A Modest Clothing Budget

Talbots window display in New England.

 

There are a great many temptations to go shopping. The clothing stores are always packed with the latest and prettiest garments.  There are stores and online shops available at all hours. If we did not have a clothing budget, or a plan for the year, we could easily get into a financial mess.

I would like to share some ideas that may help get the spending under control. It is incredibly fun to go shopping, but it is far more enjoyable if we follow a carefully planned method for dressing nicely for the ladies of the house.

First, I want to share some of the ways things used to be in the old days of my childhood. Then I will propose a possible plan that should help.

Please keep in mind that in my childhood days, the people in my family, church, and neighborhood did not have credit card debt. This was not common like it is today. When we needed to buy something, we had to save up the cash before we went to the store. This is very important and can certainly be the manner in which we shop today!

A beautiful entrance to an elegant store in New England.

Clothing was only purchased on specific occasions when I was growing up:

August - There was the back-to-school shopping to get a new wardrobe for children. Mother did not buy herself anything on these trips. She would have plenty of things at home that still fit her. 

December - A gift for Christmas was often a new outfit, a pretty sweater, nightgown, or bathrobe. When these packages were opened, they brought such gratefulness and joy to the recipient!

Easter season - A new dress was purchased for the girls of the house. Mother rarely bought one for herself as well, unless she had saved up a long time for this expense. She often already had a few dresses that she had acquired over a period of years. She would have taken good care of them and worn them on special occasions.

Beginning of Summer - Growing children would need summer things to wear. A careful trip to the clothing store, along with a list of necessities would be essential.  

Birthdays - This was when we children would receive something special!  We girls may have wanted a pretty top or a beautiful sweater.  A birthday was the appropriate time for such a gift.

A comfortable chair for rest while shopping in a New England store.

Whenever we did these seasonal shopping trips (to Sears or other department stores) my mother never bought anything for herself. If she needed a dress or shoes, I never saw her buy them.  She would have carefully saved and planned to get the things she needed only when it was necessary. Yet she always looked classy and beautiful. When she would go out to visit or on an errand, she would put on a little lipstick, a spritz of perfume, and a pearl necklace. All this with her cheerful smile and her heart of kindness to everyone around her, made her always look lovely. Somehow, she did this with very little money. 

In those days, I had never heard of thrift stores. Yard sales were also unheard of or rare.  My mother always bought our things new. They were good quality and lasted a long time. She made it a priority to be careful in household expenses so there was money available to dress her family modestly in nice clothing.

A spacious dressing room inside a Talbots store in New England.

A plan for saving money on clothing could be presented to our daughters in a way that would greatly help them to learn how to manage money.

Perhaps mother could share the amount of money that is available for the child's clothing for the entire year.  Learning the habit of only buying those clothes at appointed times will be important. It will never be a surprise when the time for buying clothes comes around. We will stop giving-in to buying things on impulse or on a whim. We will have a method in place for acquiring items for the wardrobe.  A good way to learn to manage those clothing funds is to get an account book and have the child record the entries throughout the year. She will know how much is available and how much has already been used. It will also help her to consult, think, and plan before the money is spent which is a crucial habit for financial wellness.  This careful budget will develop a discipline that will benefit her all of life. It will give her a sense of responsibility. It will strengthen her character, helping her to be depended on to do what is right and good and sensible. 

When I was a young teenager, if I wanted anything extra, I would have to save birthday money and any cash I had earned.  Then when I had enough for a little shopping trip, I would walk a mile to the bus stop. I would take public transportation to get to the shopping plaza. Then I would buy a pretty item of clothing, a few trinkets, and something to eat from the ice cream shop or pizza place. After this, I would gather my bags and head for the bus stop for a return trip home. This effort at all the walking and planning made those trips rare but very much worth the time and energy.  These days, if our daughters want extra things, it is important for them to earn the money themselves. This could be as simple as extra housework or babysitting.  

Leaving a Talbots store in New England. 

For we mothers it is not likely we need new clothes as often as our growing girls. Personally, I do not have a clothing budget for myself. But I do enjoy walking through the shops and looking at all the merchandise. I may not be able to buy anything, but I love seeing what is offered for sale.  It is good to be the example to the younger generation that we are not wasting money that could be put to better use.  A practical view of a modest clothing budget will be a wise example. 

Remember, as ambassadors of the dear Lord, we want to look as nice and pleasant as possible.  We ought to look our best and also behave in a lovely way with good manners and an attitude of kindness and benevolence.  If we have a focus on always shopping, always buying new clothes, and always thinking of materialism, our eyes are on the wrong goal.  To live this life in a beautiful way means we must prayerfully plan and manage the resources we have been given.  Teaching this to our children and grandchildren by our own way of life, as we cheer them along in goodness, is a wonderful use of time and money.

Blessings

Mrs. White

From the Archives - 

Encouraging children to clean -  Nobody wants to Clean a Messy House. 

Wise Homemaking Advice from 1744 - To Earn and Not to Spend. 

