Fashion Hacks to Save You Time and Money

Materials Needed: Ziplock bag
Est. Cost: $0.99*

Today shopping looks very different than it did a few years ago. We hardly ever go into stores to try on clothes, opting for online shopping instead. Shoe sizes are not an exact science, and they tend to vary somewhat from brand to brand, so what can be done when shoes are ever so slightly tight?

Widen Your Shoes with Water @busybee03 / Pinterest.com

Instead of going to all the trouble of sending them back, try putting water in a ziplock back inside your shoes and then placing them in the freezer. This will expand them just enough to fit you perfectly the next day. 

Materials Needed: Glue gun
Est. Cost: $24*

If you are a fan of reality TV competitions involving fashion, such as Project Runway (available on Amazon Prime) you will know this trick for last minute emergency fixes. When you don’t have time to pull out the sewing machine but your hem has come undone, all you need is a glue gun!

Quick-Seam with a Glue Gun @kavya4 / Pinterest.com

This is not quite a permanent fix as it will probably come loose when you wash it, but it is a perfect hack for when you’re in a hurry. Simply lay out the item of clothing flat and glue the hem neatly, no one will ever know! 

Materials Needed: T-shirt
Est. Cost: $7.99*

T-shirts are so hard to let go of, especially the sentimental ones that we bought at a show we loved or a music festival we want to remember forever. This is a great way to upcycle an old favorite that you simply don’t want to let go of but perhaps isn’t in the best shape anymore. 

Turn Old T-Shirts into Accessories @beetee9496 / Pinterest.com

All you need to do is cut the T-shirt into a long, fine strip and knot it together. It is also possible to knit the shirt using large knitting needles but they are not strictly necessary. This kind of knotting can be really fun and creative and there are many different techniques you can use. 

Materials Needed: Chapstick or a crayon
Est. Cost: $1.99*

How many times have you been faced with this annoying problem: you’re about to leave the house, but your zipper gets stuck and it won’t budge. You tug and yank only to have the other end of the zipper open up, making the problem worse.

Fix Broken Zippers with a Crayon or Chapstick @leviandrachel / Pinterest.com

In that moment all you need to solve the problem is some chapstick or even a crayon from the kids crafts table. Rub a little on the area that is stuck and it will lubricate it enough to open easily. Just make sure if you’re using a crayon that it won’t stain your clothes! 

Materials Needed: Baking soda
Est. Cost: $0.64*

Smelly feet can be so embarrassing, emphasized by the horror when you arrive at a friend’s house and they ask you to remove your shoes. Or the teenager with questionable personal hygiene practices that make the rest of the family want to throw their shoes out the house. 

Un-Stink Your Sneakers with Baking Soda @Cosmopolitan / Pinterest.com

This is a fairly easy problem to solve, all you need is 1-2 tablespoons of baking soda in each shoe! Simply shake the baking soda into the shoe so it spreads all around the base and leave it overnight. In the morning, clap off excess power into a sink and your shoes will smell like new again! 

Materials Needed: Clear nail polish
Est. Cost: $2.99*

Tights are not only functional, keeping our legs warm in the colder days, but they are also beautiful. That is, unless they have a ladder in them. The problem is, they are so easy to snag, and even the tiniest little hole grows so fast. 

Stop a Ladder in Tights with Clear Nail Varnish @redbookmag / Pinterest.com

In order to prevent a hole turning into a ladder, making the tights unusable, all you need is a drop of clear nail polish! Simply put one little drop on the hole and it will stop the spread, saving your tights for another day. 

Materials Needed: A razor
Est. Cost: $1.75*

Even fairly new clothes gather little balls of fluff, called pills, making them look sloppy and old. This is especially true for woolen clothes, like jumpers, but not exclusively. Even our carpets get full of pills, making them look unkept and sometimes dirty.

De-Pilling Your Clothes Easy @iremkaya1996 / Pinterest.com

No need to replace them, all you need is a razor! This is a perfect way to recycle razors that are too blunt to use on our skin, as they will be sharp enough to de-pill clothes and carpets. You will be amazed at how they look good as new after simply brushing them with the razor. 

