Thrifty Fun

Since we are feeling the economic crunch and paying an astronomical amount for daycare, we are always looking for ways to "cut back" on our spending. It seems frivolous to go on a shopping spree for a new wardrobe when the money can be put to better use in other places in our budget, but I need some new clothes...desperately. My clothes are really outdated (as in I've worn them all 1000s of times), and I need some new pieces to accommodate my slightly re-shifted body. I can honestly say that we really don't spend a lot on our clothing, but there always comes that time when you just need some new stuff to wear. I've reached that point...I just need a few pieces to add to my already existing wardrobe and to replace some things that have been so worn I should never wear them again. I am not a big shopper for clothing and very rarely buy something if it isn't on some sort of sale or doesn't have a coupon deal attached, but I always get my stuff new. 

Sooo...in my desire to save a little money but to also meet my existing wardrobe needs, I decided to hit up the local thrift shop. I've never gone thrifting for my own clothing; I've always donated my stuff to the Good Will or other thrift type shops but never shopped in one. But I started thinking about some of the stuff I've donated in the past, and some of the pieces were brand new or barely worn. So it made me think that other people donate good quality stuff as well. I was willing to go peruse the racks at the local Good Will to see if I could find something suitable and in good condition and cheap!

I left the baby with Naeners and set out on my big shopping excursion to the thrift store. (Times surely have changed...the mall has been traded-in for the Good Will.) I needed to be alone so I could dig and focus on the task at hand. I was looking for basic, timeless pieces that don't go out of style. I've never been one to buy the latest trends, anyways, because trendy stuff, to me, is not a good worthwhile investment.

So I dug through those racks; there were lots of racks. And I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of good conditioned clothing I found. And since we live in an area that is considered "well-to-do," there were lots of name-brand, good quality pieces (Banana Republic, Polo, The Loft, Tommy Hilfiger, J. Crew, Gap, etc., etc.). I started grabbing stuff left and right to try on for size.

I wound up finding some good pieces that weren't tattered or stained and seemed to be like new. I purchased 2 pair of pants (Old Navy; The Limited); 1 cardigan sweater (not a name brand, but still had original sales tags attached); 1 blouse (Gap); and 1 turtle neck (Merona...Target brand; And, yes, I rock the turtle necks...they're timeless, right?). So for those 5 pieces of clothing, I paid a whopping $19.56 (including tax).

It was a lot easier to go thrifting when I sucked up my pride and remembered that I was saving our family money, meeting one of my own needs, and being smart by "reusing/recycling" items that are in good condition (one man's trash is another man's treasure, right?).

I think the key to good thrift shopping is to do it often so that you can grab up the good quality stuff. And since I feel the trip was a success and not a waste, I've got a yearning to check out some of the other local thrift stores to see what cheap treasures I can find.