Buy More Underwear~~Cotton Prices are Rising

Okay, this is a big deal for those who buy new or used clothing.

Prices of cotton are predicted to rise.. Shoppers who frequent full-priced or discount retail establishments may be in for sticker shock. Your budget may be ruined with this news.

Christmas presents will cost more.

*In the last year or so, consumers have tended to give practical gifts of clothing at Christmas. Now, those gifts will cost more. Have you budgeted for this?
*Even if you are going to make the gift, a thoughtful handmade gift of clothing, you will pay more for fabric, I presume. Will cotton yarn for knitting be more expensive?

Frugal shoppers who frequent thrift stores may be in for a surprise or two.

*People who never shop thrift stores probably will visit and purchase from thrift stores more often. *Thrift stores may be crowded or understocked.
*Prices may go up in thrift stores if demand rises.
*Plus, there may be more shoppers vying for the same pair of gently used jeans.

If you depend on thrift stores to help you keep purchases within your budget and prices at thrift stores have risen, what will you do?

*Take better care of your clothes?
*Be happy with fewer items?
*Won't discard and replace items of clothing so often?
*Repair, remake, and recycle your clothing?
*if you buy new clothing, will you buy more classic pieces and less trendy items?

Will thrift stores receive fewer donations of clothing?

*If people do keep clothing because of the more costlier new clothing, will that mean less items to buy used in thrift stores or garage sales?
*Maybe people who hang onto clothing instead of donating it will not feel it necessary to shop since their closets remain full.
*If donations of clothing fall, there will be less choice for frugal shoppers.

Will the price of cotton go down?

I doubt it, but I am no expert. Prices of cotton are predicted to rise. If you did not get that the first time, listen. Supposedly, floods in Pakistan and elsewhere are the cause of the low supply of cotton in the world. Well, as a Southerner I think that maybe cotton could become King again if necessary. Yes, Southern cotton production and demand for that cotton has dropped in favor of cheaper cotton from overseas. Plus, the cotton producers want to get their share of the rising corn profits. Yes, the article is about Mississippi only, but I guarantee you that other Southern states feel the same way.

There has been a spate of articles written by persuasive people urging others to purge the closet, declutter, go minimal in your life. Whoa! Maybe you will want to hold onto some of the excess of clothing you have, even if it does not fit or is ragged, but especially if you are decluttering to gain space. Maybe these raggedy or ill-fitting garments will work well around the house for chores. Maybe you will be moved to mend or alter clothing. No? Then, trade mending clothing for some chore or goods you have. It works.

Or, you might want to cut them up instead of buying cotton cleaning cloths that will be more costly by the end of the year. If something fits, you might be glad to wear it rather than donate it or toss and buy new and more costlier clothing. I am not advocating not sharing your abundance, just think twice.

Clothing I wear in the house and backyard is not fit to even be seen in the front yard. I'm serious! Of course, a reluctance to part with things, a reluctance borne of paranoia will just be stressful. So, do not purge or buy with a doomsday mindset.

However, thinking twice about how much you really love your paid-for clothing over buying more costly clothing (even used) in the future might encourage you to keep things and endure a closet with a tight fit. If it is the tight closet that bothers you, store things under the bed or somewhere else. Be more thoughtful when you purge or declutter. Check the link for fabulous ideas.

As for myself, I am going to buy the panties I have been telling myself I need. When I pull on a really nice ??? pair of white, granny panties and pull off a chunk of the elastic from the fabric, I get the hint: buy more panties. Yes, I do cut a square from the front and back of the pair of destroyed panties to use for cleaning. Of course, in the past I have made all my underwear--bras and panties. Hmmm, time to start again?

One bit of advice in the article is to shop clearance. Good idea! But, again, do not let fear rule your purchases. Six dozen pairs of panties or three dozen cotton t-shirts are really not what you need. Every fabric with cotton will cost more. Nope, I don't think the price of cotton will ever go down. I told you that once! That's just the way of things.

Prices that have risen tend to stay risen. Okay, that is not good grammar. My English teacher brain does not care. Besides, it sounds so scientific, like one of Newton's Laws.

For the past several years, I have bought new-to-me kitchen towels, dish cloths, and pot holders at yard sales and in colors that will work in my kitchen. All WERE new, yet to be used, never-washed, and just perfect, and of high quality. Yes, I do bypass the stained, faded, worn, and sad kitchen linens. I have even found immaculate, white washcloths at thrift stores. Bath towels are abundant at my house; sheets are not. The state and quantity of linens in my house is more than adequate except for the few bed linens.

In my sewing room there is an enormous stash of fabric, enough to keep me clothed for years if it is necessary. Only the need for panties will cause me to shop. Okay, I do buy new, reduced clothing for a granddaughter. Ocassionally, I will buy for myself...pants that are really cheap because I find none at thrift stores or yard sales that are free of stains, obvious wear, faded . . . you get the picture.

How about you? Are you purging things you might really want to keep? If you don't shop for used clothing, will this rise in cotton prices cause you to shop for used or to consider shopping for used?