GARAGE SALE TIPS: Math trick tells you if jeans will fit

No dressing room? No Problem!

Don't pass up a pair of killer jeans just because you can't try them on at a garage sale. Use this clever trick to figure out whether those boot cut Seven7s will fit without ever seeing them on!

Whether you're a garage sale guru, or just an occasional garage sale shopper, chances are you have hemmed and hawed over whether you should pay good money for something that may not be a good fit.

"You find a pair of fabulous pants (maybe they're some late 60's man-made, doubleknit , polypop concoction, or a brand new pair of Kitson jeans - with the size tag cut out) but you're not sure if they'll fit," writes LindyGirlThay in an article for Instructables.com. "You look for the nearest fitting room, but lo and behold, this Sally Army doesn't have one."

Use this trick, Thay says, and you will never again feel the need to cower behind sheets or other linens, hoping no one will get a glimpse.

It's a simple premise, really, based on what is known as the "golden ratio." But all you really need to know is that if you're like most people, your neck size is roughly half of your waist size.

So, how do you apply this handy factoid to a garage sale garment?

OKC Craigslist Garage Sale Tip: Math trick

Demand Media's Cindy Killip explains it like this:

"...if you can wrap the width of the waist of your pants around your neck where a T-shirt collar falls, then the pants will fit. If the ends of the waistline don't meet at the back of your neck, the pants will be tight and if the waistline overlaps, the pants will be baggy."

Of course, I highly recommend that you practice taking this measurement at home before you go on a dressing-room-free garage sale spending spree.

You should also check out Thay's Instructable, "Will Those Thrift Store Pants Fit?" for an important warning about applying the trick to ultra-low rise jeans.

I Hope this helps!

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