This morning I went
to the Spring Thrift Sale at the University United Methodist Church
across the street from Washburn University. I advertised this sale in my
blog a while ago. The sale was yesterday on the 27th and ended
today on the 28th at noon. The sale items were categorized and divided
between different rooms. For example, there was a room for
clothing and shoes, a room for holiday items and an area for books,
movies and music.
I spent the majority of my time sifting through clothing
and shoe racks. Today the rule was filling up a bag and paying
only four dollars for it! I struck gold with several items as evident from the photos. I purchased nine shirts, two pairs of shoes, a makeup bag, a silver
necklace and two belts; and all 15 items only cost me $4.50! All my experience has taught me that church thrift sales and garage sales generally
have lower prices than higher quality stores like
Plato's Closet. Most items at this thrift sale were less than
five dollars which made it hard not to splurge.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Monday, March 23, 2015
Amy's Spring Break Thrifting Adventure
During spring break I had some time to get to my favorite thrift store and do a little shopping. I snagged some great deals like always and am excited for you to take a look!
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Thrift Store Dress Up
Whether you're designing a costume for Halloween or need a crazy outfit for a party, you'll be able to create a unique look and save a few bucks if you go to a thrift store. I know so many people that buy the ready-made Halloween costumes and shell out an excessive amount of money in the process. Keep in mind that this is usually for an outfit they'll only be wearing for one night!
Thrift stores have a variety of apparel and accessories that span through several decades. Due to the wide variety you'll be able to find random items that can form the perfect costume. After all, most winners of costume contests are the ones who've spent the time creating do-it-yourself outfits from scratch rather than the ones who took the easy way out and bought the $80 costume-in-a-bag.
A couple of examples of costumes that could be easily assembled in a thrift store would be a cowboy, pirate, gypsy, zombie, hippie, princess and many more. Three pieces of thrift store clothing that you could easily build a costume around would be a prom or wedding dress (bride of Frankenstein, princess, beauty or prom queen or an ex-wife), overalls/coveralls (scarecrow, Super Mario Brothers, redneck or a farmer) and vintage uniforms (military personnel, cheerleader, nurse or stewardess). You could also design an outfit based on a decade like a flapper from the 1920's or a greaser from the 1950's.
Last Halloween I dressed up with a couple friends as the "sexy" three blind mice. My friend Kasey and I visited a thrift store to buy our black outfits and sunglasses. We made the ears ourselves with headbands and black felt material and spray painted some wooden canes. By the end we had stellar costumes that received a ton of compliments! The dress I had bought for less than $10 at Plato's Closet is now my go-to party dress.
So before you spend a ridiculous amount of money on a costume for Halloween or dress-up party I would recommend that you exercise your creative juices and give your wallet a break by hitting up your local thrift store first.
Website Link
Thrift stores have a variety of apparel and accessories that span through several decades. Due to the wide variety you'll be able to find random items that can form the perfect costume. After all, most winners of costume contests are the ones who've spent the time creating do-it-yourself outfits from scratch rather than the ones who took the easy way out and bought the $80 costume-in-a-bag.
A couple of examples of costumes that could be easily assembled in a thrift store would be a cowboy, pirate, gypsy, zombie, hippie, princess and many more. Three pieces of thrift store clothing that you could easily build a costume around would be a prom or wedding dress (bride of Frankenstein, princess, beauty or prom queen or an ex-wife), overalls/coveralls (scarecrow, Super Mario Brothers, redneck or a farmer) and vintage uniforms (military personnel, cheerleader, nurse or stewardess). You could also design an outfit based on a decade like a flapper from the 1920's or a greaser from the 1950's.
 |
| Photo credit to Amy Reinhardt |
So before you spend a ridiculous amount of money on a costume for Halloween or dress-up party I would recommend that you exercise your creative juices and give your wallet a break by hitting up your local thrift store first.
Website Link
Monday, March 9, 2015
Thrift Stores Aren't Alone
As a bargain shopper I've always stuck to surfing the racks at thrift stores. However, there are three other types of second-hand stores including consignment, classified and pawn. These are all places where you can save money while still getting stellar deals! The main difference between these four shops is the moment you surrender ownership of your items, when you get paid and whether or not someone else helps you sell your items.
Consignment Shops: These shops will sell goods for the owner; the owner will retain ownership until the goods are sold. An example: If you consigned a stereo for $30 then the shop would take 50 percent ($15) and as the owner you'd receive the remainder of the money. Items are usually in place for 30, 60 to 90-day cycles. If the item fails to sell then it'll be discounted. Consignment stores are loved more by the buyers than the sellers.
