Let Your Kids Trade Clothes with Their Friends

Do your kids give their clothes away? My teenage daughter does. This drove me crazy until I realized that new-to-her clothes were appearing in the laundry.

Now, trading clothes with friends might seem like an odd way to get clothing on the cheap, but hey, if my picky, fashion-conscious teenager thinks it's cool, then I'm all for it.

When she first started giving her clothing away I decided it was time to have a talk. I explained to her that I was not in a financial position to buy new clothes to replace the ones she was giving away.

Her argument in favor of the practice was that she didn't like the clothes anymore and she wasn't wearing them anyway, but her friend did like them. So, she wanted to pass them on.

How could I argue with that? If the clothing was just hanging in her closet, it was much better to give them to someone who would get some use out of them.

Completing the trade may not occur with the same friend. But, it usually evens out, because there is always another friend who doesn't like some of her clothes. So, periodically I find new-to-her clothes in the laundry.

Trading is not limited to clothing. My daughter has traded purses, backbacks, shoes, and even jewelry. These things are often traded back again, though, so maybe it's more like borrowing. (Who can follow a teenager's thought processes, anyway?)

I can't say that I am always happy with the trade. If I've spent more than $30 for an item and she gives it away, I feel a frugal pinch in my pocketbook. (When you are Living Poor, spending $30 for one item is a chunk of cash, and it doesn't happen often.) But, as long as my kid has enough clothing to last the season, and she is happy with what she has, I'm not going to complain.

So, I recommend the practice. Let them trade, or borrow clothes from each other. It's a viable way to get new-to-them clothing - on the cheap. And, truth to tell, you probably couldn't stop it if you tried.