Thrift Store Shopping - Update

 

I haven't written an update on my Thrift Store Shopping Challenge in awhile because, to be honest, it's no longer a challenge. My closet is now full of clothes I love and every item has been purchased second hand. I have gotten more compliments on my clothes - from friends and strangers - since I have started exclusively buying clothes and accessories second hand. 

That's not to say it hasn't been a challenge. Up until a month ago it was a challenge I tackled with great enthusiasm. 

One weekend in May I went away with some friends and we spent one afternoon at the Outlets - and that is where I was truly put to the test! There were incredible deals, cute clothes and my friends were shopping. It was hard not joining in the fun! They even offered to buy me what I wanted and have me then pay for something non clothing related for them... ha! We women certainly know how to work a system. 

But that afternoon I did stay strong and stuck to my commitment to not buy any clothing or accessories from a store - and I am so proud of myself for that! It encouraged my resolve. And what was once a challenge is no longer a challenge. I am now bored of my challenge to only shop second hand stores and yard sales for myself and the boys because I have found it to be both easy and fun - the challenge is gone.

I have started to think of a new challenge for myself and I am leaning towards following in Rebecca's steps and not buy anything for a year or follow the path of the extreme minimalists and only own a small amount of clothes. I am not able to commit to either challenge quite yet as I have already dropped two pant sizes this year and plan to drop one or two more by the end of this year and out of necessity will need to buy more clothes - but I am playing around with both ideas.

In the mean time I am stocking up on cheap accessories as I find them - once I up the challenge I won't be able to indulge in these little fun finds.

Here are a few fun finds of recent:

Tweed purse by Express - $1.75

Brighton Belt - brand new with $45 tag - paid .75 cents

 Pretty peach colored earrings - $1

Necklace  - $1

10 Ideas to Make More Money

Looking for ways to make money for the $20 Bill Challenge? Or just so you have more money? Here are ten ideas Paul and I have successfully applied either in the past or directly to this challenge.

1. Recreate things that have no value into something valuable.
   Paul is interested in CrossFit and in an effort to create a cost efficient home gym he discovered that truck companies actually pay to dispose of the large truck tires.He called one and asked if he picked up the tires for free. The company was thrilled to comply and told him they had two available. He had no use for more than 1, but on a whim decided to list one on craigslist for $100, toting it as a great tool to use for CrossFit. He sold it. Unfortunately for him this was prior to the $20 bill challenge so it doesn't count for his total in our $20 Bill Challenge, but I think he may repeat this idea.
   We have ideas for a few other things that are considered of no value, but we haven't tested the waters yet, so I'll save those ideas for another time.
   
   
2. Sell the things you own.
   Paul has long been convicted of the idea that we should give away things that we own that we know friends of ours could use or be blessed by - whether it be cars, clothes, toys or furniture - instead of selling the items he likes to give them away. However there are items we have sold because we don't know anyone who could use it. (That iPod Paul sold for $40? He also refurbished a second ipod and gave it to a friend, in the midst of our challenge. I admire his generous heart.)
   Point 3 and 4 are details on venues I have used to sell things.
   
   
3. Craigslist.
   It really works - it is just tricky figuring out what sells in your city, when to post the deal and what price to start at. A year and a half ago I was trying to come up with $1,500 to buy my camera. It was the exact motivation I needed to get selling things on craigslist and within a matter of days I had made over $300 selling items from around the house.
   I had low prices, so I beat out the competition.
   I had well lit images.
   I made myself available anytime of day for 3 days straight to make pick up times easy for the buyer.
   
   
4. Consignment Sales.
    Consignment stores are a great way to get your clothes to a bunch of people who are specifically looking for great deals on second hand clothes (or other items, though I only have experience with clothing) - these shoppers are already in the market for second hand clothes so you just need to figure out what will appeal to the buyer!
   Make sure your items are clean, wrinkle free, in season, stylish and still look great. Consider if you would purchase the item if you saw it on the rack - if it's faded, outdated or screams "Grandma" chances are, unless you are Grandma, you wouldn't buy it. (Chances are also very high that the Consignment store won't accept such items from you - they like to maintain their image too!)
   A few weeks ago I made $56 profit at a local consignment shop- which has been added to my total for the $20 Bill Challenge.
   
   
5. Turn your artistic hobby into money.
   If you already have the supplies and equipment needed to produce something that you could sell do it! Don't hold back because you think you need bigger or better equipment. If you don't think you can make money off your creation then try bartering it. You can approach bartering one of two ways, as outlined in number 8 and 9.
   
   
6. Turn your knowledge into money.
   Figure out what area you are an expert in and use that to make money. This is a great place to apply tip number 10 - creating renewable income. Create patterns, digital tutorials and ebooks - you will put out the effort once to create these and can then continually sell the same product.
   If you are still testing the waters to see if you can actually make cash off of being a self proclaimed expert than try bartering it, as outlined in number 8 and 9.
   
   
7. Turn services into money.
   Think about what services you are capable of doing and what demographic you could market your knowledge to. To serve as a spring board of inspiration you could; do online tutoring, photo shoots, lawn care, minor car maintenance or be a personal fitness instructor.
   These are things that can also be bartered. Check number 8 and 9 for more on that.
   
