Desperate Times Call For Frugal Matters

Ahh, maternity clothes. It's very hard to fork over $$ for clothes you only wear for a few months. But then again, you HAVE to...or you have nothing to wear. At first, my goal for this summer was to go without buying any maternity jeans. Well, that's pretty tough. Sometimes, jeans and a t-shirt is just the way to go!

I've already had my one "splurge" for this pregnancy. White maternity jeans. And I plan on wearing those suckers OUT! They are so comfy too! And go with everything! :-)

Everything except WHITE t-shirts.

So I racked my brain on how to get some jeans without breakin' the bank!

MAKE MY OWN! Voila!

Step #1:

Find nice non-maternity jeans as cheap as you possibly can! I found some at The Gap. They were marked down to $13.97 (from $64.50) and were an EXTRA 40% off!!

That makes them $8.32 people!! Pretty good!

Wash and dry them before you sew them!!


Step #2:

Gather your supplies! You need scissors, pins, and a belly band. I had one from Lillian's pregnancy that I NEVER wore. Oh well...now it's put to good use. I think I got this one at Motherhood a couple years ago for $15. You can use any stretchy fabric though.


Step #3:

Cut off the top of the jeans dipping down just a bit in the front. Also, cut out the zipper (just the actual metal teeth part) and sew it up!



Step #4:

Pin belly band and jeans right sides together. Be sure to stretch the belly band as you pin it around the jeans. It'll be all bunched up, but you stretch it as you sew as well and it goes on smooth. Sew with a small, tight stitch so that it will hold for all the times you pull them up and down! ;-)



Step#5:

Take the pins out and wear your comfy new jeans!!!

First let me say I can't believe I put that pic of my belly on my blog. I had ABSOLUTELY NO intentions of ever posting belly pics. (sorry, I know you're all so disappointed) But there was really no other way to show the final product! :-)

And cost...I'm out $8.32. I dare you to tell me where I can get new, trendy maternity jeans for that cheap!

And second....Y'all, this was SOOO easy! And took me less than 30 minutes! (minus washing/drying time) from start to finish!!! You hardly need sewing skills to get this right! I got the idea from my white maternity jeans. Maternity jeans have changed so much over the years, and they basically put one of those belly bands at the top now. So it can go over or under your belly. I was looking close at them and just thought, " I know I can do that! "

In fact, I may do all my jeans like this...and just keep on wearing them post-baby. I heart stretchy waist-band clothing!!!


Updated Mid-Morning:

I just did another pair of my jeans. I cut off the top of one of my Citizens of Humanity jeans! (I know..call me crazy! I still have others to "get back into post baby"). And this time I used a tight, lycra, nude-colored tank top...but cut off the top straps part. And it worked like a charm! The trick is getting jeans tight enough through the hips so that they will stay up well!! :-)