Frugal Finds

I went to Savers last week to drop off some donations, and I just had to step in to take a peek at their furniture offerings. I'm always on the look out for that wayward, homeless chair or table that just needs a little lift to bring it back to life. Ha, I say that while this wayward chair has been left in its not-so-pretty state for far too long, with no solid date for its nip and tuck scheduled as of yet. Ah, if only the perfect fabric to cover this ghastly cross-stitched magnolia seat would just land on my doorstep...*sigh*

No such luck with furniture on this day, but I decide to peruse a little more of the store than usual. I love the way that Savers is laid out. I'm not willing to dig through other people's clothes unless they're clean and well organized. Everything is arranged by clothing type, then size, and then by color. So if I'm looking for a pair of black pants, let's say, I find the rack labeled pants, locate my size indicated with those round plastic tabs on the rail, find the color, and then I've got only a bit of the rack to search.

My favorite thing to look for at second hand stores are labels (and by labels I mean Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, or Gap, etc. I'm not expecting to find Versace or Diore at Savers.) I'm not a label shopper at all. Usually, I'm dressed in the latest from the clearance rack from Target. I guess I don't feel like a very good steward of my money when I spend it on pricier clothing for myself. But if I'm buying labels second hand...not a stitch of guilt do I feel, and I'm helping out a good cause as well.

Here's what I found:

1. Pink Striped Skirt from Janeville $5.99 (Very cute store that sadly went out of business, perhaps because they charged $34.50 for a measly tank top! Can you sense my resentment here?) I'll have to spend a little more to have it altered, but it probably retailed for around $60.00.
   
2. Black and White Bolero Jacket from White House Black Market $6.99 (My most favorite store full of stuff I'd love to bring home with me. I'm a sucker for black&white anything.)
3. %100 silk skirt from Valerie Stevens (Never heard of Valerie Stevens, but I couldn't pass on a silk skirt for $8.99)
4. Brown graphic print 3/4 sleeve jacket from The Limited -A splurge at $9.99

I'm so excited with my bargains! I wouldn't buy any of these things from the actual stores unless they were on super mega ultra clearance with prices slashed to well, the prices I would pay at a thrift store. These are also items that are a bit out of my solid-color-V-neck-T-shirt/denim shorts comfort zone. But since I didn't pay that much for them, I won't feel bad if I'm too chicken to actually wear them. : 0)