Tips for Saving Money on Socks as suggested by the ThriftyFun community.
Buy one type of sock only. All the same color and brand and style. Enough for 2-3 weeks worth. If one goes missing or one wears out faster than the other it can be matched up later to the same type of sock. Also, this makes it easier on laundry day for matching.
Buy them when they go on sale which is often. Especially late summer for the back to school sales and also at Christmas time.
I have had better luck with a brand name brand of socks than with 'no-names' as far as quality and long life of socks and they will stand behind their product. Contact them if you are disappointed in how the socks are holding up.
If you are the type of person who wears just socks on their feet around the house put on some slippers or shoes. It is safer (no slipping, etc.) and your socks will wear out less. I read that walking on carpet especially in stocking feet will wear out socks faster than anything.
I wash them in a mesh laundry bag just to make it easier on laundry day.
Rotate them. If you wear and wash only a few pair of your stash then put those on the bottom or back of your sock drawer so all sock get used equally.
I did all the above with some black cotton socks I bought (about 3 weeks worth I think) and they are over 10 years old. While they are more charcoal black now than black-black they still have no holes.
By KL
A lot of people think flea markets just have individuals selling their own items, but actually 1/2 of a flea market are continuous sellers with bulk items that are new from close outs. They sell lots of socks in bulk for low prices.
By Julie
If you like socks with personality, always check for clearance in the post-holiday stock. I remember seeing pairs of St Patty's Day socks for 50 cents at TJ Maxx last March.
By Rachel
I like to use the orphan sock as a dust mitt! Just slip it on and it's great for getting the top of ceiling fans, door frames and in nooks and crannies!
By Carol Young
Often times, opened packages are not re-couped, single pairs are sold individually much cheaper than a multi-pack. Look for these inside inner aisles or even hanging on "clip strips", little hooks hanging off an endcap or the ends of the aisles.
By Patty
My sister told me of a way to save on socks since I seemed to have so many singles. I always kept them thinking I would find the other one and have a pair again, but I know that darn washing machine really did eat them! Anyway, she said to safety pin them together at the toes when you take them off. It seemed very inconvenient at first, but once it becomes a habit you'll love the results. Not only is it easier to fold that basket of dry socks, but you always have a pair.
I told my hubby he had a choice of pinning his socks or mating them out of the basket. There may be 4 socks on one of his pins, but at least they are still together. Keep a little dish of safety pins in the bathroom and on each night table. You won't have to replace those singles again.
By Sandy
My mom (the Thrift Empress, it seems) used to buy socks for 5 cents at rummage sales or thrift shops. She always soaked them in disinfectant and ran them through the laundry before wearing them. None of the 5 cent socks ever had holes in them and always lasted a long long time!
To make them last longer, the wearer should cut their toenails! Sheets also suffer a lot from too long of nails!
When I buy socks for my husband, I buy at least 6 of the largest packages that I can find. I open one or two packages and put the rest in the closet. When one wears out (and after it's been mended several times), I save the good sock and match it with another sock. When several wear out, I introduce several new pairs into his stash. They last years this way and he always has matching pairs.
By susan
Do you have any more ideas to share? Feel free to post them below.
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I have been buying dress & sport socks for the family at Dollar Tree! They are "very" nice and last years! My husband says that they are "just as good as the expensive socks!"
Take Care,
Darlene
If you are a woman with a fairly "normal" shoe size, you can buy socks cheaper in the childrens department of the stores! (intended for older children, 12-15 y.o.) Usually they sell them in bulk, like a pack of five or six pairs, often for the same price you pay for three-four pairs in the womens department in the same store.
The kids' socks also come in more fun colors! :)
As important for thrift as buying only one type of socks is choosing the best brand to buy.
The best type I have yet found are called Indestructibles, which Googling will locate for you at a UK site.
These are quite expensive as socks go, but since they live up to their name, are probably cheapest of all over the long run. I ordered 6 pairs two years ago, and am about to order another 6, then throw out all my NON-Indestructibles, and never buy another sock in my life.
Would you believe, my daughter plays softball wearing two different socks? They are above the knee and all the girls do it. One red and the other blue. Most are tie dyed. Class mates started wearing different socks like the softball girls. Seems to be a trend. No socks match, they think it is cool. Rich, poor and in between, most wear the two colors of socks. Good for the parents. Keeps cost down.
I buy both kids socks in the boys department - somehow boys socks last longer than girls' socks! I also put initials on every sock as it comes out of the bag! My son's foot sweat EATS his socks like acid, and my daughter doesn't like to wear his stretched out socks. I also charge 10 cents a sock when I have to pick them up off the floor! Now that the kids and I wear about the same size socks, I have to put my initials in my socks as well, but then I can always find mine.
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