My Summer Haul Cont. & Other Random Thrift Purchases

So my last thrift haul post got such an overwhelming response! Thank you all so much for the feedback, I really enjoyed reading all the comments :) One thing that I did notice was a lot of people asking where I thrift and that is at my good ol’ neighborhood Goodwill, lol. The Goodwill store that I go to is about 15 minutes from my house and it opened at the beginning of summer. I am not quite sure how I survived before it because every time I go into that store I always find at least one thing that I like. So here are just a few more items that I bought during the summer and a couple that I’ve bought recently…

I actually bought this at the vintage store called The Attic towards the beginning of this year, it is one of the most unique looking bags I own & it was only $4.oo!

Both of the above bags were $3.oo

$6.oo

If you couldn’t already tell from my other thrift haul post, I have an obsession with knitted cardigans lol, this one was $4.oo

$7.oo

A close up of the funky pattern on this dress

$7.oo

A close up of the cute neckline 

I was so happy when I found these shoes because I can never find my size at thrift stores but I got lucky this time and they were only $7.oo! (I know what you are thinking...why are the shoes on my bed?! lol)

And of course a pair of fabulous $1.95 vintage earrings to be added to my collection :)

Another thing I noticed people said in the comments in my last thrift haul post was that I was really good at thrifting so for that I say thank you! That is a really high compliment to me :) But I am here to tell ya’ll that anybody can have great success when it comes to thrifting…here are 5 tips that I live buy when I go to vintage/thrift stores:

1.   If I want a baggy sweater/cardigan, I head straight to the men’s sweater section! That is where I find 80% of the sweaters I buy because I absolutely love the fit and the patterns that are on men’s sweaters. The maroon sweater in this post & the mustard yellowish sweater with the appliqués in my last thrifting post were both found in the women’s section at Goodwill but all the other sweaters I have are from the men’s section!

2.  I check out the purses before I look for anything else & I look at the women’s tops section last. Now, I am not quite sure why I do that but all I know is I can be in a thrift store for hours at times so before I get a massive headache and go cross-eyed from staring at blouses upon blouses I like to check out the purses.

3.   I always have an idea of the type of clothing I want and the looks that I am going for. If you walk into a thrift store or a vintage store with absolutely no idea what you like then you will either be in there forever, buy things you won’t wear, or leave empty handed. I peruse magazines, websites, and other mediums for clothing that I am attracted to before I go to thrifting just so I have an idea of what I like and what I want. This tends to cut down my shopping time (most of the time).

4.   I try not to take the clothes I see at face value, I try to picture how they will look with other pieces in my wardrobe. This method has proven very successful for me especially when I’m dealing with the bigger sections of thrift store such as the female tops section…for anyone who has gone thrifting I think it is safe to say that going through all those blouses in the women’s section can be very annoying, intimidating, & tiring. However, I do try to look at each piece of clothing one at a time and while I look at each top, I try to see if it can fit in my wardrobe. Of course there are some pieces that are so hideous that not even Kate Moss could pull off wearing them; however, some pieces may look bad at first but upon further inspection turn out to be quite nice! So don’t settle with a single glance, take some time and really inspect the articles of clothing you look at.

5.   I believe someone actually said this in their comment they left on my other thrift post; if I have an off day in the clothing department, I always go to the jewelry section! Nine times out of ten I am able to find a pair of killer earrings and it makes up for the frustration I may be feeling if I can’t find anything clothing or shoes.

There isn't a 'right' or 'wrong' way to thrift, this just happens to be my method and it has worked for me thus far! I hope my tips help :)

1.   

My Summer Haul

So I must say, I was pretty lucky this summer when it came to thrifting. I found a lot of good deals on things that I really needed. Here are a few of my favorite purchases...

Both about $4.oo each

$3.oo

 (This is actually a bag my sister bought but I think it was such great find, I had to post a picture of it.)

