Comments on: The Art of Wearing Things Out http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/ Financial talk for the rest of us Sat, 16 Feb 2013 01:14:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: kris http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-744237 kris Mon, 03 Aug 2009 06:05:23 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-744237 what is the lifespan of a bath towel? i have a ranger with over 200,000 original engine miles. 1996 to be precise still runs decent

]]> By: John Morris http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-635228 John Morris Tue, 21 Apr 2009 02:59:04 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-635228 My favorite sock tip is to always buy two sets of the same pair. When you lose one, you still have two others to mate up.

I just started wearing diabetic socks purchased at six pairs for #12 on eBay. They’re comfortable.

Oh yeah, I usually wear socks long past their expiration dates.

]]> By: Joel http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-255405 Joel Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:36:46 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-255405 I try to do this as much as possible. I have been sick of my car for about two years now. I finally gave in and replaced it after much effort maintaining it.

I bought it new in January of 2000 (never buying a new car again) with 4 miles on it. I traded it in back in February with over 187,000.

The door handles were breaking, the engine was making noise, power windows were sketchy at best, the window and door controls on the door on the driver side were falling apart. Those things alone didn’t cause me to replace it.

I put a new fuel filter, O2 sensor, catalytic converter, serpentine belt, and made a handful of other repairs on it in the last two years.

I live 150 miles from the closest city. I live in South Texas. The air conditioner was out. As I was driving 3 hours home one weekend in January, and realized the summer was quickly approaching, and realized it would cost me $2,000 to replace the A/C, in addition to the other needed repairs.

The peace of mind that I would get in replacing it felt like it would be worth it. I hate that I went into debt to replace it, but I found a used 2006 GMC Canyon with just under 12,000 miles on it for $12,000 and got $1,000 trade-in for my car.

My cell phone is ancient. I buy $10 shoes at Wal Mart and wear them out. :)

]]> By: Leanne http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-251683 Leanne Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:12:47 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-251683 Automobiles…
My husband and I buy used cars and drive them until the wheels are about to fall off. My last car was a 1998 Toyota Camry I bought in 2003 for $5000 (77K miles). My previous car had been totaled (1994 Corolla, 178K miles). The Camry was in excellent condition and got 28 miles per gallon, and I just now had to replace it. It had 202,500 miles on it (yes, I have to drive ALOT). The transmission went out and was going to cost $1400. We sold it for $500.
Our cars might not be as fancy as some in my family, but they are good, reliable, and do what cars are meant to do: get you from point A to point B.
Our philosophy is paying for maintenance and repairs such as timing belts, brakes, etc.. is DARN SURE better than a car payment!! Other people’s cars may be newer or nicer, but one thing to remember is: Is their car paid for????

]]> By: kq_mommy http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-251573 kq_mommy Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:58:37 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-251573 okay, okay…. I don’t even know how to repair holes in socks. (mainly because I just throw them out – aren’t they a bit uncomforatble?) My daughter has been wearing a teeny tiny big toe hole in each of her tights and I just hand over my sewing needs to my mother-in-law. She is from Germany and uses a ‘special’ (?) thread for sock holes. Anybody know anything about this thread?

My partner has learned from his frugal parents and I am learning from him, but I have to sometimes stop him in the sake of all that is classy, safe and sane and ask him to not wear the cheesy undergraduate-looking holey clothes (we are graduate student/working parents). I happen to think that somehow somewhere people should be able to distinguish a PhD candidate from a freshman! (Or?). I am talking about *my* undergraduate Tshirts from the 90s that I tried to throw out.

]]> By: Meg http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-250369 Meg Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:42:32 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-250369 Another idea for worn out clothing is quilts.
I have made quilts from old jeans and t-shirts. If your t-shirts have sentimental value this is a fun way to go.

I also can’t wear holey socks very long or I will get blisters.

]]> By: reulte http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-249922 reulte Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:12:29 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-249922 Amazing how most of us are zeroing in on your socks.

