In 1995 I bought a black half-slip. I have no idea what I paid for it, but seeing how I wore it up until last week, you can certainly say I got my money’s worth.
Why did I stop? Well, I put it on a few weeks ago under my skirt, and as I was hurrying down the stairs, my slip elastic decided that 23 years was certainly enough and it fell to my ankles.
Now, I’m thankful that it happened at home and not as I stood in front of my church congregation, directing the music, so I can’t complain about it. I thought it was a funny story, so I shared the story on Facebook. We had a good group laugh and people shared stories about when their elastic had given up the ghost or they had observed someone else suffering the same fate. That’s what I expected.
What I didn’t expect was several people telling me that I shouldn’t buy a new slip, but should just put new elastic in the old one.
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OMG – What useless drivel! You really had nothing better to write about? You get paid for this junk? Really?
Somebody needs a hug.
Oh Parker, I’ve missed you!
Some people might enjoy the therapy of sewing but I’m with you, time to buy a new slip !
I totally agree. Have you ever tried to replace an elastic waistband? If it’s encased in a tube of fabric — where it’s just a matter of pulling out the old elastic, threading in the new and sewing the ends of the elastic (and the opening in the tube) together — it’s not so hard. If you are sewing the elastic directly onto the fabric, in order to replace the waistband, life’s too short! In addition to the cost of ones time, there is also the aggravation or frustration factor.
I hear a lot around food – “why buy almond milk/nut butter/chicken stock/whatever when it’s so easy to make!” Which may or may not be true, but all of those “so easy to do yourself”s add up to a lot of work.
Twenty three years is long enough to keep a slip! There may be a case for repairing items instead of replacing them in some instances, but you’re in the clear here. Simplifying and being conscious of consumerism are good goals but attempting to shame someone for their choices is just another form of one-upsmanship.
I’m a professional level seamstress and I wouldn’t bother fixing a 23 year old item that no one but my husband will see.
That said, Suzanne, you’ve got to do better. You wrote this for a business publication. Could you have at least folded in a business term like “time value of money” so you could actually sound like you’re qualified to write on business? I already have enough stay at home helpful hint mommy bloggers in my feed. kthanks!
Reminds me of a time about 15 years ago when I carefully removed and laid out every button from my work keyboard to give it a good cleaning, the keys were getting sticky. This was a good 1.5-2 hr project.
I told our IT guy about my equipment conscious deed and he replied (in classic IT condescension), “Dude, we only pay about 10 bucks per keyboard.”
10 bucks is an expensive, fancy keyboard. We pay about $4. Same for a mouse. (And when someone complains about how cheap they are, I just point out that we’re replacing it because someone spilled paint on it.)
I had a good chuckle reading the comments about either replacing the slip or just the elastic. Yes, the decision should be based on the value of your time but also the value of the material of that slip. Good quality clothing can always be repaired, without any waste of time or money. (Assuming one has access to a tailor, who usually works at the dry cleaners where you bring your good quality clothing to be cleaned). I am from the age group where any slips I brought were handmade which is a big step up from any store bought items which are machine made with poorer quality materials. Besides if you have ever looked for slips to purchase recently, what is offered is basically made of spandex which doesn’t fall on the body the same as a slip should do.Besides the young today like to wear everything as sheer and tight as possible.
I hope you have a cheaper tailor than the one affiliated with my dry cleaner. For the few items for which I have used their tailor services, their fees were very expensive. To replace the elastic waistband on a slip — at their rates — would cost as much as a new, good-quality, replacement item.