As much as I love to share with you the bargains and great steals I've acquired along the way, I equally love to see the fantastic finds that you have snatched up! And I hope that you'll share them with me! So that I can share them with everyone! Because let's face it, everyone loves to see a fantastic bargain find!
So please, if you have some great thrift/consignment finds, email pictures to me, along with a little description of the item(s) and where you found them - and I will be thrilled to post them here! I would love to be able to feature a guest find every week or two. And let's face it, it's your responsibility as a successful bargain hunter to allow the rest of us to lust after, um, be motivated by what you've found. So share away friends!
My very first guest find comes from my friend and neighbor Matt. He was thrilled to tell me about this great linen blazer that he found at a local Columbia Goodwill store. It was brand new - with tags still attached! Only $12! What a great find, Matt - you look like a million bucks!
Sometimes when you go thrifting, you find things you never expected to find. Things you were never looking for in the first place. Things you never realized you would ever find in a thrift store! And, let me tell you, oh the joy that can come!
That was exactly my experience this week when I popped into my neighborhood Goodwill for a few minutes. I really just wanted to walk around and unwind after a Monday of sitting at my desk and reading reports (ugh!). But what I stumbled upon was glorious...
The Goodwill in my neighborhood often gets donations from Target. But, these donations are generally mostly clothes and shoes, which I tend to pay little attention to. But this week, they sent over some other things! Philosophy lotion and Bumble and Bumble hair products! I spotted these gems in a huge basket of stuff inside the jewelry counter and was elated to see that they were all new and unopened (and were priced SO low!). You can see the Target sale price tags still attached in the photos ($34.99 for the Philosophy lotion, $25.99 each for the Bumble and Bumble shampoos and hairspray) as well as the Goodwill price tags ($2 and $3.50). So, I snatched them up! And for $10.50, I left Goodwill with over $110 worth of hair and body products. Who doesn't love 90% off?
Now, I know what you're thinking. Some of you, I dare say, shudder at the idea of buying shoes secondhand. Especially at Goodwill, right? I mean, Goodwill isn't the most, um, upscale place. Sometimes it smells. I get it. That is the exact reaction I had the first time my mother presented me with a pair of fabulous shoes she had found at Goodwill. Suuuure, they were gorgeous. Sure, they were expensive, but, they had come from Goodwill. And I was all sullen college student and, very unsure of why I would want to wear shoes from Goodwill!
Well friends, I still have those shoes. Because, see, good shoes last. And cheap shoes end up in the trash. And, you can buy good shoes at a department store or online or anywhere else - and pay alot for them. OR, you can do what I do - you can be thrifty, and when you see a really great, quality pair at an unbelievable price, you snatch them up!
I've never quite understood how really expensive shoes end up at Goodwill. Sometimes really expensive NEW shoes. Like these.
I found these brand new Stuart Weitzman shoes at the Goodwill right up the street from my house recently. And when I say brand new, I mean, the price tag was still on the bottom - the $298 price tag. So, I figured I'd shell out the $4 for them. Ha! Now, I DID have to polish the buckles, as they were a little tarnished. But, with about 10 minutes of work, using Wright's Silver Cream (which, if you don't have some at home, you should get some - it is good for EVERYTHING!), they looked as good as new. Below you can see my sophisticated technique for not damaging the suede...
Regardless of why beautiful shoes end up at Goodwill, I consider it my duty to give them a great second life. No matter how neglected or unloved they were by their previous owner (hag!), I promise to love them and treasure them. I have found some great shoes at Goodwill - ones I will continue to share with you in the future, hopefully to inspire you to get out there and search for great bargain finds of your own! But, if you still have some reservations about secondhand shoes, just remember, you are not alone. Just remember, we always have our dear friends Lysol and Febreeze - and that is generally enough to bridge the worry divide between you and that $300 pair of "used" kicks.
Often I find myself pining away over beautiful new items in store catalogs and online. Thinking how beautiful they are – and all the reasons in the world that I should just buy them – because, “I could wear it with so much!”. Indeed. But, always, my thriftiness comes alive and I think, this is just too much to pay. I cannot pay over $600 for a Kate Spade coat or $200 for a J.Crew necklace - no matter how fabulous I think they are!
This is when online consigning and thrifting can often be a benefit! I hate to say it, but, so few things are actually unique these days. And, trends tend to cycle - which means that there are always vintage things out there that will eventually come back into style! And for us, the thrifty consumer, we should consider this an advantage!
So, what, you’re asking, am I suggesting? Use some of your favorite online sites (or some of mine, if you are new at this) to look for similar pieces to those most exquisite (and expensive) brand new ones that you’ve been lusting after.
I have been looking at this Katie Spade coat for months now. I want it! But, it’s $645. There is nothing I want badly enough to pay that much! But, after a quick search of Etsy, I found a similar coat, in both style and color – only $45!
Another strategy. If there is something you loved in the past, but just didn’t want to shell out the cash for it, look it up on Ebay, or other online auction sites. There is generally a good chance that you will find it there, possibly new, and, for a much lower price.
For some time, I was in love with J.Crew’s bubble necklace. I looked at it almost daily, in all its beautiful color choices – but, the price tag, $260, was far more than I was willing to pay. J.Crew stopped selling them several months ago and, now there are tons of them on Ebay! New ones! And, some selling for as low as $20.
When I was a little girl, I loved saddle oxfords. Why? Well, because cheerleaders still wore them (and that was a BIG dream of mine - which, I did later fulfill in life - ha!). And, while you may not agree, there is just something really cool about them. Understated but cool. And I still think so. Which is why I am SO happy that they are BACK in style (Lucky Magazine even had a whole page of them in their March 2010 issue! Yeah!)! I just love how they can be so totally casual... and then, so dressed up... And for guys too, they are just too cute not to love :) So, thrifters, keep an eye out for saddle shoes! They are ALL over both Etsy and Ebay.
