Only Got 20 Dollars in my Pocket...

    Writing this blog is becoming expensive. 

     Ever since I started writing it I've found myself at Goodwill about twice a week. I do it for inspiration. I do it for motivation. I do it for you, the reader! 

     While you may be happy for me to shop all day every day, my wallet is not. I do not have a very high-paying job, and although my lovely parents provide a lot for me I do have a couple bills to pay every now and then. At the end of most months my spending money ends up being about as much as you would get from grabbing a handful of change from the bottom of a park fountain. 

     I've been pretty broke for a pretty long time, but through the frustration that comes with broke-ness, I am learning a lot about how to shop with discipline. And part of that is learning how to shop with a price range. It can be so hard when I find lots of cute things at once, but if I set a non-negotiable price limit for myself, I've found that it becomes much easier make smart shopping decisions.(with little to no buyer's remorse!)

     Setting a price limit for yourself may be a foreign and scary concept to you, but it's an extremely helpful life skill to learn. The beauty of thrifting is you rarely have to spend more than 20 bucks for a great outfit! Below I've put together examples of possible outfits you could get for 5, 10, 15 and 20 dollar price limits according to Goodwill's price list. Check em out and get inspired! 

$5 Limit

An adorable start to a wintery outfit! (Who doesn't match their socks to their clothes nowadays?)

Flannel: $3.00 

Hat: $1.50

Socks: $.50

Total (pretax): $5.00

$10 Limit

A fun, mixy-matchy summer outfit with great accessories. Slightly inspired by Katy Perry. (She's the reason I bought that cherry skirt in the first place.)

Earrings: $2.00

Top: $3.00

Belt: $1.50 

Skirt: $3.00

Total (pretax): $9.50 

$15 Limit 

Classic, vintage look. Perfect for early fall. You'll find a million cardigans at goodwill. Guaranteed. 

Cardigan: $3.00

Dress: $5.00

Necklace: $3.25 

Shoes: $3.00

Total (pretax): $14.25

$20 Limit 

 

Great for fall and winter. Stoner chic and fabulous. (Yes I did just say 'stoner chic'. I invented that phrase. Copyright pending.) I haven't actually worn this outfit before but now I really want it to be cold outside so that I can. And it doesn't even add up to exactly $20!

T-shirt: $3.00

Jacket: $5.00 

Pants: $3.00

Bag: $3.00

Shoes: $3.00

Scarf: $1.50

Total (pretax): $18.50

Let these outfits give you hope and inspiration! You CAN get great stuff even with a tiny paycheck! Go forth and shop with confidence!

Comment and follow if you wish!

Your Thrifty Godmother,

Leah

Frumpy or Friggin' Awesome: 7 common thrift finds that you CAN pull off!

     One very important rule I follow whilst thrifting is: ALWAYS have a vision for each item you purchase. (Seriously that's an official Leah Connolly thrifting rule. Write it down! Tattoo it on your neck! Remember it always!) Like today, I found this corduroy jacket at Goodwill. My heart always flutters for corduroy (because it reminds me of the 70s, naturally), but for some reason I wasn't sure about it. Then I remembered my rule, and started imagining when I would wear it and with what. As soon as I envisioned myself wearing it in the fall, with brown boots and a scarf, I had to have it. 

     My point in sharing that fascinating shopping tale with you is that there are many common thrift store items that many people would commonly pick up and automatically put back down. They may have a vision in their head of what it would look like on them, but what if it's an inaccurate vision?

     I couldn't think of a way to explain this to you all better than to just give examples. So today at goodwill, I found 7. Below are 7 items that could probably be found at any thrift store you go to, and some inspiration for how you could wear them. Enjoy!

     

1. The Sleeveless Button Up

Okay we all know I'm not a huge Miley fan (I once got brutally cyber-attacked by her fans on twitter for calling her a "redneck chipmunk"), but she wears this top pretty much the exact same way I would, minus the midriff: Paired with a slim skirt and funky accessories. It's cute, summery and surprisingly flattering when you don't pull your skirt down to your hip bones like our lovely Miley here.

                                                

                                                        2. The Puffer Vest

Like corduroy, I love these because they remind me of the 70s, but they're becoming a huge modern trend for cold months. Try with a flannel or a long sleeved t-shirt. I love them on boys AND girls!

