27 Jul

Posted at 02:00h in Looking FLY on a Dime, Thrift, Thrifty Threads 365 by
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Thrift Store shoppingOne of the many, many great things about thrift shopping is you can try out new trends or looks you would normally stray away from. It makes you a bit more adventurous because you're not really investing in a style. If you try it and don't like it, no big deal. And that's exactly what I did earlier this year when I bought a pair of lace shorts while thrift shopping in San Francisco at Buffalo Exchange.

I love anything with lace, so I snatched the shorts up quickly. I posted a photo on Facebook of my new thrift store score and someone asked, "so how are you going to wear them?" That's when I asked myself, oh shoot, how am I going to wear them! I feared the lace bottoms would look a bit childish, kinda Little Bo Peep-ish.But when I'm faced with a tricky garment, my motto is: keep it simple and let the accessories do the work. So that's what I did.

24 Jul

Posted at 08:12h in Thrift by
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thrift shopping with a noviceIf you're new to thrift shopping, I've done a few posts on how to get started {thrift shopping 101 and thrift shopping FAQ}. But what if you're not new to thrifting but you want your newbie friends to join in on the thrifting fun? Well, this post is for you.

Last weekend I had a small adventures in thrifting trip to the Housing Works Buy the Bag sale {$25 for a bag full of clothes!} with Danielle from The Frugal Fatshionista and photographer Rayon Richards. Danielle is a thrifting pro, but for Rayon, it was his first time at the sale.The bag sale can be a bit overwhelming. It gets crowded, hot and there are so many clothes, everything eventually gets pulled out of the bins and on the floor {see the photo below, I'm literally standing on a pile of clothes!}. But luckily, our thrifting newbie walked away with two bags of goods.So if you're thrift shopping with someone who's new to secondhand stores, here's what you should do:

17 Jul

Posted at 01:00h in Looking FLY on a Dime, shopping, Thrift, Thrifty Threads 365 by
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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.

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....