Thursday, June 17, 2010

Thrifty and Lovin It!

Recently one of my adorable friends (check her out at Jen), shared with me her shopping secrets. Wait for it, wait for it...Thrift Stores. At first I doubted her honesty since the girl always looks like a million bucks wrapped in stilettos, but after much probing and questioning, I believed her. Not only did I believe her, but I wanted to know exactly which ones she frequents because the ones that I have been to are garbage and quite frankly scary. I don't know if she wanted to share her 2 secret thrifty mother loads with me, but being the sweet girl she is, she caved.

After chatting about it for awhile we finally embarked on our first thrift store tutorial field trip one Saturday morning. Armed with my coffee to go, I loaded up into her SUV with 2 other proteges for our first lesson in shopping from other peoples' closets. It really was quite funny to see the 3 of us grown women following our fearless leader into the store and then circling up to hear our game plan. First we'd quickly move through the shoes, but in all honesty, who wants to wear used shoes? Then we would head to the blouses and tops and quickly spread out. The key is in the fabrics apparently. You cannot look through every item unless you have absolutely no plans the entire weekend, so scanning for quality fabric is a must. I soon learned to not stick to just my size, my sizes could be lost in the M or L section, plus you never know what gems you might find for someone else or to turn a profit on eBay.

After about 2.5 hours we piled back in the SUV to head home, bags in hand (actually in the trunk and man it was full), and wallets still intact. I think I walked away with 30 new pieces, jewelry and 1 handbag included, and spent a grand total of $45. Let me tell you, this girl is not only a believer now but an addict. I've always loved the hunt so this is a match made in shopper's heaven. Give it a try. There are some pretty awesome things waiting to find a happy home at rock bottom prices if you aren't too proud. And if you are too proud, no worries. More for me!

My favorite finds in the last month:
- Elie Tahari jacket $3.99 (found it online retailing for $285.00)
- French Connection linen pants $2.99
- Theory khaki skirt $1.50
- Brand new Miss Sixty shirt $1.99
- Sevens $3.99
- Adorable Molly B skirt $2.99
- Seersucker, silk lined 2 piece suit for work $4.99
- Brand new, with tags 3/4 length sleeve blazer that I loved at Steinmart for $2.99 (tags still on read $64.99)
- 2 vintage necklaces $7.99 total
- Ben Silver tie for Rob $1.99 (retails at $120.00)

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