With regards to wearing socks with holes in disregard of your wife’s feelings – I have to agree with yvie comment #62; how would you feel to see your wife with ratty undergarments all the time when you would prefer she wear nice lingerie? How would you feel taking your children somewhere with holes in their shirts? I note the comment that you like the feel of well-worn socks — perhaps you can find a brand you enjoy right out of the package? I don’t wear socks except in the coldest of weather (which isn’t around here!) but my son does. Whenever he gets below 11 white socks, I buy another packet of the same brand, give them a wash with the 11 other socks and toss them all in the sock drawer. Therefore – he doesn’t have PAIRS of socks, he merely has socks – of which he choses two to wear. When they get holey, I take them out of the wash-drawer cycle and find an alternate use for them — they make great duster mitts and pretty good pet hair removal from upholstry (hint – turn inside out). The appearance of a hole moves the socks from well-worn to ratty and unacceptable. If I could knit or darn . . . well, I probably wouldn’t.

Cars — keep it as long as possible. I have 9 year-old, bought-used Passat with 85,000 miles which I have no plans to replace anytime within the next decade. I think the main keys are regular maintenance and use your bike/car pool/ public transport when more appropriate.

Equipment — umm. I don’t have much of those. I have a DVD player I use for TV and stereo, 2 Plug & Play games for the boy, a portable DVD player with a broken screen that I use to play CDs . . . nope, not much equipment (I don’t have a yard, don’t like toast, and prefer not to use a microwave — although I have considered a countertop toaster oven).

Games — besides the 2 Plug & Play games gifted to my boy, our games are board games like Snakes & Ladders, Checkers, Sorry, Yatzhee, Kill Dr. Lucky, Pick Up Sticks, dominos, dice and card games. I also count our book – The Big Book of Games as useful here. While I’m against video games for my boy for personal reasons, I have even considered purchasing a Wii in a few years based on the information provided by Trent’s comment within TheSimpleDollar.

]]> By: Julia http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-249457 Julia Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:41:43 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-249457 I think the obvious solution here is just to sew up any holes with plain needle and thread. It takes about 2 minutes and you can maximize the life of all your clothes without looking bad. Even if you don’t do a great job, you can still wear them around the house and not worry about the holes getting bigger.

While I do think it’s important to get the most out of clothes, I refuse to keep any clothing that doesn’t flatter me or make me feel great when I wear them (excluding tshirts and such that I can downgrade to house clothes or rags). I’m in the process of clearing out these kinds of clothes from my wardrobe and carefully replacing them with quality, classic pieces. It’s an expensive and seemingly wasteful process, but worthwhile in the long run. There’s no point in cluttering your closet with ugly, useless clothing just to get your money’s worth out of them.

]]> By: k12linux http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-249285 k12linux Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:30:47 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-249285 Computer equipment is one place where I constantly see people replacing things before their end of life. I consider myself a hardcore power user. I push my PC and hard. Yet, the only thing I can’t do on my 6 year old computer is play some of the latest video games.

I regularly see computers thrown out that are only a year or two old. Often the only problem with the computer is viruses or Windows cruft (build up of junk on Windows over time.) Using the manufacturer’s system restore CD would have made them work like new.

]]> By: camila http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-249264 camila Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:01:35 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-249264 I have this rule: Holes in any clothes, GARBAGE. Im a woman and belive me im not a fashion one!. I dont spend huge amounts of money in clothes, but wearing something with holes in it, makes me fell cheap, poor, an miserable! :)
No holes, please.

]]> By: yvie http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-249185 yvie Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:48:08 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-249185 I’m sure you never wore holey t-shirts when you were dating your wife. Now, with two kids, and you working from home, don’t take your wife for granted. Look presentable for your wife’s sake and wear clothing that doesn’t make you look like a ragamuffin. (don’t think that’s a real word but you get my point.)
Yvie

]]> By: clevelis http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-249078 clevelis Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:40:14 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-249078 I have two pairs of socks in “rotation” that I purchased in 1999. Neither of them has a hole yet! In the past few years, I’ve been trying to replace my college wardrobe trends with just a few high-quality pieces.