 My new book bag for school :) $4o.oo

$4.oo

This is a scarf in case you couldn’t tell lol. $3.oo

Both $4.oo each

$3.oo

$7.oo

I will be posting a couple more pictures later. Also I wanted to let everyone know that I will be starting classes tomorrow (I'm entering my 2nd year of college!). I don’t think they will affect the amount I will be posting since I don’t do posts everyday anyways, but I definitely plan on providing ya’ll with some more GOOD GOOD throughout the school year!

How To Stay Fly On A Dime

Looking good ain’t cheap for some. But for the lucky bunch who have a keen eye for style & who are able to find brilliant pieces in unlikely places, it is very possible to look good while keeping that bank account looking good as well. I am a self-proclaimed bargain huntress, I refuse to spend more than I need to on key pieces in my wardrobe, yet I understand that there are certain things a girl has to splurge on every now and then. Luckily, that is the beauty of shopping smart; when you find something pricey that you want to purchase chances are you will be able to afford it because of the money saving techniques you’ve been practicing all along. There are some different ways to stay fly on a dime in this world we live in. 

1. Don’t be too proud to go to the clearance rack. I understand that some people like to keep up with the trends and couldn’t fathom the idea of wearing anything “from last season”; HOWEVER I am pleased to report that I am most definitely not one of those people. If I like it, I buy it. If it fits me well, I rock it. If it’s from “last season”, who cares? Honestly, if something looks smashing on you, no one is going to care where you got it from, how much it was, or when you got it. As long as you’ve got that confidence to back that outfit up, nobody can say anything to you. 

2. Try a thrift store/vintage store. I have an unhealthy obsession with thrift stores because I have gotten so lucky at those places. Nothing quite compares to finding an incredible piece of clothing that fits you like a glove for only $1.99. I love rummaging so the time it takes to go through the clothes at thrift stores does not bother me at all. I would say the most important rule of thrifting is just be patient. You may go to one and leave with ten bags in tow…or you may go to one and leave empty handed. These places are so hit & miss, you just have to keep going until you find things you like and trust me, once that happens you will have difficulty trying to stop. Vintage stores are similar to thrift stores in the sense that the items once belonged to someone else. However, vintage stores do tend to be pricier than thrift stores because most vintage stores sort through the clothes that are donated and choose the clothes they feel reflect their stores ‘image’ and which clothes they feel will sell. Most thrift stores sell the majority of what is donated. 

3. Always keep an eye out for special deals. Some stores advertise special deals for certain customers. For example, last week Urban Outfitters announced their last chance $5 sale to their fans on facebook first and then to everyone else. I know of other stores who also have similar special deals for online members and frequent shoppers and blah blah blah. Even if you aren’t any of these things this information is not impossible to find, you just have to do a little snooping. 

4. Always look online when dealing with pricier purchases. Nine times out of ten there is somewhere else that is selling what you want for a cheaper price. Of course no one wants to drive around looking for these places so your best bet is to go online and compare prices. However you must be extremely careful for fraudulent websites and for fake merchandise. Only order things from trusted websites, and if you feel leery about a certain website you are looking to order something from then don’t do it. 

5. If you want to make an impulsive purchase, go home, sleep on it, & come back for it later. This has to be the most useful piece of advice my mother ever gave me and it has saved me so much money & buyer’s remorse. If I see something rather pricey that I impulsively want but don’t really need, I don’t buy it at first. I go home, sleep, and if I am still thinking about whatever it is the next day or the day after that and if I have enough money to buy it then I go back and get it. If I forgot about it or decided that I didn’t really need it or that I could get something cheaper somewhere else then I just leave it alone.

There are several other methods one can use to keep that wallet fat, but these are the things that I've done and that have been working for me so far. You don't have to make your own Chanel bag out of a brown paper bag, you just might find one in a thrift store for ten bucks. Looking good is not a luxury people, just about anyone can stay fly on a dime.
Photo Credit: JakandJil.com