Frugal Tip: Buy New Buttons – Not Clothes!

Here’s a clothing frugal tip for you.

I’ve had the same few wool and cashmere coats which I have worn for years and was feeling a bit bored of them. I bought them second-hand from the op shop and while they keep me warm and look stylish, I felt I needed a bit of a change.

Of course, I figured I should go back to the thrift shop and buy new ones. However, the coats I had already fit me well, in the colours and styles I wanted – I figured I could give them a facelift.

Frugal tip: Instead of buying new coats, I bought new buttons and transformed them into completely different garments.

Okay, but why did I never think of this before! Different buttons can make an piece look completely different.

I personally don’t care if an item is new, as long as it is new to me!

Another pro of changing buttons is that you can make grandma coats look trendy.

One problem with op/thrift shop coats is that they can look really dated – this frugal hack lets you update your wardrobe without buying extra clothes!

I started by researching coats from luxury brands and noticed a lot of them had these big gold buttons that looked chic and stylish.

I then scoured my local op shop, Etsy and eBay and bought some for $12.87. They were on the pricey side but they were high-quality, vintage ones which were perfect. I can’t stand cheap buttons, I don’t know what it is about them.

Rather than buying buttons, you could also harvest them from another piece of clothing – perhaps from something you don’t wear anymore.

After a bit of hand sewing, my old coats were completely transformed! They look so high-end and has made me excited to wear them again. Instead of spending $100+ on a new coat, I spent just under $6.50 each. Furthermore, I reduced landfill waste and also got to have a more customised garment.

Here are the results!

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