]]> By: goldsmith http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-249036 goldsmith Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:49:03 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-249036 Further on the topic of socks, I used to know how to knit socks when I was a child, then forgot the technique (especially how to do the heel flap). Anyway, I went researching on the web today, and realised that:

There are many very easy instructions around (with photos), which make it easy to knit your own socks if you know how to knit at all (google “knit socks heel”);

It’s possible to re-inforce home-knit socks by adding a thin extra yarn to heel and top, or simply doubling up whatever yarn you use (also phantastically comfy on the feet, as I then remembered from my childhood);

Apart from darning, it is also possible to fix home-knitted socks by simply re-knitting damaged parts.

I think I will re-start knitting as soon as I can track the yarn and a proper set of needles – sadly, haberdashery stores and properly stocked haberdashery departments in larger stores are fast disappearing…

]]> By: Nathan http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-249008 Nathan Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:24:36 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-249008 I pay off my discover card each month and they give me 1-5% cashback on all my purchases. I’ll trade my cashback in for a gift card to some clothing company like Gap or American Eagle (which usually increases the value, i.e. I trade in $20 of Cashback for a $25 card- or 25% added). So, I basically haven’t “paid” more than a few dollars for any new clothes in a few years.

]]> By: !wanda http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-248948 !wanda Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:13:17 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-248948 @Jillian: Hah, less. I remember when Wolfowitz was caught with holey socks when he had to take his shoes off in a mosque.

]]> By: Dave http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-248946 Dave Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:11:01 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-248946 The good thing about running the numbers is you can come to a different conclusion based on your values. You might see that $20 over 3 years as money in the bank, but your wife might see it as only $20 for much more comfort for her feet. Different strokes for different folks.

]]> By: Barb Minton http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-248878 Barb Minton Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:02:50 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-248878 I agree.I darn socks because finding a sock that will fit my DH’s foot and calf at the same time is a a miracle in and of itself.It end up modifying the ones that do not fit .Jeans are worn to tatters.Autos kept at least ten years. Wear it out,wash it up and give it to Goodwill.They will sell the rags by the pound which keeps them out of the landfill.We have a bin store where you can buy items at 75 cents which is where a lot of our clothes come from in the first place.

]]> By: deRuiter http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-248752 deRuiter Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:40:11 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-248752 The secret life of bath towels: 1. Buy nice fluffy slightly used ones at yard sales for $2.00 or much less. Use them over and over. I line dry laundry most of the year instead of using the dryer which is cheaper, uses no electricity and extends the life of towels. That lint in your dryer trap is part of the surface of your towels wearing away. 2. When the towels become thin and worn, they’re demoted to dish drying towels (we don’t have a mechanical dish washer, wash the dishes over a dish pan, dry with towel and immediately put in cupboard, and then throw the dish pan full of water outside on plants) 3. When dish towels become very worn they’re cut in smaller pieces and become rags which we use instead of buying dish washing cloths or paper towels. 4. Since the towels purchased in the beginning are 100% cotton, when the the rags become shreds, they’re tossed into the compost pile and become humus for the garden. THAT’S THE SECRET LIFE OF BATH TOWELS AROUND HERE. My current favorite bath towel, a huge, fluffy amethyst colored one, was FREE. At a yard sale, I spotted it soaking wet, on top of the barrel of trash on the curb. Someone had used to to wipe up a small spill of white wall paint and tossed it into the trash. Towel came home, was washed in hot soapy water and line dryed. I’ve used it for six months and this towel always makes me fee happy, both the pretty color and the price! I’m off to Europe next week for a vacation, mostly insulated against the meteoric rise of the Euro by a life of thrift. Saving money is an amusing challenge for me, a game: how to look elegant, stylish and rich on a financial shoestring!

]]> By: Emma Savage http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-248740 Emma Savage Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:32:35 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-248740 I have never pictured you as a slob before.

]]> By: getagrip http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-248727 getagrip Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:17:03 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/20/the-art-of-wearing-things-out/#comment-248727 One point you didn’t mention with respect to keeping the car was if you would experience better gas milage. In some cases, depending on what you’re going to replace, you will see better gas milage with a newer vehicle. Given today’s prices, that could become a significant advantage.

I also agree with the reliability and safety.
My breaking point is when I’m putting almost as much into the car as it’s book value just to keep it running.

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