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7.1 INTERVIEW #2, THRIFTY TEENAGER; DISCOUNT CLOTHES AND CLOTHING.

Who says kids have to own designer everything and don't understand the value of a dollar? Fourteen year old Elizabeth Montgomery sure knows how to get her money's worth. For a well rounded look at secondhand clothing, I decided to interview her. She is a thrift store hound, having bought most of her clothes there.

Elizabeth told me these stories. The father of a friend gave his daughter $50 to go to Belks, a department store, and buy something. Her friend bought one shirt and had $10 left over. Another not so wealthy classmate saved for two months to buy a pair of Calvin Klein jeans for $60. Her friend was very proud of those jeans.

About the same time, Elizabeth had gone to the thrift store and bought a blouse, skirt, sweater, vest, t-shirt and plaid pants for a total of $6.

Elizabeth prefers the fit of men's jeans which she can buy for $.50-$2.00 instead of the new price of $20-$30. When her jeans get too worn, she takes a pair of scissors and makes cut-offs.

She admits that some of her classmates don't like the way she dresses, but she added that those same classmates will discard their new clothing if they find a microscopic stain.

She won't do major alterations, but she will do a little. She moved a button on a pair of pants that was too tight. She sewed a seam that was tearing open and she's added a safety pin here and there.

She says she doesn't need to try the clothes on at the store but she has a pretty good sense of what will fit. Just a few of the clothes she buys are given away.

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