Materials Needed: Scissors and an old clothing item
Est. Cost: $1.99*

Today upcycling is more popular than ever, not only because we want to save money when we can, but also in order to avoid fast fashion which has a devastating effect on the environment. It also guarantees that we are wearing one of a kind pieces, which is pretty great!

Add Fringe to Anything @acristina6020 / Pinterest.com

Cutting a fringe into dresses, tops or skirts totally change the look of the item. If you cut fringe into the fabric, you can then knot the fringes together in different designs. This gives the fringe a professional finishing touch, adding dimension and texture to the garment. 

Materials Needed: vinegar
Est. Cost: $2.52*

Vinegar is probably one of the most useful and underused ingredients when it comes to household cleaning. It can be used for cleaning glass, faucets, toilets and floors and is a powerful stain remover.

Cold Water and Vinegar: the Ultimate Stain Remover @rachellsully / Pinterest

For stains, mix ⅓ cup of vinegar with 2/ cup of water and soak the stained item before putting through the laundry. For more serious stains like tomato, soak the item directly in the vinegar before laundering. Make sure the stain is removed before putting the clothing through the dryer.

Materials Needed: shaving cream
Est. Cost: $3.52*

How many perfectly good collars have been ruined by make up in the past? Not anymore with this great shaving cream hack. This product will cut right through the oil, even the highest quality Ulta makeup, removing the stain and saving your clothing! 

Remove Makeup Stains with Shaving Cream @kataskopoicom / Pinterest.com

Simply spray shaving cream onto the stained area and allow it to soak. You can scrub the area using a toothbrush for more serious stains. Once the makeup has lifted from the garment, launder as usual. 

Materials Needed: Fabric glue, Velcro and a top for recycling.
Est. Cost: $6.50*

This is a super cute way to upcycle an underused shirt or simply for when you feel like a change but don’t want to fork out for a shopping spree. All you need is velcro, fabric glue and scissors, and of course a top that you want to upgrade. 

No-Sew Stylish Back Hack @DIYgrail / Pinterest.com

The key to avoiding mistakes is to measure twice and cut once. You want to cut the shirt down the middle as symmetrically as possible. Then you can glue the Velcro on to the collar, with the piece that goes on top folded down slightly so that the hem is hidden.

Materials Needed: Scissors and old jeans
Est. Cost: $2.99*

When modifying jeans, it is important to have a game plan. The idea is to make them look uniquely yours, while keeping the look as organic as possible. Step one is mapping out where in the jeans you would like to fray, usually the front of the thigh area is the go-to. 

Create the Ripped-Jeans Look @knsmith90 / Pinterest.com

Once you’ve mapped out the area, you can go in and cut a few lines. You will notice fine threads in each of the cuts, this is what you want to pull out. Once all of the threads have been pulled out, you will be left with a cute ripped-jeans look that would have cost a pretty penny had you purchased them new at Levi’s

Materials Needed: Sharpie
Est. Cost: $1.99*

Typically when you’re wearing dark clothes they get stained with bleach, just as when the clothes are light, the stains are dark. This is such an easy way to get rid of bleach stains, which usually make clothes look really worse for wear.

Sharpie-Away Those Bleach Stains @debraoliva7 / Pinterest.com

Simply grab a sharpie with a matching color and color over the bleach stains. You might find that it fades with a few washes in the laundry so keep that sharpie on hand for touch ups. Beats having to throw the garment out! 

Materials Needed: Vaseline
Est. Cost: $1.99*

Everyone’s been there before: you yank tight your favorite pair of jeans, only for the zipper clasps to become undone – and no matter how many times you attempt to re-zip, it just comes undone again and again.

Un-Stick a Zipper with Vaseline @debandaj / Pinterest.com

Enter vaseline. Apparently the greasy petroleum is perfect for getting zippers to work again, restoring them to their original super-emneshable powers.