Another great site, is Goodwill Industries’ online auction site. Regularly on this site you can find current fashion and household items. I have purchased several things off this site (including a Nikon camera!) and have always been pleased. And don't forget about checking your area CraigsList for whatever you are looking for. Often we think about CraigsList for furniture or larger items - but it is loaded with people trying to sell clothing, accessories, household goods, and more!
Marisa, the writer of this cute little blog, has taken on the remarkable task of creating (and then wearing) a new garment, from an old one, every day for a year! Yes, that's 365 new things! AND, she set a budget for herself of $365 - so, only $1 per day to find worthy and workable pieces from flea markets, vintage clothing stores, and garage sales.
When I stumbled upon this, I was instantly amazed. She has revived, restored, and restyled some of the cutest skirts, shirts, and dresses! I'll be checking our her handy work daily to see what crafty project she has taken on for the day! And who knows, maybe it'll motivate me a little more in the process...
We all know that times are tough… the economy isn’t the best. So, what better time than the present to go thrifting and find some great clothes without breaking your budget. Here are 5 tips as you begin your thrift and consignment shopping adventures for 2010:
1. Look more at the general sizing of clothing than at the size on the tags and never give up an opportunity to try things on. This is for two reasons. First, sizing by brand varies greatly and also has changed vastly over time. Over the last few decades, many brands have gradually made their women’s sizes larger to flatter the consumer. Therefore, a vintage 1970s style skirt in a size 8 may really be more like a size 4 in today’s sizing. Sorry ladies – just swallow your pride. No one will see that tag but you, anyways (and maybe your dry cleaner, but he won’t tell, right?).
Also, many articles of clothing in consignment and thrift stores have been altered. Therefore, you cannot trust the labeling to indicate the true sizing. Sometimes pants have been shortened (or lengthened!) and generally they can be readjusted. And very commonly with dresses, people will make “hack” alterations because they only need to wear it for a few hours, but need to bring it in an inch on the sides or bring the hem up, etc. Beware of this as, sometimes it is just tacked and can be taken out without harm (depending on the material) and sometimes there is serious damage to the garment (so sad!).
2. Always remember this – you will (generally) most love something in the store. So, if you are unsure about it, either because of fit or because you just aren’t sure you truly like it, then just don’t buy it. Yes, it may only be $3. Yes, it may be the buy of a lifetime! But, if you will never wear it, what is the point of having it? And doesn’t that garment deserve to go on to a second (or third or fourth) life where it is loved and worn – and not just shoved in the back of your closet but talked about as “such a steal!”.
When you are about to buy something, ask yourself “do I really like/love this?”, “what will I wear this with?”, and (and maybe most important) “do I see myself choosing to wear this out of my closet?”. If you can be sure about these questions, then, buy away!
3. Avoid Monday shopping. Why? Often thrift and consignment stores have been picked over during the weekend, leaving very little valuable merchandise for early week shopping. Most stores will restock on Monday though, so, on Tuesday there should be a whole new selection of things to choose from!
4. Know what you cannot fix and what you can and also the cost of doing so. If you find something fabulous with a broken zipper, this is an easy fix, either if you can sew, or if you are willing to shell out $10 or so to a tailor to have them replace it. Buttons are also easily replaced – although remember, if one button is missing on something, you will generally have to replace every button on the garment so that they all match.
Avoid buying anything with rips or tears, unless they can be hemmed off. Patching holes, by definition, just isn’t classy! Stains sometimes can be a tough call. My general rule is, if something is a great find and really cheap, I will tackle it. To me, it’s worth the risk. Here are a few of my favorite tricks of the trade I have learned to use. Credit to my mother for teaching me about some of these “secrets”. As far as I’m concerned, if these things can’t get it out, nothing will.
Aerosol hairspray – Will take ink out of cloth. Only aerosol hairspray works though (sorry ozone layer!), so don’t use the pump hairspray because it will not work!
Greased lightning – Will take out makeup, grease, food, grass and red dirt stains (and a million other things!). This stuff really is amazing. I keep a spray bottle of it (diluted with water) in the house all the time – you can use it on almost anything! The amazing thing is that it doesn’t take the color out of things but still will remove the stain!
Octagon soap – Is good for really set-in stains. You will have to really scrub and scrub, but, Octagon has a higher concentration of lye than other soap, so, somehow, it gets stains out!
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser – Is good for getting out the weirdest stuff. It’s hard to explain, but, basically, if I think there is a chance this thing MIGHT work on it, I will try it and it generally does. I don’t understand how in the world that thing works, but, it does and I am so glad I discovered it! It’s fantastic!
5. Lastly, don’t be afraid to bargain. Most chain stores (Goodwill, Salvation Army) have set prices and cannot negotiate. However, you can sometimes have success negotiating prices at smaller stores that are often managed by their actual owner. Never be afraid to offer a lower price for something, especially if the item needs repair or significant alteration. The worst thing they can do is decline your offer!
I am both silly and serious... sensible and totally ridiculous... impatient and very tolerant... confident but hesitant. I love life and I think it is something to be treasured!
I love bargain shopping, reality TV, dancing whenever possible, sports, sweets, books, documentaries, Fiestaware, my awesome church, hoola hooping, all things Sociology, sushi, and naps. And more than ANYTHING I love God, my wonderful family, and my great friends! They make life worth living!