Pawn Shops: Most people wouldn't believe that pawn shops are considered second-hand but they actually do meet the qualifications! As a seller you will surrender ownership of your items immediately when you receive payment for their worth. Two well-known chains that use pawn shop standards would be Plato's Closet and Half Price Books. The payment you receive from the store won't be affected if the store isn't able to sell your items; all the risk is now on the store itself.
Classifieds: This is a way to advertise for your goods by placing an ad in a newspaper or online source. Classified ads are popular because the fees that are required are significantly less than the ones charged by pawn and consignment shops. Craigslist is, hands down, the most popular option because it's free and gives the seller more control. E-Bay and Amazon are also examples of classifieds.
Thrift Shops: Most of these stores are run by non-profit organizations and are donation-based. The donator will receive a tax-deductible receipt for the estimated cost of the items they give the shop. Most people enjoy donating their items because they know its for a good cause. The thrift store giants are Goodwill and the Salvation Army.
Website Link
Consignment Shops: These shops will sell goods for the owner; the owner will retain ownership until the goods are sold. An example: If you consigned a stereo for $30 then the shop would take 50 percent ($15) and as the owner you'd receive the remainder of the money. Items are usually in place for 30, 60 to 90-day cycles. If the item fails to sell then it'll be discounted. Consignment stores are loved more by the buyers than the sellers.
Pawn Shops: Most people wouldn't believe that pawn shops are considered second-hand but they actually do meet the qualifications! As a seller you will surrender ownership of your items immediately when you receive payment for their worth. Two well-known chains that use pawn shop standards would be Plato's Closet and Half Price Books. The payment you receive from the store won't be affected if the store isn't able to sell your items; all the risk is now on the store itself.
Classifieds: This is a way to advertise for your goods by placing an ad in a newspaper or online source. Classified ads are popular because the fees that are required are significantly less than the ones charged by pawn and consignment shops. Craigslist is, hands down, the most popular option because it's free and gives the seller more control. E-Bay and Amazon are also examples of classifieds.
Thrift Shops: Most of these stores are run by non-profit organizations and are donation-based. The donator will receive a tax-deductible receipt for the estimated cost of the items they give the shop. Most people enjoy donating their items because they know its for a good cause. The thrift store giants are Goodwill and the Salvation Army.
Website Link
Friday, March 6, 2015
Fashion Mission: Thrift Store Edition
I came across a video recently called "How To Shop At a Thrift Store." The video was an episode from Cosmopolitan's show called Fashion Mission. The show stars two fashion bloggers named Lindsey Calla, who has been in another video I've posted, and Karen Blanchard. The episodes involve different fashion challenges that Blanchard and Calla are assigned to take on.
In this specific episode their assignment is to design an outfit for a blind date. The challenge is that they're only allowed to spend $50 at a Goodwill. The video does an excellent job showing the process and strategy they use while surfing the racks and selecting what items to purchase.
The one thing they mentioned that stuck with me was that when you're shopping at a thrift store you shouldn't be paying attention to the sizes. The reason for this is because the racks are filled with a mix of items from different years so size really doesn't mean much. Plus you can always use the money you'll be saving and spend it on tailoring the clothes if they're a little too big. Overall, this video was very upbeat, enjoyable and definitely incorporated some good lessons about thrift shops!
CLICK HERE to Watch Episode
In this specific episode their assignment is to design an outfit for a blind date. The challenge is that they're only allowed to spend $50 at a Goodwill. The video does an excellent job showing the process and strategy they use while surfing the racks and selecting what items to purchase.
The one thing they mentioned that stuck with me was that when you're shopping at a thrift store you shouldn't be paying attention to the sizes. The reason for this is because the racks are filled with a mix of items from different years so size really doesn't mean much. Plus you can always use the money you'll be saving and spend it on tailoring the clothes if they're a little too big. Overall, this video was very upbeat, enjoyable and definitely incorporated some good lessons about thrift shops!
CLICK HERE to Watch Episode
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Local Thrifting Opportunity
Whether you're an experienced thrift shopper like me or are just starting out, I have a very exciting local opportunity for all of you to get your feet wet. The University United Methodist Church located at 17th Street and College Avenue is hosting its annual Spring Thrift Sale. This fundraising event will be held at the end of March following Washburn University's spring break. This event will run from 8:30 AM to 2 PM on the 27th and 8:30 AM to 12 PM on the 28th. This annual sale will consist of gently used items and feature a sale of baked goods/fudge for those with a sweet tooth!
