With the economy driving many teens crazy (you know, since they’re limited to only a certain amount of cash), many are having to make adjustments with monthly and/or weekly allowances and do the best with what they have. So how do we stay in style with clothes being as expensive as they are? I went about asking GBDers what they do as they confront this crisis and here is what some of them had to say. Oh! And if you happen to have a few tips of your own, go ahead and share them on comments!

Kathy finds herself incapable of giving tips of her own because she’s “the last person to ask” about clothes.  But she shared what her cousin does. And I can relate to this one in particular as well because I do it myself.

1. Whenever you have a friend/cousin/sister/etc. who doesn’t want clothing, you could always take it if you like it and can make good use of it, instead of dumping it out. And if you’re MUCH more creative and happen to have a sewing machine or someone who happens to sew in the family you could get them to do a few touches to whatever piece of clothing you have and voila! You’ll have a wonderfully unique piece of clothing no one will have but you! “It’s always fun to ’shop’ out of your friends or family’s wardrobes!” Marianne adds, which I totally agree with.

I liked this other one Kathy gave because usually we spend a lot of money on shirts that have a simple design and are a total rip-off, but with this tip, you can spend way less!

2. If you know how to screenprint or have access to a screenprinter, you can get some shirts, depending your personal style and make your own prints!  Or you can get iron-on transfer paper to put in your printer and transfer prints to your shirts! I’ve done this and it’s so fun and creative!

For this one, Jessica F. also recommends on doing the same.

3. Also, you can get really great clothing pieces at thrift stores for great prices. I did a little digging on the internet and also found that there are online thrift stores and online thrift store locators! Which I find to be awesome! You could also visit flea markets. I’ve found great stuff at flea markets here in P.R. and for the absolute BEST prices! Jen Pimm also suggests we visit thrift stores in fancy neighborhoods, where we can find “the rich lady’s last season’s cast-offs that are in great condition and can be really stylish.” Which is very clever – great thinking!

You can Google online thrift stores and you’ll get tons of links.

4. Between Jessica, Kailin, and Kathy, they also suggest selling clothes you no longer use that often, which I think is a great idea! [I'm taking some of these tips for myself. LOL]

Some stores you can sell to and/or buy from are the following: (Thanks Jessica F.)

• Goodwill
• Buffalo Exchange

5. You know what’s also an incredibly smart idea that Jessica F. and Marianne suggested? Shopping when you can take advantages of all the sales going on (i.e. Holiday Sales, Semi-Annual and Annual Sales, Sidewalk Sales, and all those Sales that stores come up with). Sometimes you can get up to 3 discounts all at once. I just think it’s plain genius. Don’t ya think?

Kailin also brought some wonderful ideas over that I thought I’d share here, but feel free to dig a little more at Kailin’s Blog!

6. This one is just a classic and should’ve been the first on the list, I must admit –  get a job! There’s a great feeling that comes with earning your own money and knowing you worked hard for what you wanted. And by knowing how hard you worked for it, you actually think twice before buying something so it makes you money-wise. [That's just the feeling I get]

7. Kailin also advises to learn how to sew. Trust me…this helps you not depend on others when you’ve got to fix your clothes, and by learning you can make your own pieces, not just with clothing, but accessories as well! [Rethink a little on tip #1 above if you're thinking of learning. ]

8. Honestly people, check Kailin’s blog!

9. Jen Pimm also told me about a great idea I’m already considering! “You can type ‘t-shirt makeover’ into Amazon and a ton of results come up, one book even has 108 ways to recycle a t-shirt.”

Well, there you have it! I hope these tips helped you all out or in any case, pass them on to a friend who can make good use of these tips. And if you have any awesome tips you want to share with the rest of the GBD community, that’d be REALLY awesome!

I guess that’s it for today! Thanks for reading.

Major thank-yous and credits to: Kathy, Kailin, Jessica F., Jen Pimm, Marianne!