03 Jul

Posted at 05:19h in Looking FLY on a Dime, shopping, Thrift, Thrifty Threads 365 by
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Thrifty Threads 365 challenge
The New York heat wave continues and there's nothing better than throwing on a flowy garment. Oh, and it was also my birthday this weekend, so I wanted an outfit that was cute but not too fussy. I knew exactly what I'd wear that would fulfill those requirements.
While thrifting at Buffalo Exchange in San Francisco, I "splurged" on a color block, hi-low top. 20 bucks is a little much for a secondhand item, but I knew I had to have it. I paired it with my vintage Wrangler cut offs that I bought at Clothes Contact, where vintage goods are $10 per pound.

29 Jun

Posted at 08:50h in How To, Looking FLY on a Dime, shopping, Thrift by
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thrift store prices, how to thrift shop
Two weeks ago I posted what may have just been my most commented on {via the blog and Facebook}, shared, liked and tweeted post. When I posed the question, "Are Thrift Store Prices Becoming Too Expensive?," you guys chimed in and the overwhelming answer was yes, the prices have increased.
Some people blamed the lagging economy {more people need to thrift so the prices are reflecting that}, others feel since some re-sell thrifted finds, the stores are upping the prices and a few people even believe bloggers like myself are responsible, since we're putting a spotlight on thrift shopping and making it "chic." 
Hmm, whatever the cause, us frugal folks aren't too happy with it. 
And Goodwill was the one thrift store in particular that everyone kept singling out. 
I've been a long time Goodwill supporter {shopping, donating and I even styled a Goodwill fashion show for disabled workers}, so I wanted to hear their side. I reached out to the New York and New Jersey branch of Goodwill to see how they determine prices and what percentage of sales are dedicated towards providing services to those in need.
Here's what they had to say....

25 Jun

Posted at 01:00h in Looking FLY on a Dime, shopping, Thrift, Thrifty Threads 365 by
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Looking fly on a Dime, H&M chiffon dress

Late last week we experienced a heat wave in NYC and besides being uncomfortable, it made getting dressed a bit tricky. Though the heat had me ready to walk around the city in the buff {it's totally legal for women in NYC to be  topless in public. Who knew?!}, obviously that wasn't going to happen. And I had to head outdoors to film my Savvy Shopper segment for WPIX. So that meant keeping cool while looking cute.Clingy material is a no-no when temps start to soar, so I grabbed my H&M  frock from Salvation Army. It's breezy, bright and the rosette details at the waist add a nice touch.

12 Jun

Posted at 01:00h in shopping, Thrift by
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Are thrift stores too expensive
Maybe it's a product of living in NYC, or maybe this is something others are noticing in their cities, but it seems {some} thrift stores are becoming a bit more expensive, no?
The price tag above was for a dress at Goodwill. It was a pretty basic label and nothing fancy, so I was baffled at the $20 price tag. Really, $20 for a secondhand dress? For that price, you can get a frock from Forever 21 or the clearance rack at some stores.
Of course most secondhand garments don't fall in to this category, but I have noticed the occasional steep price tag. I typically chalk it up to the price you pay for thrifting in NYC but I've also seen some double take-worthy prices in other cities.

04 Jun

Posted at 01:00h in Looking FLY on a Dime, shopping, Thrift, Thrifty Threads 365 by
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Another month down so you know what that means: time for my monthly Thrifty Threads 365 check in.

For the month of April I only spent $40 out of my $50 budget. Well, I can't say I faired so well for May but let me explain. I visited San Francisco for the first time last month and I hit up about half a dozen thrift stores {check out my San Francisco thrift shopping posts here and here}, so my $50 monthly budget quickly went out the window. Well, let me stop delaying and just reveal it.