Finding clothing freebie resources is just one of the ways to reduce your spending. There are many possibilities for free and low-cost clothing that can help you get the items you need without spending hundreds of dollars.
Clothing Freebie Philosophy
Keep in mind that as you look for free clothing, you'll need to have more patience for finding the things that you need. Look for substitutes for the things that you need and use a little creativity to make them work for you.
For example, free boys' jeans can easily be converted for your daughter by using a few inexpensive craft items, like jewels or fabric paint. A dingy white work shirt can be bleached and pressed to look like new.
Getting free clothing requires you to think outside of the box and make do with what you have.
Hand-Me-Downs
Many sources of clothing can be found in your circle of influence - your friends, family and co-workers. Let them know you are open to hand-me-downs and would like to have any used clothing they are willing to part with. This practice is very common with children's clothing, so why not extend it to adult clothing as well?
Organize a Clothing Swap
If you and several of your friends have a need for free clothing, organize a clothing swap.
Have everyone bring their used clothing that they no longer want. Make sure to wash and separate the clothes. Give everyone space to display their clothes. Then everyone is free to move around the tables and pick up whatever they need. You can serve drinks or refreshments. If there is a lot of interest, you could hold a community wide event and hold the swap at a church or grocery store parking lot.
Visit Meetup.com to see if there is a swap in your area. If there is enough interest from people in the community, you could start one yourself through Meetup's service.
Online Clothing Swaps
There are many websites that cater to those interested in getting clothing freebies through swaps. Although most of these sites are for swapping brandname label clothing, they may be a good resource and are worth checking out.
Check out other frugal minded websites here.
Community Resources
There are many resources for free clothing in your community. These resources allow you to stay in your local area.
Garage Sales
Look for garage sales at the end of the selling day and ask if they'd be willing to part with unsold clothing for free. Some may willingly give you the clothing to avoid having to put it back in their garage. Other sellers may want a small amount of money for all of the clothing that they didn't sell.
Organizations
Contact your county's social services department to see if it have referrals for clothing freebies. You can also use the Internet to see if there are any organizations giving away free clothing. Most communities have some form of clothing giveaway, so it will be well worth the research time.
Yellow Pages
Several non-profit organizations, like Women's Alliance and Dress for Success, have programs designed to help women obtain free clothing for the workplace. You can also look for churches to call and ask about free clothing giveaways.
Craigslist
This online free ad service is available at Craigslist.com. You can post an ad in the wanted section for your local area. Keep an eye on the "free" section where others in your community may list clothing available for free. Ads are listed chronologically so make it a point to post at least once a week.
Freecycle
Freecycle is a community group around the nation. Members join for free and can post items they are giving away. You can join the list and request freebies or watch the listings for giveaways. Check online to see if there's an organization in your area.
Online Freebie Programs
There are many websites that offer freebies, like free shirts, free hats and other clothing items. Normally these clothing freebie programs require that you participate in their program in order to receive your shirt or other item. This means that you'll need to sign up to receive a magazine, a free sample or do a free trial with some sort of service. You are often required to pay shipping and handling. If you have a need to keep your costs low, these programs aren't going to work for you.
Other Love to Know Resources
If you can afford to spend a little on your clothing budget, you'll be interested in this article on bargain shopping.
