To Mend or Not to Mend

This is a current pic of my basket of things that need to be mended {or sewing project that just needs to be finished}.

I don't know how you feel about mending, but it's not my favorite thing to do. It's usually a pretty simple task. Sometimes it might need a little creative thinking and math to figure it out, but it's generally a quick fix. If you've been to your local thrift store or goodwill lately, you may have noticed that lots of people just get rid of clothes because they don't want to mend whatever it is or they don't know how. Learning to mend simple things can save you lots of money in the end. {Stick around and you'll find more posts here on mending.} However, you need to ask yourself a few questions:

Do you love it?
If you don't love the item that needs to be mended, don't waste your time. You won't wear it anyway. However, if it is a good quality item that only needs a button or something simple and not time consuming done, fix it and donate it or sell it. Don't just throw it away - This is the waste not, want not principle. Donate it - someone else can use it. Sell it - make a profit. Win win.

Is it worth saving for another reason?
If you don't love it for wearing or using for it's original purpose, is it worth saving for another purpose? Can it be remade into something else like this men's shirt makeover? Or should it be thrown into the rag pile to mop the floor with? My dad {and now even my husband} kept a pile of old worn-out t-shirts in his garage to use for waxing the car, etc. It turned out that those t-shirts really came in handy afterall and saved $ by not having to buy soft cloths to wax the car with. Think every item through before completely throwing it out.

Is the rest of the garment in good condition?
For instance, if your child has a good pair of jeans, but ends up wearing out the knees, you could cut them off and hem them to use as shorts instead of throwing away the whole pair. This will save you $ when Spring and Summer roll around and you find yourself having to buy new shorts. You could always just fix the knee hole with a patch if it is salvagable, too.

Is it something you are comfortable mending?
Some things I am more comfortable with mending like sewing on a button, restitching a torn seam, hemming, replacing elastic, etc. But there may be some things you aren't comfortable doing and that's okay. If you really love the item, hire someone to do it. If you don't love it, donate it. Maybe someone else will really love the item enough to fix it.

What was the last thing you mended? How do you decide what to mend and what's not worth mending?

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Here's a great mending kit if you're looking for one!