my friends used these leggings in dark solid colors on her son.
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