Some Help - The Secret to a Clean House.

Advice for Hard Times  - How the Old Time Mothers Survived Poverty.

- To find out more about this blog, or Mrs. White, please visit our About page. -

Learn How To Manage Money on a Small Income, with this helpful book:

- It is an honor to be the bookkeeper for the house! - 

Find detailed instruction and inspiration in budgeting on a small income, along with a method for keeping a handwritten ledger, with lots of thrifty ideas, in Mrs. White's book:

 -An Old Fashioned Budget: Humble Financial Management for the Christian Housewife. 

 Paperback, 77 pages.

Beautiful Day at Home

Homemaking in California, 1942. LOC.

 

It has been so nice to be indoors and just staying home this winter.  It is a good time to enjoy a long rest.  The snow is steady throughout the weeks and months here in New England. It is peaceful and pretty as it slowly falls on the landscape.  I have been baking and doing little chores around the house. Every so often, I look out the front window and gaze at all the whiteness of the outside world. Home is a precious place.

Early this morning I prayed about what the day might bring. There were no scheduled plans. I was tired but wanted to do the Lord's work.  I was delighted when the phone rang and I was needed to help one of the grown children.  I was soon busy with paperwork, housekeeping, preparing meals, and then enjoyed a visitor in the early afternoon hours. 

While I labored in the home, I remembered a hymn that had been sung at a recent church service. It was "Come, Thou Fount (of every blessing)." I picked up my old hymn book and looked it up to read all the verses.  Then I wanted to look up other songs. It is a treasure to read the old-time hymns. They bring such a calm sense of quiet and contentment. The spirit of worship that fills the heart makes one so very grateful.

Now the day is coming to a close. The dishes are all washed. The kitchen is clean. It is time for evening prayers. Soon it will be a new day. Morning will arrive very quickly. It will be another beautiful day to serve the Lord.

Blessings

Mrs. White

From the Archives - 

Something We All Need  - Peace Be Upon This House.

Old Time Manners - Waiting for the Door to Be Opened.  

A Mother's Greatest Use of Time - A Humble Parlour as a School of Theology.

Old Time Ways - Standard of Living.

 - To find out more about this blog, or Mrs. White, please visit our About page. -

Now Available from The Legacy of Home Press:

Old Fashioned Homemaking: Essays and Encouragement from a New England Housewife by Mrs. White

176 pages, paperback

ISBN: 978-1-956616-38-5

High Cost of Living

Wood for the stove, Vermont, 1940. LOC.

 

I have been reading books about the good old days. This was when families were mostly home-based, living on farms.  They prepared for winter by chopping wood for the fireplace. They harvested and canned garden produce.  Just these two duties alone took months of heavy labor.  Yet it provided them with heat and warmth as well as nourishing food throughout the long winter months.

Many of the homes of today are more modern. We have furnaces with oil or propane for heat.  This requires hard-earned cash that takes time to earn.  We also spend much of our money on food at the grocery store. All of these expenses require a great deal of planning with a carefully organized budget.

It is important to have strong homemaking skills, so money is conserved for basic living expenses.  We do our best to avoid the waste of food so it will last longer. We try to regulate the thermostat, to keep our heating bills at a reasonable rate. There are also a great many other things we can do to make money last.  These include some of the following:

1. Repair bedding (sheets and blankets), towels, socks, and clothing. Mend rips or tears in the lining of coats. Replace missing buttons on clothing. 

2. Limit trips away from home to save on gas and transportation costs.

3. Avoid buying things on a whim. Always try to wait before you buy.

4. Choose healthy and economical food rather than luxury items with little nutritional value (such as chips and processed snacks). These expensive items will put an enormous strain on the monthly food budget.

5. Make things last. Repair household items as much as possible rather than buying new things.

If we could only have a goal of spending less money, we will have more available to save for emergencies and simple needs. 

Basic living expenses, including home and auto insurance, as well as property taxes and other normal bills, are very high. We need to find as many ways as possible to keep costs down so we can manage the normal bills.

When we are doing our part, managing our resources and finances with careful attention, we should feel a sense of peace knowing we are doing the best we can. We make financial decisions based on prayer with great faith. We ask for the Lord's blessing as we seek to serve Him each day of our lives. 

When an unexpected bill comes along, it should not cause us to panic.  For example, I have been saving up for our kerosene delivery (for heat).  I expected the bill to be several hundred dollars. But when the delivery arrived this afternoon, we were taken aback by the charge. It was about $250 more than I expected.  It would be easy and normal to get upset. It might even be common to complain about the high cost of living. It is certainly a challenge, especially with such a prolonged season we have had of freezing temperatures. But there was a calmness in my heart. It was a blessed, peaceful sense of gratefulness. I somehow remembered that I do not have to face such trials alone. The Lord is my help and my fortress.  I had to think of the long-term, of the winter season, rather than on this difficult expense that came along just in this month alone. 