3. The Denim Button Up

I mean, it'll make you look like John Mayer. If that doesn't convince you to at least try one, you have a couple things to learn. Girls can also look great in them. I have one that I love to wear with black jeans or leggings and bright accessories. 

4. The Plaid Skirt

I bought one originally inspired by Thora Birch from Ghost World, and I wore it until it fell apart. Looks amazing with a graphic tee, cardigan, black tights and boots. I also love the way the girl in this picture wears it. Could be 90s grunge, Could be classic vintage school girl. Depends entirely on how you dress it up.

5. The Floral Button Up

Always classy with denim and chunky jewelry like in the picture. I've worn them in the fall with a matching cardigan on top and loved it. There are so many colors in them that tons of stuff will match!

  6. The Cosby Sweater

Everyone says "Cosby sweater" like it's a bad thing. They can look so cute in the fall with skinny jeans and a Ked-like shoe. A great look for a cozy night in eating jello pudding pops with your friends!

7. The Penny Loafer

A sort of vintagey look with sweaters and button ups. Very 500 Days of Summer. Can work for warm and cold months with skirts and dresses. I freaking love wearing mine with this collared, sleeveless floral dress that I have that that buttons all the way up.There are mens loafers too that can be equally fantastic. Think James Franco or Joseph Gordon-Levitt for inspiration.

     Those were just a few ideas to get you started. I get a lot of inspiration from celebrities and magazines. You can get inspiration however you want. Use your imagination, try things on and go crazy! The possibilities are endless!

Comment and Follow if you wish! Love you all!!

Your Thrifty Godmother,

Leah

A Mini-Post about Mexican Ice Cream

Okay so I don't really have the time or energy for a full blog post today so I'm just gonna take a few minutes to share some fun things.

     First of all I got this lovely yellow lamp today at Goodwill for $4.50. I've been looking everywhere for a cute lamp to go with my new brown furniture. My old furniture was black and I had a black lamp to match, but it didn't look so good with the brown furniture. I love the yellow and I think it looks great with my room. I also got SIX magazines for $3.00 at half price books today! (I'm an extremely avid magazine reader. Particularly Allure and Glamour.) Half price books is a great place for smart shoppers to go for books, DVDs, CDs, vinyl records and magazines. Magazines are 50 cents a pop and they usually have pretty modern ones. I expected there would be nothing but issues of Southern Living from 2002, but every magazine I got was from either 2012 or 2013. I even got last month's issue of Allure! Good thing I didn't drop $3.99 on it when it came out. 50 cents is much better.

   Last night I was hardcore craving fried ice cream, and the only place I knew to get it was a mexican restaurant. Sadly, my boyfriend was not available to take me to one and pay for everything. (I know, how dare he have something better to do than buy me enchiladas and ice cream.) After coming to terms with the fact that real fried ice cream was just not going to happen, I turned to the pantry, looking for some sort of sweet substitute. I found cinnamon toast crunch, then realized I had vanilla ice cream, and before you know it, eureka! The crunchy cinnamon cereal paired with Vanilla ice cream, topped with honey, chocolate syrup and whipped cream makes a PERFECT faux fried ice cream! It was genius. And delicious. And CHEAP! I'll probably eat it every night for the rest of the week.

That's all for today! Comment and Follow!

Your thrifty godmother,
Leah

Three Thrift Myths that Must be Busted!

     One thing you might not know about thrifting is that your success depends entirely on the mindset you have when going in. Believe it or not, I too have had my fair share of off days where I've gone home empty handed and frustrated. And I've come to realize that each time that has happened, I walked into the store thinking "I'm not gonna find anything good today." You won't stumble upon great stuff if you don't start with a great attitude! 

     My conversations with people about thrifting are very frequent, and I keep hearing the same things over and over: LIES! Lies that either they have told themselves because they don't trust their thrifting abilities or lies that other misinformed people have told them out of pure inexperience and assumption.

     "I would like to start thrifting but..." Is something that I hear a LOT. So I've come up with 3 "Thrift Myths" that I know you all have heard, and I'm going to debunk them for you right now! Hopefully after learning the truth you will hold your head a little higher on your future thrifting endeavors.

