It’s not shopping, it’s charity! Right? Goodwill, Great deals.

Jaclyn Smith Plum Silk Blouse: 
Retail $25+ (in the 90’s), I paid $4.98

United Colors of Benetton Linen Blazer: 
Retail $99.00, I paid $6.98

Dana Buchman Grey Wool Jacket: 
Retail $200+, I paid $6.98

Tahari ASL Women’s Black Open Jacket: 
Retail: $168.00, I paid $6.98

Tracy Reese Embellished Stretch Wool Blend Dress 
Fall 2009 Collection: 
Retail $295-$375, I paid $8.98

Walter by Walter Baker Blue Ruffle Chiffon Tank: 
Retail $65.00-$100.00, I paid $4.98

 I have recently become enlightened of Goodwill and all its glory, and when I say it’s glorious, I mean it! I can’t believe the things people throw away. Buying used is a great way to save a few $doll-hairs$. This is great for chicks (like me) that are ballin’ on a budget, but still want to look chic. You just need to have the patience to look through the mass amounts of clothing that is Goodwill. With patience and a good eye, the sky is the limited when bargain hunting.

In the past, when I thought of thrift stores I would think to myself: “Gross! Used clothes? Soooo NOT for me” or “Only weirdo’s shop at thrift stores, not girls like me” or “I’m to classy to wear clothes that other people have owned. I’m not into dumpster diving” Lit-tra-lly, when I thought of the kind of people who shopped at thrift stores, I thought of grungy kids who wear crappy military boots, chains, ripped t-shirts and jenga jeans; or old people who just can’t let go of the styles from the past and pay for things in pennies. Psssh…. I’ll admit it, I was a total douche and completely wrong. I LOVE GOODWILL!

Look at all of the great pieces I found yesterday! Can you believe these people throw away such great clothes? I can’t, but I’m happy they did. More for me! As someone who can’t even throw away a XX21 bolero sweater from high school (which I haven’t worn since then), throwing away clothes crazy. It’s the equivalent of throwing away children to me, I just can’t do it. The trick to finding great pieces from thrift stores is looking at every single piece of clothing. This may take you an hour or so, but it’s totally worth it. Also, try it on! If you are buying for yourself, make sure to try everything on before you buy it. Don’t make the mistake of buying just because it’s a great deal because when you get it home it may not fit properly or you may notice a stain /rip that wasn’t noticeable on the hanger. Another great thing to remember is only go to thrift stores near wealthy neighborhoods. The Goodwill I went to is in the 2^nd wealthiest county in the northeast. Don’t waste your time at thrift stores in crumby parts of your city, because they will most likely have cheap crumby clothes and what the point in buying used, cheap, crumby clothes? You want to buy gently used, well taken care of, designer clothes. Go to where you think the people with the most money would drop off their clothes. Usually wealthy people clean out their closets every season. Finally, always wash or dry clean the clothes you buy before you wear them. You never know if the person who owned the clothes before you bothered to wash the item before dropping it off. If you follow these rules you will be able to find pieces for a fraction of the price you would pay at retail stores.

Things I bought:

- Tracy Reese Embellished Stretch Wool Blend Dress Fall 2009 Collection: Retail $295-$375, I paid $8.98

- Walter by Walter Baker Blue Ruffle Chiffon Tank: Retail $65.00-$100.00, I paid $4.98

- Tahari ASL Women’s Black Open Jacket: Retail: $168.00, I paid $6.98

- Dana Buchman Grey Wool Jacket: Retail $200+, I paid $6.98

- Jaclyn Smith Plum Silk Blouse: Retail $25+ (in the 90’s), I paid $4.98
- United Colors of Benetton Linen Blazer: Retail $99.00, I paid $6.98