How can we handle such things?  With prayer, seeking direction and guidance. We can pray for wisdom in how to manage things.  Pray for ideas to cut other costs, so money is freed up to meet these unexpected bills.  The Lord will get us through these difficult days.

In books about the good old days, we can read the testimonies of others as they share their stories of victory and survival through very trying circumstances.  The amount of work they had to do with little pay and a grateful heart is inspiring. Their focus was on keeping the family warm and fed.  We can follow their example even today. And while the high cost of living is often a trial, it is a wonderful use of money to provide a safe and comforting home for our precious family. 

Blessings

Mrs. White

From the Archives -

Encouragement - Poor and Pretty Living.

A Little History - Just a Housewife.

Making things for Grandbaby - Tea Napkins.

 - To find out more about this blog, or Mrs. White, please visit our About page. -

 

 Help for hard times at home - 

House Keeping in Hard Times: Essays and Encouragement from a Christian Housewife

 Paperback, 180 pages

 As you read the entries, you will get a sense of what it is like as a Christian housewife through the ups and downs of life.  Topics include motherhood, marriage, taking care of children, cleaning, living on a low income, saving money, and building up the family with faith as the foundation.

A Time of Refreshment

View of our back garden. 

 

I stood looking at the landscape around me. The snowbanks are several feet high. It is quiet in this season of winter storms and frigid temperatures. As I looked at the back garden of our property, I noticed a glittering of sunlight all over the snow.  It brought me such a sense of peace and gratefulness for all of the beauty the Lord has created for us.

In the autumn months, the leaves cover the ground. They make a bed of protection over our strawberry garden. This is later covered with snow, which quietly remains throughout the entire winter. It tells me that my garden is sleeping. It is a time for rest and refreshment.

Indoors, there seems to be some isolation. We cannot go out very much. We must find projects and activities to occupy the months of being nearly snowed-in for much of the time.  This is a time to think of others - to sew, to knit, to bake, to write encouraging letters to those who are alone.  It is a time to talk on the telephone, sharing comfort and news with family in other areas.  Most of all, it is a time to dwell on beautiful verses of Scripture, to contemplate the blessings of being a child of God.  The singing of old hymns and the reading of books that bring spiritual nourishment will bring rest to weary, restless hearts.  It is a peaceful time of staying at home.

Many of us are enduring storms and freezing weather. We are working hard to stay warm, to stay cozy, and to keep a sense of trust and joy in our hearts. We pray to the dear Lord for daily guidance with a child-like faith. We ask for provision and protection. We also ask for courage and strength to endure all the common trials of life.  We can do all that He asks because this is the very purpose of life - to serve the precious Lord, as we shine a bright light of goodness and kindness out onto a very cold and dreary world.  It is a privilege to have such a calling. 

As we tidy the house, do the mending, manage the kitchen, and keep the fires of warmth throughout the home, know that this work is a very special honor.  To bring rest and refreshment to family and guests as we do the work of homemaking is a beautiful gift to be freely given each day.

Blessings

Mrs. White

From the Archives -

Beautiful Living - Feminine Grace. 

What it Takes - Old Fashioned Duty of a Homemaker.

Teaching Manners to grandbabies - Tea Time - The Importance of Formal Ceremony at Home. 

 - To find out more about this blog, or Mrs. White, please visit our About page. -

Help For Homeschooling:

Seeking a Thrifty and Simple Life: Encouragement for Christian Homeschooling by Mrs. White

Paperback, 112 pages

As you read this book, I hope you get a sense that, no matter what is going on in the world, every home can be a homeschool. 

After the Snow Storm

View of our driveway this morning.

 

It has been bitterly cold all across the country. I am thankful we have been able to stay indoors for several days. The snow has been falling almost non-stop for a couple of days.  I ventured outside early this morning to get some pictures.

I wore fingerless gloves so I could manage the camera. After just a couple of minutes, I was so cold, I could barely move my hands! I quickly went back inside. Looking at the temperature, I realized it was 6 below zero!  It is too cold to be outside!

Snow-covered trees at our home.

Today, I will enjoy the view from the parlour as I look out the window. I am hoping it will warm up a little by tomorrow so I can get to the store. 

In the meantime, I have to do a little baking. There are a few household chores that must be accomplished this morning. I plan to listen to old time hymns on the CD player and just think on that which is good and lovely and pleasant.

I hope you have been safe and warm through this major cold storm!  May the Lord bless and comfort and provide for all of our needs today and always.

Blessings

Mrs. White

From the Archives - 

Remembering the old ways - Mrs. or Miss and other Titles of Respect.

"There is No Ambition" - Simplicity of Old Fashioned Homemaking.

Old Time Manners - Waiting for the Door to Be Opened.  

- To find out more about this blog, or Mrs. White, please visit our About page. -

 

Mrs. White's helpful book from The Legacy of Home Press:

"Gracious House Keeping: Advice, Encouragement, and Cleaning Help for the Christian Housewife."

Complete with Encouragement and Work Charts to cheer you along in your homemaking.

115 pages, paperback.