thrifty threads 365 challenge, shopping challengeI have a problem. A serious problem. For as long as I can remember, I've rarely, if ever, been able to wear white without getting a stain on it. I always manage to spill a drink, get an ink stain or rub up against something. Due to this, I stay away from wearing white.

But I decided to stop letting that fear keep me from rocking the fresh, crisp hue. While thrift shopping in San Francisco, I found a vintage Adidas tennis skirt I desperately wanted. It fit me perfectly, but it was white. But it was also crazy cheap {the threads at Clothes Contact are $10 per pound}. I bought it and I'm so glad I did.I finally wore the mini with some bright additions while in New Orleans earlier this summer.

how to decorate on a budgetI recently moved in to a new apartment and after I finally found an affordable, safe place in New York City, my next struggle was decorating on a limited budget. But of course a sparse budget hasn't kept me from creating a cozy space.

I've been able to use secondhand pieces and even items from the dollar store to dress up my new bedroom {I'm still working on the living room}.
From a $30 entertainment center from the Salvation Army that I turned in to a dresser to $1 glass jars I store accessories in, peep the video to see how I decorate on a dime.

Housing Works warehouse saleEarlier this week I showed you my recent Housing Works haul from the Buy the Bag sale. But I found so many goodies {63 pieces for $50 equals less than 80 cents for each item}, I had to split the post up over two days. I gave you a glimpse at the awesome coats and tops I nabbed {including a St. John cardigan} and now it's time for the bottoms.

My style definitely leans more towards dresses, flirty skirts and even casual skinny jeans, and I found all of the aforementioned.Peep what I walked away with.

thrifty threads 365 challenge, shopping challengeAnother month down, so it’s time to recap my Thrifty Threads 365 challenge {a full year where I only thrift shop for clothes and accessories, no new items}. My budget for each month is $50 and how much did I spend for the month of July? *drum roll* Exactly $50.

The past two weekends, I ventured to Long Island City for the Housing Works Buy the Bag sale. This is the place to go if you're seeking the most threads for your cash. For $25, you get a brown bag and whatever you can stuff in it is yours. In late July I managed to fit 35 pieces in the bag and on my final visit of the month, I got 28 items in a bag, for a grand total of 63 pieces for $50. That's less than 80 cents for each skirt, dress, top, coat, etc.
Housing Works Buy the Bag haul{my haul, with a tutu on top}
And these aren't just any old items, a few are department store and even some high end labels. Oh, and a cardigan I found retails for at least 500 bucks.
Peep some of my favorite finds.

thrifty threads, thrifty threads 365

Two weeks ago, I celebrated my birthday at the Essence Music Festival. If you don't know about EMF or if you've never been, you need to change that ASAP. It's obviously a music fest, but it's so much more. It's a gathering of folks who are ready to experience food, fun, day and night parties and any other foolishness New Orleans has to offer. It was hands down one of the best trips I've been on and I plan to attend next year.But anyway, back to fashion...packing is always an issue, but for this trip it was especially tough. I needed items that were casual enough for the day {and the humid temps} but threads that were also party appropriate for any events I decided to hit up.