Around once every other month, I purchase an article of clothing for work. I don’t spend more than $20 or $30 and this purchase cycle generally keeps up with the speed I wear out clothing. I would likely be tempted to purchase more but my husband and I share an 8 foot wide closet. There is only so much clothing I can squeeze into 4 feet of space – trust me, I’ve tried.
This cycle has always worked for me… until now.
My washer stained a huge load of clothing. When all you own is three pairs of business slacks and the washer wipes one out, your wardrobe is suddenly reduced by 33%.
I think my washer is out to get me.
My budget is slim this month thanks to Hutch’s aftercare (we’re paying cash for all his aftercare to avoid financing it) and I robbed my clothing budget. Not exactly the best time for my washer to be vengeful.
My husband would have understood if I asked to take some money from our debt payment this month so I could buy new clothes but based on the ratio of income to spending this month, that’s not a good idea. So… I decided to go to Goodwill and shop for clothes.
I have never shopped for clothing at a thrift store. Why? Because thrift store shopping requires a huge dose of patience mixed with equal parts humility.
I have neither.
I won’t lie to you and say it was just like shopping at Macy’s. But the staff was sweet and kind (definitely not Macy’s!) and helped me locate the sections I should start looking in. I found two skirts I can wear to work and a cute Hawaiian skirt for $2.99! My total bill? $12.97.
As weird as it is to say… I’m going to rotate Goodwill into my shopping. Check out my goods!
Have you shopped at a thrift store? What’d you think?
On a side note – Hutch is getting a little better each day. He still sleeps on his back to keep the pressure off his poor tummy but the swelling has gone down drastically in the last 2 days. Whew!
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Nice finds! I grew up shopping at thrift stores, so I don’t feel embarrassed. BUT, I am often too impatient. My mom, who loves to shop, will spend HOURS and often comes home with incredible stuff.
I live very modestly in an upscale suburb. I love the Goodwill Stores around here because they have FANTASTIC things! I have a Columbia rain parka that would not have been in the budget had I paid full price. I purchased 2 brand-new pairs of Lee denim slacks with the original tags still on! I can wear these to work. My teenager can wear trendy name brand items at a fraction of the original price. She’s not obsessed with it but she still appreciates the occasional ‘in’ item. And my husband has a Brooks Brothers sports coat that we paid less than $10 for. My funniest Goodwill story is when my daughter needed to be a ‘street urchin’ in a play, I went to Goodwill to get her a brown skirt. I bet she was the only urchin with a Donna Karan wool skirt! I would encourage everyone to give Goodwill a try, especially if you live in or near a wealthier part of town.
You and your husband are great at sticking to the plan. Thats half the battle of getting out of debt. Just like the other day instead of going out to dinner you guys made what was in the house and it turned out great plus saved money. I’m glad Hutch is doing a lot better.
I use Salvation Army all the time for my family of 5. It’s incredible. I have found the most amazing clothing there. Let’s see… I bought a perfect Searle shearling coat for $15. I bought my husband a gorgeous, perfect Joseph Abboud suit for $25. I’ve found Brooks brothers shirts, pants and blazers. Also, brand new Levi’s jeans, shirts, sweaters, bathing suits, winter coats. It’s been so great that I now shop there before I go anywhere else.
I feel good leaving with those clothes. It’s cheaper, greener, and smarter than buying new. Not to mention, we look better!
We don’t have a good will in our area, but I love shopping at thrift stores. It definitely takes patience because there’s so much to sift through, so I like going with a friend so we can talk as we flip through the racks. I love picking up designer shirts for $2-5 dollars.
We don’t have any Good Wills in our area, but there are many other chains of thrift stores which offer a lot of variety in terms of the type of clothing and merchandise available. This is also my favorite way to buy books (usually $0.10-0.50).
I’m glad you’ve gotten a taste for thrifting and I hope you make more great discoveries.
Sometimes you can score some sweet deals at thrift stores, especially in better neighborhoods where the clientele regularly purchase goods at higher end stores. I’ve score a cute khaki blazer for $4 at the Goodwill before. The only thing that I really stay clear of is shoes. It just grosses me out, because I know how much my own feet can tear up some things
But yes, if you have the patience for thrift store clothes shopping, your wallet will love you! 
