I've been trying to cut back a little bit on how often I go to Salvation Army and Goodwill. I could honestly spend an hour there every single day and not get tired of going. However, Chase and I are pretty dedicated to our budget, so I try to find other things to do instead. Like going to the library. My thrift store budget each month is fifteen dollars, which goes surprisingly far at a thrift store. Since I've started blogging and reading other blogs regularly, it surprises/shocks me how much some people are able to spend on clothing. Even if I were single and working a high paying job, I don't think I could justify buying brand new clothing multiple times each week. Growing up my dad made good money, and I would say we were/are a solid middle-class family, but they still instilled frugality and creativity in us. Whenever I outgrew clothes and told my mom I needed new jeans, she would take me to Goodwill and help me find jeans there. When I thirteen and fourteen years old, I used to be embarrassed to wear second-hand clothes when all my friends shopped at Kohls and Gap, but now that I'm older I look back and see the wisdom in my parents' lifestyle. I love, love, love it when somebody compliments my clothing and I say, "oh this old thing? I paid three dollars at the thrift store for it." I actually don't think I've ever said that before. But I would. Totally. Which is why Salvation Army and I are tight.
Here are some recent treasures that I've found.
Heels from Target -- $3.99.
They are PERFECT for my sister's wedding. Her only requirement is that we wear nude/tannish heels, so I was thrilled to find these. Also, I have never worn platform heels before, but they really are so much easier to walk in than regular heels because your foot isn't at as strong of an angle.
J Crew brand shirt -- $1.50.
I honestly haven't worn this shirt yet. I can't figure out what to wear it with, because I feel just a tiny bit pregnant when I wear it. Which I'm not. Knock on wood. I guess I can't quite get into the JCrew fad. It's a cute shirt, but I don't feel like it fits me great. Maybe I'm just a weird size.
Burgundy Leather Belt -- $.23
Oh yes, this belt was 50% off of its original price of forty-six cents. I snagged that sucker up. Belts are usually too big for me. Surprise. So I was happy to find this thin leather belt.
Now that July is almost over and we're starting a new budget, I will be returning to my love of thrifting. Hooray.