If you have any questions regarding this event please call Mary Winans, Thrift Sale Chairperson, at 785-235-2331
Quick Details
Where: University United Methodist Church at 17th St. and College Ave.
When: March 27th (8:30am-2pm) and 28th (8:30am-12pm)
What: Annual Spring Thrift Sale
Link: University United Methodist Church Spring Thrift Sale
If you have any questions regarding this event please call Mary Winans, Thrift Sale Chairperson, at 785-235-2331
Quick Details
Where: University United Methodist Church at 17th St. and College Ave.
When: March 27th (8:30am-2pm) and 28th (8:30am-12pm)
What: Annual Spring Thrift Sale
Link: University United Methodist Church Spring Thrift Sale
Monday, March 2, 2015
What NOT to Buy at Thrift Stores!
As I've mentioned before in earlier posts thrift stores encompass a little bit of everything including clothing, accessories, jewelry, toys, books, music, housewares items, etc. Most of the time the purchases you make at thrift stores are items that are in fairly good condition which is an indication that the item is rather sturdy, withstood the first user and passed the thrift store's standards. However even though an item passed the store's standards doesn't mean you should purchase it.
According to plain common sense and an article on BuzzFeed there are a few specific items that one should not ever buy from a thrift store. Most of these items have been intimately handled by previous owners and are therefore items that you should shell out money for and buy in mint condition.
In my opinion, the key items that shouldn't be bought in a second-hand store are the following:
1. Undergarments: bras, underwear and socks
2. Bathing suits
3. Mattresses, Pillows and Used Bedding
4. Makeup
5. Wigs
6. Stuffed Animals
7. Games with Missing Pieces
8. Bowling Shoes
Link: Thrift Shop Items You Should Never Buy
According to plain common sense and an article on BuzzFeed there are a few specific items that one should not ever buy from a thrift store. Most of these items have been intimately handled by previous owners and are therefore items that you should shell out money for and buy in mint condition.
In my opinion, the key items that shouldn't be bought in a second-hand store are the following:
1. Undergarments: bras, underwear and socks
2. Bathing suits
3. Mattresses, Pillows and Used Bedding
4. Makeup
5. Wigs
6. Stuffed Animals
7. Games with Missing Pieces
8. Bowling Shoes
Link: Thrift Shop Items You Should Never Buy
Shrink Your Carbon Footprint by Thrifting
In addition to costing less and being a unique shopping experience, buying items at thrift stores is beneficial in preserving the environment.
By purchasing and wearing second-hand items you will be helping decrease the amount of pollution and waste that adversely affect the environment. If more people bought second-hand items then there would be far less new items being produced which would drastically reduce of amount of energy, toxic chemicals and petroleum being released into the environment.
Ninety-eight percent of the clothing that is bought in the United States is from foreign countries (ABC News). This means that brand new items travel a HUGE distance to reach the racks of the department stores. By purchasing second-hand, reused clothing the travel time (transportation pollution) that newly produced items take after being manufactured would be eliminated.
Second-hand items are very durable and hardy because they lasted through the first user in a good enough condition to be accepted by a thrift store. These items weren't thrown away and added to the growing population of landfills. Thrift store items also lack the unessential packaging. New items from department stores often consist of extra plastic, tissue and tags that just end up in the trashcan after being purchased.
Overall, not only will you be saving a great deal of money by shopping at thrift stores but you will also be doing your share in preserving the Earth's well-being.
Visit:
Link to Article
Link to Photo
By purchasing and wearing second-hand items you will be helping decrease the amount of pollution and waste that adversely affect the environment. If more people bought second-hand items then there would be far less new items being produced which would drastically reduce of amount of energy, toxic chemicals and petroleum being released into the environment.
Second-hand items are very durable and hardy because they lasted through the first user in a good enough condition to be accepted by a thrift store. These items weren't thrown away and added to the growing population of landfills. Thrift store items also lack the unessential packaging. New items from department stores often consist of extra plastic, tissue and tags that just end up in the trashcan after being purchased.
Overall, not only will you be saving a great deal of money by shopping at thrift stores but you will also be doing your share in preserving the Earth's well-being.
Visit:
Link to Article
Link to Photo
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