   
8. BARTERING - Go for Bigger or Better.
   Did you play this game as a youth? You start with an egg and you go door to door asking people if they can offer you something bigger or better. The team that comes back with the biggest or best item wins. You can apply this principle to your money making strategies.This applies to either product based bartering, knowledge based bartering or service based bartering. Make available your offer (product, knowledge or service) - I find craigslist to be the best site for this - and state that you are looking for something in exchange for what you have available. In this situation don't be specific about what you are looking for, but do put a price value to the item you are looking for.
   Sort through the offers you are sent and determine which item will either a) enable you to trade it up for something else bigger or better b) sell for enough money to have made this effort worthwhile or c) falls into what I cover in number 9.
   
   
9. BARTERING -Go for something that is of immediate monetary value to you.
   When bartering having a specific need or want in mind will be an asset if you are looking to acquire things to simplify or better your life. I would caution against being too specific when it comes to stating what you are looking for as there might be similar options available that you aren't aware of and if you're too specific you could miss a great opportunity.
   For example I once listed under the bartering section of Craigslist that I was looking for "Outdoor toys for boys." This was in exchange for a thirty minute photoshoot. Several people contacted me and I picked the toys I thought my boys would enjoy the most. I then saved the toys and gave them to my boys for Christmas - eliminating the need to spend cash on their gift and giving them a gift that I otherwise could not have afforded.
   If you have already budgeted money to spend on gifts or household items and you figure out how to barter something you have to get those items for free I think you can pay yourself the budgeted money and add it to the $20 Bill Challenge!
   
   
10. Create Renewable Income.
    Find a way to make money without trading your time for money - selling photography on stock sites, writing article, selling ebooks or patterns.
    I probably shouldn't even mention this as I have put very little effort into this, but even my very little effort has paid off so I shall mention it - though feeling a little bit of a hypocrite! I signed up with an online how-to site a couple years ago and spent about ten minutes a day for the next two weeks submitting articles. I have occasionally submitted others since then, but with no consistency. With my half hearted effort I have made over $150 in two years. Not a lot of money stretched over two years, but considering what a pathetic effort I put into it (about 4 hours I would estimate) it is worth while!
    

The safe way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket.  ~Frank Hubbard

Participating in the $20 Bill Challenge? I would love to hear about it!

The $20 Bill Challenge

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A Thrift Store Secret

Here is a secret I have discovered: local business donate their previous seasons items that haven't sold in their store to second hand stores. All of Big Lots Christmas surplus is currently sitting at our local Salvation Army (oddly enough, priced higher than Big Lots final discount of 80% off). Our local Goodwill is the home of Joanne Fabrics extra Christmas surplus (again - priced higher than Joanne's final discount price of 90% off!) 

The Salvation Army has also had a large stock of brand new rugs, undershirts, shoes and books - I am not sure which store any of those come from but the volume of identical, brand new items tells me they must have been donated by a store. A quick Google search told me the rugs were 50% off, the undershirts 75% off, shoes 75% off and books about 90% off. 

And most recently The Salvation Army has become the new home for Catherines Plus Size Clothing Store's extra jewelry - all brand new and marked down by 80% - 95%.

I only picked up these two pairs of earrings priced at $1 and $1.25 each as I don't really need bracelets or necklaces, but I have been thrilled with this realization about brand new items being donated by local businesses. And at the same time I am realizing how important it is to know your prices. While the Christmas items are a great price they were considerably cheaper at the stores themselves. The rugs and shoes and undershirts at 50% - 75% off are only mediocre deals. You can easily find the same deals at stores like TJMax or Ross.

I am developing a great relationship with the workers at our local Thrift Store and I plan on asking them if there is a certain day or month that tends to get more business donations so I can be over there checking them out with great frequency - I wonder if coming up on tax time encourages more generous donations from businesses?

Best Foot Forward

 

While I have been a little slow in updating about my goal for only shopping thrift stores throughout 2010 I have remained true to my goal with great success through the first month of my challenge. Between my sister and my purchases I have many more articles of clothing to photograph! 

Shoes are such an iffy subject when it comes to second hand shopping. I am in the group of people that think it is ok to buy shoes from thrift stores or yard sales so long as they are either brand new or barely worn. 

Finding brand new shoes can be a challenge - finding them in the right size and style is even more difficult! Our local thrift store seems to have oodles of cute, brand new shoes in size 7 and size 12. As a size 9 they are completely useless to me.

Over the last month my sister and I have each found two pairs of shoes that we liked enough to buy. The pair in the top picture are Steve Madden shoes - they aren't something I would normally buy but for $1 and in near-new condition I couldn't pass them up.

These are my sister's - they cost her $2 and originally sell for $80.

This is her other pair - Steve Madden closed toe shoes. She paid $8 at our "expensive" thrift store, but they were something she really wanted. They retail for $80.

And finally these brown suede shoes for myself for $5- with two active boys I have found myself drawn to flats over the last couple years. They're both functional and cute.

