Awesome memory... We were in the same predicament when I was growing up... it was before government-welfare... We survived because our neighbors cared about each other. I never had any new clothes, except shoes Mom insisted my feet needed new shoes. My clothes were all hand-me-downs from my cousin, who sadly was not careful about staining her clothes or putting mothballs into the wools and felts.... lol... my "poodle skirt" was all moth-eaten, but my mother cut up an old shirt and made leaves which she carefully handstitched on the holes... It's amazing how creative our mothers were when there was no other option!