If you are anything like me, you have a wide array of thin, holey, worn-out t-shirts specifically for farm use, and they are cluttering your closet. Most of them have been worn for years and have seen better days.
My personal favorite farm shirt is littered with small holes, covered in tractor grease stains, and has been through the war of corn silage harvest for at least five years now. Don’t kid yourself; we all have similar shirts, pants, and even shoes that match this description, but we can’t ever seem to part with them.
Being the frugal person I am, it’s hard to bring myself to purchase the new farm clothes I so desperately need. Luckily, there are a few ways to add to your farm clothing collection which cost little to no money at all.
- Out with the old. That favorite, ripped to shreds t-shirt of mine mentioned above is currently sitting in my trashcan. As hard as it was for me to throw it away, I knew it no longer was serving a purpose for me. Two pairs of jeans, my beloved holey farm tennis shoes, and some overalls from seventh grade are also being retired.
- In with the new. Maybe not “new, new,” but close enough. While sorting through my closet, I found several t-shirts which I hardly ever wear. Since I was not getting much use out of them, I decided to put them in my farm drawer. I did the same with a few pairs of pants and even an old sweater.
- Nothing’s wrong with second hand. After throwing away a few pairs of farm shorts and not having anything in my closet to replace them with, I made my way to the second hand store a few weeks ago to see what they had in stock. On a college student budget, I walked in knowing I only had $10 to spare. After 20 minutes, I walked out with three “new” pairs of shorts which I had no problem knowing would be trashed in a matter of months.
- Biting the bullet. As for my farm tennis shoes and overalls, I came to the conclusion that I actually would have to purchase these items brand new. With summer on its way, overalls and shoes at my local farm store have been on clearance for a few weeks now. Even though these items are still on the pricier end for my budget, knowing they will last me several years has helped ease the sticker shock.
Taylor Leach grew up on her family’s dairy farm in Linwood, Kansas. Leach graduated with an associate’s degree from Kansas City Kansas Community College and now attends Oklahoma State University, majoring in animal science and agriculture communications. On campus, she is a member of the dairy club and also works on the university's dairy farm. Leach was the 2016 Hoard’s Dairyman summer editorial intern.