I have made an album of Thrift Store Finds to document our finds over this year. The album can be viewed HERE. 

What about you - what are your thoughts on buying shoes second hand?

Thrift Store Finds and Being Picky

 Sweater dress - $4

I have always been a casual thrift store/yard sale clothes shopper and when I started to follow various blogs where people highlighted their own fabulous frugal finds I always thought my own local thrift stores lacked the class, prices and variety of everyone elses thrift stores.

I am here to tell you that it isn't true.

And to tell those of you who think my thrift store is unique and better than yours - that likely isn't true either!

Men's dress shirt - $4

The day my sister and I bought over $1,200 worth of clothes - many of which were brand new with price tags - for a total of $60 we spent TWO HOURS looking through the racks of clothes.

She was looking for clothes for herself and for me and I was looking for clothes for myself and her - so we had two people looking for two hours each for clothes.

Not only does shopping with a sister or friend enable you to find items you may have over looked, but it also offers (what should be!) an honest second opinion on what clothes flatter and what clothes do not flatter.

Just because you find a fabulous name brand item for a few dollars does not mean you need to buy it! To me, shopping second hand affords you to be extremely picky about the clothes that you wear.

• The garment should be well made - knowing good brand names is a great starting point for this. Quite often I google clothing brands on my phone if I don't recognize them.
• The clothes need to have minimal to no wear showing on them. It is amazing the amount of nice, brand new with store tag items can be found!
  
• Walmart brand and Ann Taylor shirts all sell for the same price (at least at our local thrift stores!) Knowing this, I have decided that there's no reason to be buying anything but brand name clothes.
• Make sure to buy clothes that truly flatter and fit you well right now. This has been especially hard for me lately as I have been losing weight and it is so hard to not buy clothes that I want to fit into! But the reality is, there will always be fabulous clothes at the thrift store and I really don't want to clutter up my closet with clothes I'm not currently wearing.

I have been so encouraged to hear that my challenge for myself this year to buy clothes only from thrift stores has encouraged some of you to check out your local thrift stores!! I love hearing those stories, so do let me know if you pick up some great finds!

Tommy Hilfiger jeans - $5 

Thrift Store Shopping Spree and New Years Goal

I don't generally make personal goals for each New Year - not because I don't have goals, but because I have never thought of anything interesting enough to say "this is my New Years goal."

Paul and I set lofty financial goals at the beginning of 2009 and we're both thrilled that we exceeded those goals. And we're doing it again in 2010. But those are "us" goal, not a personal goal.

The past couple of weeks I have been inspired with an idea that I have decided to turn into a goal for 2010 -

To buy all of my clothes from the thrift store or yard sales.

I know I have linked to her a lot lately, but Jen has been a true inspiration for this goal!! Check this link for all her Frugal Fashionista posts to check out some of her great finds!!

On top of that, all of my children's clothes will come from those places and - I am so excited about this - my sister, who is living with us for five months, has agreed to participate too!

I already buy the majority of our clothes second hand, but it will be a challenge to be exclusively a thrift store/yard sale shopper!!

There are a few exceptions I have set for myself;

1. Undergarments will be bought brand new from a store.

2. Same with bathing suits.

3. If I get a gift card to a store I can buy clothes with the gift card (but chances are I'll use it for household items).

My shoes, purses and accessories all need to be second hand too. I am super picky about those things and don't wear used shoes or worn purses but over this past year I have discovered incredible brand new shoes and purses at yard sales or thrift stores. I feel confident making those a part of my goal because my closet has enough of both to get me through 2010 even if I don't find any second hand.

I am going to get rid of a piece of clothing for each piece I bring home - I don't like excessive clutter and that goes for my wardrobe too (though looking at it right now you wouldn't know it!!)

The point of my goal is:

1. To save money

2. To 'live green.'

3. To spruce up my wardrobe (I'll show you soon - I can't afford the regular price of the clothes I am buying!)

4. Just to see if I can do it.

and finally,

5. To encourage others to look at their clothing purchases differently.

Like I said earlier, my sister is living with us and she has agreed to this challenge for the next 5 months. I took her to our thrift store a few days ago to introduce her to its treasures - she is already a thrift store lover, but she also likes to shop at the mall. I think I have converted her. We found amazing deals between the two of us - a lot of the items were brand new with tags (BNWT) and we added those up and googled the items without a price tag and the low ball value of the items we bought was $1,240! We spent $60 that day.

The dress at the top of this post was one of the treasures - it still had the original store price tag of $70 on it!

This purse was there - it is a BNWT Liz Claiborn purse and has a $29 price tag on it.

This silk sweater had a $78 price tag.

I would never pay the original price for these clothes, but I will gladly pay the $1.99-$4.99 that the Thrift Store charges!

Over the last few days I have been thinking about how this goal could be turned into something that honors God and use it as a ministry for others. I have a few ideas I am praying about and considering. I'll see how the Lord leads in that way as it would be exciting to me to share these deals with others.

*Note: Paul is extremely hard to find clothes for, even at full price, which is why I am not including his clothes in this challenge. But as much as is possible his clothes will be second hand.