How to Avoid Paying 18 Dollars

Last week, I went to the tailor to get 4 pairs of pants hemmed. Getting pants hemmed is part of my life, something I rarely am able to avoid, being vertically challenged and all. Two pairs were jeans (one pair I bought at a yard sale) and two pairs were pants for work. After I tried them on for the tailor, and she pinned the pants where needed, I braced myself for the total. When I saw her writing down the amounts on the ticket, I couldn't believe it. I asked "It's 14 dollars to hem a pair of jeans?" She said, "Oh no, to hem a pair of jeans it's 18 dollars. 14 dollars is for the other pants." I can't believe I left the store without the pants, but I did. However, the very next day, as soon as the store opened, I retrieved my pants and vowed to do this myself. When hemming jeans, it's very difficult to use a standard sewing machine because most can't handle the girth of the materials. And as for dress pants, they need to be done by hand so as not to see the stitches through the material. So, I went to the local fabric store, and bought some jean thread and needles, a total of $3.30, and faced the challenge. Let me just tell you how good it feels to not spend $18 on hemming a pair of jeans, especially when you bought them for a dollar at a yard sale. It feels damn good. And they turned out really good, if I do say so myself. You can't tell that the hem is done by hand. As for pics, if I had any, that would just be too over-achiever-like of me.