I got most of my clothes from the “Next To New” store in an adjacent town. They were in style, but not available locally, so I didn’t run into anyone else with the same outfit. I didn’t tell, and no one really knew it.
We didn’t have a lot of money for clothes either. There was no walmart with low priced new clothing. I did make stuff to wear in the summer. Used to make my kids clothes when they were toddlers, and my own when we were newly wed.
When ours were little, they got 25 cent garage sale clothes from nearby schools so no one knew. Bleach, lemon juice and baking soda paste took out most of the stains. If that didn’t work, then it’d be garage sale iron on decals, fabric paints and ribbons. I’d go crazy decorating jeans, demin skirts and jackets. It was fun for me but not so much for them when they got older. Then it was clearance racks. Still, they were the better dressed kids at school, wink.
When they were in school, I taught them to sew and they’d take away top ribbons at the county fair. Hand me down sewing machines were sent with them to college. If they fail at simple life skills now, it won’t be my fault.