Monday, September 3, 2012

THRIFTING! My Kind of Shopping!!!

Get ready, cuz this stuff excites me. So please pardon me if I get a little over-enthusiastic. IT'S JUST SO EXCITING!!!

Today (Labor Day) means that ALL thrift stores in the Denver area offer 50% off sales. Now, not just 50% off a certain color ticket. No, no. We're talking the whole. gosh. darn. store! FIFTY PERCENT OFF! And given that we're talking thrift stores, we're already talking cheap, cheap items! THEN ANOTHER FIFTY PERCENT OFF THAT! Whoooo!

Ok, so I know many people who are scared of thrifting, or they think that thrift stores are just icky or that you won't find good items. I've never had thrifting-phobia, so I can't relate to those mindsets. But I'm here to tell you that if you are persistent, patient, and willing to wake up early, you can find some STEALS!

My reasons why you should shop thrift stores?
1. Reduce, reuse, recycle! Purchasing thrift items and not always buying new helps keep things out of landfills and re-purposes perfectly good items!
2. It's so much cheaper!!! Goodness knows I'm about as frugal as they come, so getting clothing and other items at a steal of a price is so much better than paying through the nose for new, marked up items!
3. Thrift stores help your local community! Money earned in thrift stores (such as Goodwill, ARC, and Savers) helps support those less fortunate, so go buy, buy, BUY! =)

Still squirrly about buying items at thrift stores? If it's clothing you're scared about, just take it home and wash it! Clean! If you still refuse, at least take some time to go look at books, furniture, or other household items, because you can find some awesome things that other people simply don't want/need anymore! Like they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure! AMEN!

Today we traveled to 3 different Goodwills, ARC, and Savers, and we fought the bustles of people just like us out for bargains! I set my budget for the day at $100, and I am happy to report that I got TONS of items for a grand total of $84 - and that doesn't include the items I'll be re-selling in my garage sale (for even more money...shhh!)

Stop 1: Goodwill on Broadway (in Denver)
What I got:







 TOTAL: $51.10
Broken down:
2 pairs of Corduroy pants - $3.00 each - $6.00
Blue sweater - $2.50
Khaki H&M Jacket - $5.50
Brown/Tan Jacket - $2.50
Red fedora - $3.50
Vera Bradley bag - $2.00 (VERA BRADLEY! I'll re-sell this.)
K-State sign (for the McKassons haha) - $2.00
Wilton tip saver case - .50 cents (these little things retail for $6.99!)
White "shabby chic" lantern - $2.00
2 HUGE ruffled blue pillows (I was going to keep these, but they don't look right in my room. Oh well! Garage sale it is!) - $3.50 each - $7.00
Kid's easel/blackboard - $5.00 (I've already re-sold this for $15, so $10 profit)
Small wire dog/cat cage - $5.00 (I'll also re-sell this)
*not pictured* - 4 large IKEA plates to make in to cake stands (I'll do another blog about this little crafting endeavor!) - $1.00 each - $4.00

Stop 2: ARC on Broadway (in Denver)
What I got:
  TOTAL: $8.00
Broken down:
1 green skirt (unfortunately NOT 50% off, darn) - $4.99
ADORABLE blue purse - $2.50

Stop 3: Goodwill on Broadway (in Englewood)
What I got:

TOTAL: $12.39
Broken down:
Gap Body white fitness tank (for my upcoming 5K Color Run!!!) - $1.50 
Blue/White H&M dress (WITH POCKETS!) - $3.00
Green khaki pants - $2.50
*not pictured* a MVHS choir dress in pristine condition! - $4.50 (I'll either sell this to a choir girl or just donate it to the choir department. I couldn't leave it in the store when those dresses normally retail for upwards of $80!)

Stop 4: Savers in Littleton
What I got:
TOTAL: $12.86
Broken down:
Strapless coral ruffle maxi dress - $4.00
Purple dress - $3.00
White shorts (again, for my upcoming 5K Color Run!!!) - $3.00
Red beaded necklace (unfortunately not 50%) - $1.99 (still a bargain!)

Stop 3: Goodwill on Broadway (in Highlands Ranch)
What I got:
NOTHING! haha. I tried, but we got there later in the day and the store had been picked over. Nothing for this exhausted shopper!

DO YOU SEE HOW MANY AMAZING THINGS YOU CAN FIND IF YOU JUST LOOK!? Thrift stores are great to begin with, but add the benefit of shopping on 50% off days and you're in for a steal of a deal! Just try it out! I promise it's worth you while! =)


3 comments:

Hope said...

You found some cute things, I particularly like the khaki jacket. For some reason, the entire time I was reading this, I felt like it was directed at me....so many thrift store talks over the years....

apolete said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
apolete said...

haha - I was actually thinking that as I wrote it, Hope. It was directed AT you, per se, but I definitely giggled occasionally as I wrote it because of all the times we've "debated" thrift store shopping! =P