Oh I’ve always loved shopping at thrift stores! I am sucker for vintage so I go to thrift stores quite often. The amount of high quality, expensive things you can find at a cheap, cheap price is astounding. My all time favorite score is a long 100% cashmere coat for $15 (they usually retail for over $500).
Keep in mind that thrift stores, just like retail stores, have sales so I would check their website.
Don’t stop at thrift stores, start exploring consignment too! You find great deals there on very high end design brands in great shape. I am a fashion diva and just found a great pair of Dolce and Gabbana jeans from last season for $30, originally well over hundreds of dollars.
Clothing depreciates in value so fast, it’s like buying a car: NEVER BUY NEW!
I’ve come to realize that ANYTHING that depreciates in value is NOT worth buying new. You can buy furniture, home accessories, and clothing on consignment (although, I wouldn’t buy a used mattress). You can buy refurbished computers, cell phones and gadgets. All the money you save can be reinvested into wealth or your debt or a home or a business.
This could be a new challenge for you: see how long you can go without out paying the depreciation costs for any purchased items. That would save you a ton of money.
We have a Goodwill, a Salvation Army, and a couple smaller thrift stores within walking distance. I haven’t ventured into the smaller ones yet, but I love to wander the Goodwill and Salvation Army while my clothes are washing or drying at the laundromat on the same block. Goodwill tends to be a bit more expensive, but there are clothes are in much better order. Just be sure to really inspect what you’re buying. I have a tendency to fall for something with a stain or a rip, purchase it, and never put the energy into fixing it.
I shop at the DAV, and Goodwill stores a lot it helps out our budget and for kids cloths that are going to be grown out of or get the tar wore out of them this and garage sale are definitely the way to go. Glad to hear Hutch is doing better poor guy! Thanks for the update!
I think your purchases were amazing—the skirts look a lot like some I’ve seen at Urban Outfitters or Anthropologie.
Way to go and I’m so happy Hutch is feeling a little better!
I love thrift stores…i also love macys but I’ve found that I’m much HAPPIER with my purchases from the thrift stores!
I’m glad Hutch is improving!
Thrift stores are wonderful! My entire work wardrobe came either directly from thrift stores, or indirectly through yarns, fabrics and patterns found at thrift stores
The ONLY things I buy new are undergarments and footwear. My two best finds to date are:
A taupe linen three-piece suit (slacks, skirt, jacket), store tags still on, originally over $200 – I paid $5.00.
A sage green London Fog microfibre trench coat, full length, store tags still on, originally over $300 – I paid $4.00!
Wait hold on a sec! Do you know what the stain is? Did you set it in with the dryer or did you catch it before it went through? I’ve gotten out some pretty wicked stains (at least to the point where I’m the only one that can see them). My “ink pen in the dryer” would have wiped out my entire work pants supply had I not learned that fingernail polish remover can get it out. Worst that can happen is you wreck them, but they’re useless now so who cares? Google around see what you get.
You could also try and take them to a good dry cleaner. It’ll cost a couple of bucks, but if it works it’ll be cheaper than new cloths. Give ‘em a crack at one item and see how they do.
So, I’ve been going to Goodwill lately because I dropped 10 pounds and stuff isn’t fitting anymore (and I donated all my old clothes last year. Doh!). But I don’t want to buy new b/c the Huz is still unemployed. So I bought 3 pairs of jeans at Goodwill and they are all good quality. A pair of Plastic (which are like $80-100 new), Vigoss, and Gap 1969. I even saw a pair of Paper, Denim, Cloth jeans but they were too tight (oh well). I also picked up a wide braided belt which is a little big but I use a bobby pin in the back to secure the slack. Honestly, I think Goodwill might be my first stop for specific clothing before buying something new.
I’m so glad your dog is doing better! We love our babies, i mean pets, don’t we!
I just started work at the Salvation Army Thrift Store (part-time employment), and am amazed at what comes in and out our doors. We are so picky about what is accepted and have people complaining we’re throwing things out that some could use, but until we get the recycling program running, that’s the way it is.
May I suggest that you even begin volunteering, as then you get to see everything that comes in the doors. You’ll be blessed by the generosity of some, and making a difference in the lives of others.
