Frugal….not cheap!

It seems over the past few weeks, I have seen stories and t.v. shows about buying clothes at the thrift store.  They even had a “frugal family” who talked about the whole family clothes shopping together.  I didn’t think much about it as I have been doing it for 25 years, until my girlfriend said to me she had never thought of buying clothes there.  I kept asking her, “Are you kidding?  You’re kidding!  You’re not kidding!  Really?”  I thought everybody did it at sometime in their lives.

There are 3 thrift stores in my town.  One is a Purple Heart, the other a Vincent de Paul, and the other a Salvation Army.   My preferences have changed over the years as the stores change.  Sometimes, one will have better things than others.    Today I decided to go to both, but it was the Salvation Army where I scored.

It was a Pierre Cardin men’s shirt with the original tags from the store on it, showing the price of $42.00.    It was my husband’s size, it was a nice color and it was quality and the price was $12.00.  Without hesitation, I bought it.  It was a $30.00 savings.

Whenever I go Thrift Shopping, I don’t have a specific style or color in mind, I just go see what there is.  I usually find the new items during the wrong season.  For example, a new sweatshirt during the summer or a new bathing suit during the Winter Holidays.  That doesn’t matter, because I just put it away.  I have a closet for these finds and there are clothes in there for my immediate family.  A month ago I found a perfect little girls Easter dress.  Name brand with a petticoat, and embroidery in a soft pink color.  It was brand new and perfect.  Tag said, $46.00, I paid, $6.00.  Yes, $6.00. That was a $40.00 savings.

Searching for these bargains are not for the weak.  It takes tenacity to keep looking and talent to match and build your wardrobe.    You also need to plan to look for something like a prom dress 6 months before prom and patience as you search for the perfect pair of slacks to go with the wool jacket you bought a month ago.  Another trick is to get to know the people that work there.  They will let you know when the truck comes in and they start stocking the shelves.  I’ve even had them talk me out of buying something, because the next day they were having a 50% off sale.

It’s funny, I remember way back when I was in my 20’s, I had a girl friend who I regularily went thrift clothes shopping with.   Whenever she would get complimented on her outfit, the next question was always, “Where did you get it?”  Without missing a beat, she would reply, “Nordstroms.”   She was too embarrassed to say where she had been shopping, and she knew they would think she was poor if she told them the truth.

Now a days, thankfully, people see thrift store shopping as green. I know when my husband wears his shirt, he will not only look good and in style, and helping the environment, but he will also have a little bit more in his savings account than the guy who originally paid $46.00 for the shirt.