Picture This

In 1991 a co-worker who usually wore jeans showed up on her day off in a pretty rose colored two piece skirt and jacket. She was heading to her mother in law’s funeral and stopped by to pick up her check. When I commented on how nice she looked so told me she had purchased the outfit just for the funeral and had bought it at Goodwill. I went to the store she recommended and was amazed. I saw on the wall two matching dresses that looked to be in the size for my daughter and myself. These are the dresses in the cover photo. They obviously had been for a wedding but we wore them on Easter Sunday to church. We also wore them later in a fashion show.

Prior to this last time I had been inside of a Goodwill store was about 8 years earlier. It was musky, dusty, dark, dank, and smelled like mold. The clothing was in bins that had no labeling, rhyme, or reason. Almost all of the items were faded or had tears and I could not get out of their fast enough. This time around the store was bright and clean and the clothing was in sections so that you could easily shop.It looked just like a retail store. The dress in the above picture was cool cotton, cost $2.50 and I wore it often that summer.

The above pant suit cost only $6.00. That’s the most I ever paid for myself in the thrift stores. Dresses ranged from$2.50 to $4.50 over time. Two piece suits such as the red one in the following picture were $5.00. Sometimes there would be sales based on the color of the tag on a clothing item. You can get up to 75% off and that’s an even greater bargain.

I also at times found items for my husband. Im the next photo he is wearing a jacket that I purchased for him in the age. It was brand new with the tag still on it and I got it for $6.00. I later saw an identical jacket in a retail store for $29.99. I felt as though I had made out like a bandit.

One of my favorite finds is the black dress in the following image. I got it at a sale and only paid $2.00 at the Rescue Misdion thrift store.The scarf and earrings I am wearing were only a dollar each. I received so many compliments from those who assumed I had spent a lot of money.

The blouse and leather skirt in the next picture were purchased at a Salvation Army thrift store. They were $4.00 each and again I revived many compliments. That’s the beauty of taking your time and finding what works just for you. No one even suspected that theses items were second hand.

When my husband and I decided to go to a local beach a few years back I could not find my swimsuit ftom the previous summer. I went to a Goodwill that was located near our home at the time and hit this bathing suit for only $3.00.

The blue dress in the next photo was worth it’s money many times over. I purchased this at a Salvation Army thrift store for $3.50. I wore it to the beach one day over my swimsuit. After that O wore it around the house or in the yard when I wanted something comfortable. There were a few nights I slept in it and I kept this dress for many years.

The black bathing suit that I’m wearing In the next photo was purchased at Goofwill during a swimwear sale. I only paid $1.75 for it and I was so hapoy to get a picture wearing it.

The dress I’m wearing at the beach was very comfortable and cost only $3.00 at Goodwill. My husband loved me to wear this around the house and told me often that it showed off my teenager legs.

Both of the suits in the next photo came from Goodwill. Mine was $6.50 and my husband’s was $10.00. Ed were elated to find matching outfits for such a bargain. We believe these outfits looked just as good as those we paid full price for at retail stores.

I highly recommend thrifty shopping because it’s fun. I know women who do it as a hobby to find name brands for less. I have found brand names on occasion but I shop at thrift stores for 2 main reasons. I enjoy purchasing something really nice for less money and I love the thrill of matching the clothing with items I have at home and creating a new ensemble.