Goodwill Hunting: Why I Thrift

I haven't always been thrifty, but I have always loved clothes and fashion.  In fact, I would go as far as to say I am a recovering shopaholic.  There were many times when I was in college that I would blow an entire babysitting paycheck at Express so I'd have something new to wear out on Thursday night.  No lie.  I even opened an Express credit card my sophomore year so I could buy things I couldn't afford/start my "credit." 

Unfortunately, one credit card led to the next, and by the time B and I were engaged in 2005 (a mere 3 years later) I had not one store credit card but ELEVEN, plus a major credit card.  Thankfully, I never got into outrageous debt, but still, ELEVEN cards?!  After completing a three month course in financial planning/management (hello, Dave Ramsey), I triumphantly cut up ALL of the cards before we tied the knot.  It was a big moment. 

Then there were the financial challenges that come with college, marriage, homeownership, and a baby.  Even though I shopped mainly sale and at Target, a $19.99 shirt was still $19.99 - and, inevitably, if I shop for clothes at Target, I'm usually picking up random other things and tossing them into the basket too, that I never had any intention of buying until I walked past them at the Dollar Spot.  You totally know what I'm saying. 

After I had Beckham I went through a major fashion slump.  From transitioning out of maternity clothes and into "baggywear" to hide the leftover baby fat, to missing an entire season's worth of trends due to pregnancy, my closet was lacking in style and consisted of lots of plain jane tops and black pants.  {I lived and died by black pants in college, btw.  I still own 2 pairs of Express Editor pants that I'm pretty sure were bought with babysitting money sometime in the early 2000s.}

And then Abby got her groove back.

It happened last fall/winter season, when the scarves, leggings, boots, and sweaterdresses were all the rage.  And, because that was a trend my post baby body could completely agree with on sooooooo many levels (have you seen my WIWW posts?  love.me.some.leggings.), I embraced the fact that it was okay to be a fashionable mommy. 

But...and there's always a but...I just truly couldn't afford to go out and buy the latest trends at full retail.  I have a lot of difficulty justifying a $100 sweater or pair of jeans when there are heinies to diaper and family vacations to save for and home upgrades to be made.  So what's a girl to do?

In late December I made an intentional trip to Plato's Closet (trendy thrift store, if you're not familiar) with Christmas money and my sister in tow.  I took her along for 2 reasons: a) she knows what I like and could easily help me weed through the massive racks full of clothes and b) I would have moral support if I were to run into someone I knew.  Because, like it or not, there is a stigma attached to shopping for used clothes, and Heaven forbid anyone know that I wear thift.  And there's primarily one way to avoid that stigma: get over it and embrace it. So, I did. 

After having great success at Plato's Closet ($5-7 for a top, $8-12 dresses), I finally moved onto my current favorite place to shop for clothes: Goodwill.  Besides buying amazing clothes for a steal of a deal (50% off days are my fav!), I love the thrill of the hunt.  I have had great success shopping there and have encouraged my sister's to jump on the thrift train too.  We could, quite possibly, be having a thrifty family Christmas too...

In the end, everyone's happy.  I fulfill my need to shop and look fashionable, my checking account balance stays in the black, and B really can't argue when I come home with 5 new shirts of under $25.  It's a win-win situation :)

{PS.  I have been accumulating many thrift related questions that I plan to answer in an upcoming post.  If you have one to ask, let me know!}