Monday, April 6, 2009

adventures in thrift store shopping

A few weekends ago, Saturday morning for me meant another day of mother-daughter bonding and thrifty shopping. I was awakened by the ring of my cell at 8:30 a.m. and my mother's impending request for some spontaneous thrift store shopping. In my groggy state of sleep-deprivation, I initially wasn't sure that I was up for the hunt (I think I may have rolled over). However, in the end, the call to the sales (and some time with my mom) won me over.

My best find of
the weekend would be found at the Salvation Army's store on South Campbell - they were having a 50% off sale on all clothing. Can I just say that I love those days? They make me feel even better about buying, and I'm more likely to jump on the thrifty bandwagon if I know that I'm getting an even better bargain than I would on any other day. Why can't retail stores get this concept and drastically slash prices? I've always thought they'd sell more at lower prices....

My frugal fashion find of the day was a mid-weight black Esprit trench coat with adorable contrast stitching and a fabric tie belt at the waist for only $3.50! In addition, I got a great black ribbed turtleneck that was like new for just $.50 - I had been needing one of these, too. Basic, but essential.

I've had better shopping days, but any bargain is a good one. Afterall, the things that make up a home are everything from housewares to the things that stock our closets and keep us looking fashionable. Being fabulously frugal doesn't mean that you have to be frumpy though - great fashion finds can be found hiding within the often mis-matched racks of thrift store finds. It's a great adventure and is such a reward when a new bargain is found!

If you're into online shopping,
Goodwill has recently picked up on the online auction trend and has their own eBay-like site where you can bid on items that support Goodwill's mission services. Why not go thrifty and be charitable all at the same time? Seems like a win-win to me.