Have you ever bought a shirt on a whim and never worn it?

That's what happened to one Redditor, but with a little DIY project, she created an even better shirt, and other Redditors were impressed.

The woman posted before-and-after pictures of her shirt in the r/upcycling subreddit. It's a standard orange shirt with a tiger and a dragon on it. However, she cut off the sleeves and put ties on the side.

She said, "I love this shirt, but never wore it because I didn't like how it fit me, so decided to fix that."

Upcycling is a great way to not waste a purchase that doesn't quite look the way you had hoped. 

Unfortunately, people in the U.S. throw away an average of 81 pounds of clothing every year. However, by not throwing garments away and creating something new out of them, you can save up to $100 a year. 

The Redditor also said, "[It's] easy and so fun!"

DIY projects are not just great for clothes you've never worn; they're great for ones you've worn until the threads start splitting. Another Redditor took old graphic tees and made them into a new patchwork sweatshirt. 

Decluttering your home by upcycling items you never wear or old clothes is not only a great way to save money, but it can also stop items from ending up in polluting landfills. 

According to Roadrunner, the Environmental Protection Agency estimated that "more than 11 million tons of textile waste was sent to landfills" in 2018.

Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to recycle old clothes and electronics? Giving me money back 💰 Letting me trade for new stuff 👕 Making it as easy as possible ⚡ Keeping my stuff out of landfills 🗑️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Additionally, "textiles can take up to 200-plus years to decompose in landfills," per Roadrunner. While the clothing decomposes, it creates a toxic, planet-warming gas. Chemicals from the dyes in the clothing can also leach out into the soil and groundwater. 

That is why upcycling is a vital way to prevent so much textile waste. 

Redditors in the comments were so excited about this transformation that they wanted to try it, too.

One user said, "Obsessed! I'm totally doing this."

Another user commented, "Looks amazing! How did you do it?"

The OP replied to this Redditor, directing them to a Pinterest tutorial they followed. 

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.