Cheap thrills: extending my wardrobe...

Dressing for work as research assistant is a little different to pulling on clothes to wear to the playground. And my (unplanned) weight loss has brought about its own set of issues, namely most of my clothes are too big.

There are worse problems to have, but this one needed a creative (and super cheap) solution: little alterations.

As a new breastfeeding mother I bought a few tops from here, and they were great: they fitted when most of my old tops didn't, they provided easy access for breastfeeding, and they made me feel a little like the "old" me. I have worn them so often they were worth the expense, but now? Well, the under shirts had become little long, and I was sick of wearing so much fabric, and with Jimmy breastfeeding less and less there was no need for the modesty layers. So, I removed them.

I have kept the modesty layers from the two tops I altered, just in case and so that I can sew them back in place if I ever give them away. The tops do sit differently, and have a different look, and that's ok. My "new" tops are great, loose and airy but still structured enough for work.

Finding pants that don't cost much has been a bigger issue than making small adjustments to tops. There was a part of me that was enjoying being a little bigger and that was the part of me that had to deal with pants that don't quite fit. Again, there are worse and bigger problems to have, so I try not to give it too much thought, which can be tricky when I have to adjust my pants roughly 538,882 times a day.

In a bid to deal with my shortage of pants that fit or don't have rips in them (which describes all 3 pairs of jeans I have been wearing for the best part of a year), I ended up buying some slacks and a pair of jeans so that I might look a little less like a student while working at the university. The slacks fit fine, a little loose, but ok. The jeans? Heavily discounted and a size (or two) too big, I still bought them... I may have been a little traumatised by the opshop not being open... And just recently I found the energy to bring them in at the waist. This bring-pants/jeans-in-at-the-waist is something I may have to do a little more often, because I am happy with the result, but...

It would be nice to be able to buy pants that fit, straight off the rack, no alterations or belts required. Being able to buy new tops would be nice too, but that's not where we're at - our finances are still very tight, even with me working - so we make do, and try to enjoy what creativity there is in the process.