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We thank you for taking the time to visit our blog.

My husband and I are a young, growing, Christian, military family. My husband is a Captain in The United States Marine Corps. I am a former Elementary school teacher. We are first time parents to a beautiful little two year old boy, with twin boys on the way! I am a stay at home Marine wife, who loves to bake, cook, sew and craft! I enjoy being a Domestic Engineer. The purpose of this blog is to document the story of our life and adventures as they take place.


We are honored to be serving our country and ask for prayer in our upcoming adventures. We have been blessed tremendously, and thank God everyday for all he has given us!

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Friday, July 27, 2012

Let's Go Thrifting ! ! !



More and more people are shopping at Thrift Stores these days. With the rising cost of gasoline, groceries, bills and everyday living, at the end of the day there isn't much mullah left to spend on ourselves. Money doesn't grow on trees. It also doesn't come easy, especially in this economy.  Which is why I believe it is important to try and save money wherever we can. 

The Duggar's have a rule; "Buy used and save the difference." what a great concept!  I'll admit I don't buy everything at Thrift Stores and Consignment Shops. I do enjoy treating myself to a nice gift from a department store. However, I just love the hunt! The thrill of bargain shopping at a Thrift Store! You wouldn't believe the name brand clothing items I have found while Thrifting! Ann Taylor, Talbots, Ann Taylor Loft, White House Black Market and Banana Republic are among some of the designer label treasures this thrifty gal has come across. :)


Here are some photos of my latest thrift store finds from last Friday. I want you to know, I bought all of the following clothing items and at the end of the day my grand total came to $35.82 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You probably could not buy one shirt for that price at the mall! I was such a happy camper!!

I love this outfit combo! The linen yellow jacket is from Ann Taylor. It will look great dressed up like in this photo or dressed down with a pair of dark denim blue jeans! The little black dress is from Talbots and it came with an adorable black jacket.

This was so cute and retro, that I just had to have it! It looks like it is from the 70's, but it is actually from H&M. It was new with the original tags still on it! H&M had priced it at $39.50. The thrift store had priced it at $14.00, but it was Friday and on Friday's everything with a blue tag is 1/2 off. That's right Ladies and Gents .   .   .
I scored this dress for SEVEN BUCKS!!

This black tank was a bargain and this orange skirt is actually a golfing skirt. Still new with the original tags on it!


Okay, so after a day of thrifting I ran through Target and picked up this bright and cheery little tunic for only $5.00! Not from a thrift, but still a steal! I already had the leggings. I love this type of outfit. Perfect for me as a busy Mama with a toddler on the go!

Same tank from before and this adorable skirt was only $2.00!! Brand new with the original tags still on it! It was an overstock of merchandise that a store donated to my favorite thrift store. Not a name brand, but still cute, cute cute!!

Here we have the same tank from above and another $2.00 skirt from the same company as the white skirt pictured above!

And last but not least, this sassy little ruffly dress! My Mom actually found this one for me. It looks great with leggings for the fall or without for the summer! Perfect for a fun date night with my Marine!!


So, I completely draw the line at buying any kind of underwear, bras or socks at thrift stores. Just my rule .  .  . no judgement. :)
I just feel some things shouldn't be shared.

 I stumbled upon the following rules for thrifting while blog hopping one afternoon. I have adopted them as my own!

Know Where You’re Going:


The one question I’m constantly, constantly asked is “how do I find a good thrift store?” It’s really trial and error, regardless of where you live. Start by checking with national chains like Goodwill and Salvation Army to see if one’s in your area. And I really love the site TheThriftShopper.com, where you enter your zip code to find secondhand shops near you.

Love Thy Neighbor:
I won’t lie, some thrifting environments can get a bit ugly, especially if you’re at a massive warehouse sale. People get catty and push and shove. But don’t be that person. If you play fair with other shoppers, they’ll actually help you shop. I’ve had numerous experiences where I’ve struck up a convo with a complete stranger, told them what I was looking for and if they came across that item, they’d hand it off to me. When you’re kind to others, they’ll be kind to you. Sounds corny, but it’s so true.


Don’t Covet Thy Neighbor’s Goods:

Would you expect someone to take items out of your grocery cart while you’re at the supermarket? No, probably not. But I’ve seen this happen at the thrift store. You leave your cart unattended for a minute and another shopper swipes an item. If you’re lucky enough to catch them in the act, the response is usually, “oh, I didn’t know that was yours!” Moral of the story: watch your carts but also don’t be that person who takes stuff out of random carts. Keep your hands to yourself. However, if you see someone has an item you truly, madly, deeply want, don’t be afraid to barter with them {tips on how to barter while thrift shopping}.



