Knee-ding New Jeans

     Basic jeans seem to be the easiest choice of clothing for my elementary school girls, Leanne and Chloe. But, oh, how hard they are on the knees! Especially my super-industrious girl, Chloe. A quality pair of jeans in my estimation is a pair that I will pass down to the next sister, without holes in the knees. Hole-y knees might be fashionable, but I don't prefer them for me or my girls. I've tried all brands of jeans from Target, Old Navy, Gap, Levi's, JC Penny's, Crazy 8, The Children's Place, and Wal-Mart. I've had some excellent pants from Gap and surprisingly, Wal-Mart's Faded Glory line.
      So, one afternoon I was very  limited on time and money, but Chloe really needed at least one more pair of jeans. I thought about trying to swing by the thrift store, but only had time to go to Wal-Mart. At Wal-Mart I found a darling pair of sparkley jeans for only $8. I was so reluctant to buy more than one pair, because I've been trying to stick to my budget. As I've been praying regularly about how to save money, an idea popped into my head. I walked over to the sewing section and purchased two denim patch kits in different colors for the ripped up jeans at home. Each package cost $1.28, tax included. In the past, I've tried patch repair for jeans, but iron-on patches peel off after a couple of washings. I reasoned that I would just have to iron and sew the patches on. It would save me money in the long run.
     And did it! I was able to patch 4 pairs of jeans, and add some colorful thread as well, for only $2.56. It only took me about 2 hours to do all the patching. Since I spared the hole-y jeans from becoming summer cut-offs prematurely, I had 4 new pairs of jeans in essence. (They will eventually become summer shorts). I spent $8.78 (tax added)on one  pair of jeans and $2.56 on 2 packages of patches totaling $11.34 for 5 pairs of jeans. Each pair effectively cost me $2.27. I doubt I could have gotten this many pairs of jeans for this price even at the thrift store.
     It was a marvelous savings day. God does provide easy and creative ways to save money!

A little tricky machine sewing the patches, but quick overall

And of course, I had a helper

     I must post this picture of the prize winning, all-time most durable jeans I've ever purchased for my girls. I think I paid a whopping $20 for these Lee size 2T jeans at Sears when Elena was a toddler. That's a lot of money! BUT, they have been worn by every one of my girls - all six of them - when they were toddlers. Only now are they getting a little ragged in one knee and showing a little light through the material. I marvel at these little wonders. I might even frame them as an example of high quality clothing and for sentimental reasons. I love the toddler years! Despite the tantrums, failed toilet training attempts, and runny noses it is a precious and charming season of life.

The prize winner for most durable jeans EVER!