The Rookie Mama
Navigating grocery shopping for my family of six in times inflation-riddled beyond our control has led me to become increasingly strategic and creative in every way I meal plan and recipe build.
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Increasing food costs exponentially affects larger families, which comes with the territory and at no surprise.
But what may come as the surprise is that the cost to raise four children is not exactly one child multiplied by four.
Bear with my math, here.
There are many ways in which savings are possible and funds can keep pocketed, when it comes to growing multiple littles.
And speaking of pockets – The secret is in the clothing.
Raising four boys means hand-me-downs galore – That’s a well-ensembled quartet on which you can bet.
Raising four boys also means clothes are worn and torn on the regular basis.
But these textiles needn’t be discarded at the first sign of wear, whether you launder solo or for a crew.
If you invest in good quality textiles, and said clothes become stained or dirtied, there’s a go-to Shout spray for that.
Or if your clothes are accidentally torn – there’s a needle-pulling-thread at the ready.
Things aren’t built to last as they once were – an article for another day – but we can push back a bit by making use of the sewing kit.
It’s cool to spool; a fantastic way to be passively purposeful while catching a show or riding shotgun on a long car ride.
I’m not just needling you.
Don’t feel daunted by the notion of mending clothing. Sewing step-by-step pro tips can be easily found online, and if your work doesn’t look perfect, all the better – Use visible mending to turn damage into decoration. Practice, after all, makes perfect with mending, too.
By taking time to mend clothes, you ultimately save on cash when you remove the need to repurchase the item – but you also help do your part for the planet by reducing textile waste.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the main source of textiles in municipal solid waste is discarded clothing.
Global clothing consumption is up 400 percent more today than only two decades prior – according to the National Library of Medicine, and the speed at which textiles get tossed to landfill territory is terrifying – One garbage truck per second – and this is seriously risky for the environment.
The current fashion system, according to Science Direct, constitutes one of the most unsustainable industries, accounting for nearly 10 percent of all global carbon emissions.
Whereas ‘fashion’ was once regarded attainable for only the privileged, today the market has turned to ‘fast fashion’ – creating widely available, rapidly produced and ultimately affordable clothes created by inexpensive fabrics, according to Nature Environment and Pollution Technology’s article ‘The Global Clothing Oversupply: An Emerging Environmental Crisis’.
It doesn’t need to be this way.
If we take a beat before we toss, and consider mending a hem or tear ourselves – or purchasing higher quality items when possible – we contribute to both our savings and to planetary health for the long haul.
My family doesn’t spend a lot of money on new clothes – We tend to wear clothes with solids that pair well with others to make entire new outfits.
My boys are all creatures of fabric habit and stick to their favorite go-tos, oft forgetting they have perfectly good ensembles further back on a closet shelf.
We’ve got a minimalist mindset that makes us more colt-ish in a world of clothes-horses.
Clothes-horses who may say neigh – I mean, ‘nay’ – to the idea of going fewer and further between in the world of closet space.
When we do wear out clothes to the point of zero return, we repurpose what we can – Some of the garment’s fabric may be able to be reused, whether cut into a future patch or decorative canning topper in attempt to keep as sustainable as possible.
I’ve even made costumes of old, decorative pillow cases. With a hot glue gun and fun ribbon, anyone can channel their inner Von Trapp seamstress style.
If you are a fashionable type who likes to change up your wardrobe frequently, why not upcycle or participate in a clothing swap with friends or colleagues?
These have become more and more popular as a nod to sustainability, throughout the country.
‘The Global Clothing Oversupply’ tells us awareness about the fast fashion crisis among consumers is growing. More and more are embracing the greener wardrobe approach and purchasing fewer, more cost-effective classics that stand the test of time, which can lead to significant change.
So keep stocked up on Shout stain remover sprays and sewing kits with threads of many colors – It’s a simple eco-friendly statement you can make as you continue to save funds in a way that will make you say, ‘Oh, la la!’
After all, ‘la’ is a note to follow ‘sew.’
With special thanks to Jolie Grasso of UNE’s Office of Sustainability for her source contribution.
– Michelle Cote lives in southern Maine with her husband and four sons, and enjoys camping, distance running, biking, gardening, road trips to new regions, arts and crafts, soccer, and singing to musical showtunes – often several or more at the same time!