Follow the Colors:

Shopping at a store that has racks on racks of awesome clothing is a gift and a curse. There’s so much inventory, it can be difficult to find the gems. But one tip that can make leafing through the racks or bins a bit easier and less time consuming, is to shop by color or pattern when you know what you’re looking for. If you’re a fan of bright hues or sparkly sequins, these will naturally pop out, so grab those. If you’re seeking dark denim, only pay attention to darker wash jeans. If you have time {and patience left}, then you can leisurely leaf through the clothes to find other treasures that you may have passed on the initial go round.

Know Thyself:

Sometimes you find clothes or shoes at the thrift store that need a little TLC. Maybe it needs some hemming, the waist has to be taken in or the heels need fixing. Your instinct may be to purchase the item and make repairs later. My advice: if you realistically know you’ll never get around to making the necessary repairs, don’t bother buying it, it’s just money down the drain. I rarely, if ever, buy anything that requires a trip to the tailor or cobbler because that’s a trip I know I won’t get around to making.

Would I Buy It At Full Price?
This is the question you need to ask yourself before buying anything. Cheap prices can be mighty alluring so you want to be sure you’re not solely buying something because it’s a steal. Though a dress may be $2, it’ll be a total waste of cash if you never wear it.

Patience is a Virtue One Must Possess
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people walk in and out of the thrift store after five minutes and wonder why they found nothing. Um, it takes time y’all. Try to give yourself an hour to browse and properly see what the store has to offer. Otherwise, you may be leaving some serious thrift store scores behind for other people to grab.



Give Back

You want good thrift karma? Give back to the thrift store. I know this sounds counter intuitive but try to adopt a one in, one out rule. When you head to Goodwill, Salvation Army or whatever your secondhand shop of choice is, bring a donation to drop off. Besides ensuring your closet won’t overflow, there’s just something about the law of freely giving, that allows you to receive bigger and better.



Save Even More

Some people don’t realize thrift stores have sales, so you can get already affordable gems at even more affordable prices. Check with your local store for days when certain items may be up to half off. And some stores even have rewards incentives, like Super Savers Club or the Goodwill Rewards Card, which I’m a proud card-carrying member of. They’re not available in all areas but put some {friendly} pressure on your local secondhand shop to bring the savings to your store.


Budget
Budget
I can’t stress this enough: have a set budget when you hit the thrift store. When you’re on a thrifting high and find tons of goodies, the tab can quickly rack up. Determine how much you want to spend for the day or per store and stick to that. And since most thrift stores now accept plastic, you may want to leave the credit or debit card at home.

And there you have it!! Now, Let's go shopping!!! ;)

Special thank you to look fly on a dime for these very cool Thifting Commandments!!!

Be wise, Beware, Behave and Compare, and I'll see ya there!

Blessings,




8 comments:

Lettie said...

You look so CHEAP as you model these clothes. You seek to GLORIFY YOURSELF. -- wrong

Making The Most of Each Day said...

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOo proud of "recycle and thrift."
When a person is a good steward of what God gives them; He continues to bless with abundance. It is a win win situation.
Knowing you, Sarah, you will share and recycle those clothes again! I remember my parents sending our beautiful clothes to Mexico, Africa, and Thailand(spell-check?) Daddy/Grandpa, had a family-priest friend who worked a Leprosy colony there.
Always remember that your ceiling is another man's floor; and visa versa.
Your findings are all adorable, and you look so beautiful in all of them!
Check my blog and see what I am recycling these days.
I love you, Mama

letty said...

You're inspiring me to check a thrift store out, I've never done it but you really look beautiful in your outfits. I do however donate to the salvation army :-)

letty said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Colleen said...

You look adorable in all your bargain outfits. I LOVE thrift store shopping. The Goodwill has a military discount day. I think it is Monday, or they may all be different. Too bad we don't live close because I could use a thrift store buddy. :)

Colleen said...

You look adorable in all your bargain outfits. I LOVE thrift store shopping. The Goodwill has a military discount day. I think it is Monday, or they may all be different. Too bad we don't live close because I could use a thrift store buddy. :)

Tonya said...

Thanks for the tips! Swinging by from graceful little honeybee! I just put some thrift store finds on as well. I love thrift shopping!

Rich and Sarah Christensen said...

Thank you Letty, Colleen and Tonya! Happy Thrifting! I'm actually going out for another trift-run on Saturday and I can't wait to share what I will find! Please share your finds!! :)

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