I LOVE the men’s consignment store in La Jolla! I regularly pick up Tommy Bahama shirts for $15-20. That’s the only way I can own ‘em!
Love the pink skirt!!!!!!! A new, larger Good Will just opened in CT right over the NY/CT border. It’s HUGE and ALWAYS busy. I love browsing… and like a previous poster said…you can buy books for $.050 to $1.00.
Ok….about the CHICKEN PUFF recipe????
Thanks, and glad your dog is on the mend…he is so cute!
I shop at Goodwill for tablescaping stuff since it’s a hobby of mine. Just a few things to add to the tables to make them pretty without breaking the bank. I did buy a chandelier for my apartment for $4.99 there-it works great. They had an outlet for one but didn’t have any lighting installed. It cost me more for the dimmer switch, lol! I’ve never purchased clothing there though.
As a general rule, I don’t think it’s a great idea to shop at thrift stores for work clothes-work is how you make your living and how you present yourself is important. I think a better way is to purchase fewer items of clothing but a higher quality so they last longer-that is more frugal to me. That way, a person still can look the part, so to speak. By purchasing some basic, high quality clothing pieces in a neutral palette, you can stretch the budget.
For me, the things that I think are important in terms of spending money are things related to employment (education and clothing), things to sustain good health and/or disease prevention (high quality food, typically organic, tools/equipment to make good food and store food (no BPA or toxins), exercise-whether it’s a gym membership, equipment or just good gym shoes) and/or good healthcare. The rest is a matter of taste-meaning whether you want to live in a nicer place, drive a nicer car, etc.
Glad to hear Hutch is on the mend:)
In theory, I don’t mind shopping in thrift stores, but since I’m wear plus-size clothing, it’s really difficult for me to find clothes in my size that I would actually consider wearing.
Glad you joined the thrift store club! You definitely need patience, but look at the cute skirts you walked away with!!
I find a lot of my work-clothes at Goodwill & another (local) thrift store. I think a lot of people buy professional clothes and rotate theirs out by donating, so they’re only lightly worn (and around here, a lot of those people donate to Goodwill – also, our Goodwills organize by size and color – which makes shopping easier). And then, if you find after a few months you don’t really wear something very much, you’re out a few bucks, donate it back and the cycle continues.
Great to hear that the dog is doing better!
I love your blog – what an inspiration! As for the topic, I’ve been thrift-store shopping since I was little! Now that I’m older (if not wiser) I get why my mom took us there for back-to-school shopping. Once you have kids, garage sales and thrift shops will be a lifesaver. Otherwise, you’ll constantly be buying new clothes for kids that grow like weeds!
Other items I’ve gotten from thrift shops and garage sales that worked wonderfully: never-used appliances (only when they’re in the box), candles or decorations (if you’re a basket collector, garage sales are great), simple furniture like side tables or shelves, and of course, clothes. Things I’ll never get from thrift shops or garage sales (but people try to sell them anyway): old or no-name/no-box appliances, hair accessories, makeup, body products, fish tanks, TVs (you just have be wary of those, really), and other unmentionables.
I walked into Goodwill to donate some stuff and walked out of Goodwill with a seamless old-pink Armani sweater for 4.99 in perfect condition. It was worth the 30 minutes spent there..
90% of my wardrobe is bought on consignment or from used clothing stores (GoodWill, Sally Ann, Value Village) – and all pieces are designer!
It’s allowed me to drop my annual clothing budget significantly without sacrificing style. This in turn lets me put even more money towards debt!
To get inspired, I read fashion magazines in the checkout line (I don’t buy them), or browse the mall for outfit ideas.
It’s fun and is like a game once you learn to be a little more patient. I find browsing consignment and thrift stores to be some of the most relaxing times – so much unlike the mall!
Are there people who still shop, and pay, retail? I buy almost all of our clothing and household items from goodwill, value village, salvation army, etc. Great, unique items, at fabulous prices.
Good for the environment, good for the pocketbook, and good for your style.
It’s win-win-win .. but shhhhh, we don’t want the secret to get out !
Probably 80% of my wardrobe comes from Goodwill! And I’m a 21 year old college student…so I still have to look cute. It’s totally doable! And I’m addicted at this point. I think I’ll shop like this forever.