Thrift myth #1: "I am neither a hipster, nor a vintage collector, nor a redneck housewife, therefore I have no business being in a thrift store."

Thrift truth: There are all sorts of people who shop at thrift stores, not just the obvious stereotypes. The only thing you need to thrift shop is a desire to spend as little money as possible. And in all honesty I cannot think of a brand of clothing that I haven't seen at goodwill. From Gap, to Target, to Ann Taylor, to Hollister, to Forever 21, to Old navy, Lucky Brand and Fossil. So, unless you're a character from The Devil Wears Prada or a judge on Project Runway, there IS something for you at thrift stores.

And as far as "vintage" goes, the only place you're really going to even find it is vintage stores. People think that since I shop at Goodwill that means I find bell bottoms, go go dresses and Parisian night suits all the time. That is definitely not the truth. There are actually far more sensible, wearable, modern pieces of clothing to be found while thrifting than wild retro fashion statements only psychotic vegan art students would be caught dead wearing in this century.

Thrift myth #2: "Only old, beaten up stuff ends up at Goodwill."

Thrift truth: Take it from me, this one is very untrue. Every few months I get real honest with myself on what I ACTUALLY wear frequently enough to keep, and get rid of the rest. I do it to maintain perspective on what I actually need. (But mostly I do it because I run out of drawer space and need room to buy more things. Hehe.) Sometimes I take it to a consignment store to make some money, but then I take the remaining items to Goodwill. And I think I'm a good example of most people who drop off stuff at Goodwill. It's not all hole-ridden high school football t shirts and pilling Christmas sweaters. A lot of it is just stuff that people didn't need or never wore. (Pro tip: This is especially true in thrift stores that are closer to rich neighborhoods. Rich people aren't as concerned with making money off of their clothes so they just give everything to Goodwill!)

And if you're especially snooty about quality, there is a "specials" section of every goodwill, usually located toward the front of the store. It consists exclusively of high quality, name brand clothing. The items cost a little more but sometimes it's worth it! I once found a Franchesca's dress there with the tags still on it for $9.50! You're not gonna find that anywhere else.

Thrift myth #3: "There won't be anything that fits me right at thrift stores."

Thrift truth: The only way this could be true is if you refuse to try anything on! There are hundreds of different brands in each store and they will not all run the same! Don't just look at the size tag and turn away. Trying on is a HUGE part of thrifting. If you don't do it you will get discouraged and maybe even end up wasting your money on purchases that don't even work for you. If you like an item and you think there is even the tiniest chance that it could fit you, try it on. If it's bigger around than your pinky, and smaller around than an above ground pool, TRY IT ON! You might be glad you did!

That's it for today! Don't forget to subscribe and comment!

Your Thrifty Godmother,

Leah

The Bargain Hunter Lifestyle

            Not to brag or anything BUT,
                            I'm kind of the Beyonce of thrift shopping.
     
     And by that I simply mean I. am. the. Queen. Undisputed. Absolutely amazing at finding the best stuff for the lowest price (see above: the Fossil dress I found yesterday for $5.00 at Goodwill). If you know me at all, you know this is true. There are 2 things I love to do: 1. Thrift Shopping 2. Telling everyone I know about the treasures I find while doing so. 
     I adore the admiration I get just for shopping at Goodwill. I wear my macrame crown with pride as my loyal subjects dote at my feet, chanting "Teach us your ways, oh wise one!" Seriously though, people ask me all the time to "Teach" them how to shop. 
     Until recently I was strongly opposed to the idea of doing that, simply because to me there was nothing to teach. I was born with a keen eye for treasures in the midst of rubbish. But soon I started entertaining the thought of actually trying to teach people how to bargain hunt. It would be a helpful skill indeed to many, especially kids my age. College students know the meaning of the word broke very well.
   And so, after months, maybe years, of pondering, I've come up with some tips for smart shopping. Not only thrift shopping, but regular shopping too. "Mall" doesn't have to be a four-letter word for the fiscally impaired! Stay tuned to this blog and with each entry I will teach you the secrets of the bargain hunter lifestyle.

                                                                Your Thrifty Godmother,
                                                                                             Leah