I am a mother of a 16 year daughter. She is in need of new school clothes. We live on an income of $585 per month for the three of us. This includes my husband, also. He is unable to work because he has prostate cancer and I am unable to work due to seizures plus heart problems. She wears a size 16 in women's jeans and extra-large in shirts. We barely can pay our bills.
Please does anyone have any advise? I am open to suggestions. Thank you for your time. I am sorry to ask this, but how can I afford school clothes if I do not have enough money to pay my electric and phone bill which I am late on.
Yours truly.
By lyonsoldtown
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
Is your daughter able to work? She could get a part time job and buy her own clothes for school. She doesn't have to buy brand new clothes, she could learn to shop at thrift stores, or at the clearance racks at retail stores like Wal-Mart.
Do you have a Freecycle.org in your area? If you can, join it and when you have complied with the join up rules, ask for the clothes.
May I suggest that you get yourself to the nearest Department of Children and Families. Sounds to me like you may be entitled to financial help with several things including food stamps and perhaps even some emergency cash. Medicaid also comes to mind that will help with hospital, doctors, as well as any prescriptions needed.
Depending on where you live, and the safety, your 16 year old daughter might could find a part-time job that will help her with clothing. At her age, and depending on the hours she'd be working, safety is the main factor in my opinion. Her safety getting to and coming home from work.
If you have family, you might consider appealing to them for a little help with clothing for your daughter. I wish you the best, and I don't think you're going to be all by yourselves in this situation. Many people are facing the exact same state in the very near future unless things change quickly.
Pookarina
You are probably eligible for some help on your utility bills. I know that where I live, people can get help through Catholic Charities. You can probably call your utility company for direction on this. Also, do you belong to a church congregation?
Most schools have a clothing bank, a lot of churches do also. Check to see if your area has a Community Action Program (CAP) They can give you names and addresses of places that can help with utilities, food and clothing.
Have you ever heard of Craigslist.org you can post a ad on that sight that u r looking for clothes and can't afford them and what sizes for the area you live in. I have seen people post in my area not sure if they got a response, but it's worth a try, If you have smaller sizes you could say that you have smaller sizes to give towards them.
You can go to your Salvation Army Church Office and ask for a voucher to take to their thrift store for for free clothes. At one time you could get three outfits at one time. They do get some nice clothes donated, and sometimes they are new with the tags still on them. Does she actually need clothes or is it that she wants new? If it isn't need, maybe you could go to a thrift store and get her a couple pairs of jeans and shirts. A lot of times you can get them for 2% cents to a dollar. But your daughter should be working, at least part time and a lot kids work full time in the summer. As far as wearing her old clothes to school, the style is to wear holey and/or scuzzy looking jeans.
Don't be embarrassed. I'm sure you and your husband would work if you could. Try all the suggestions above, and good luck to you all.
Advice is cheap when its not your child or family and I lived it. Hope you are grounded in God's word because there is your help, first go to the churches or call and ask if they have a program to help with school clothes. I suspect your daughter has her hands full trying to help you two with what you can't do and that is a lot. If she isn't then she should be. Do go to the defac office near you and I understand there are some states that have no help. Put an ad in the paper if all else fails. Larger cities usually have programs for kids whose homes are in dire straights. If you can just get her a couple newer outfits it will make her feel better about herself and the school may be able to help. 30 years ago there was nothing just me and I made it and I know you will too. Just don't quit, ever.
Very nice things can often be had in thrift stores for very little money. Also, garage sales, especially those in nicer neighborhoods are a good way to score bargains. You daughter is old enough to get a part-time job, too. Many employers will hire a teen PT after school or on weekends. She does, of course, need to know how to dress and present herself at a job interview.
First I would like to say that I am so sorry for what your family is having to go through. So much really good advice here already but I do have to add that I also agree with Patty Lynn. I went to beauty school starting the day I turned sixteen for four hours a day Tuesday through Friday and all day Saturday along with taking full high school class loads and still graduated with a B average and received my cosmetology license and diploma within two months of one another. I bought my own clothes from the tips I made from doing beauty school clients hair at thrift stores and discount stores. It won't hurt your daughter to learn to start earning her own money at sixteen and hard work is good for the soul and for her self esteem. Plus being that busy will keep her out of trouble. ;-)
I have size 16 pants and shirts I am a mother of three girls I raise all by myself and work two jobs two support my family. I love helping others because God has help me so much in times. I am willing to give you clothes for your daughter. I don't know if you live in Lakewood. Let me know
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
