I wanted to check in with you guys since I've reached the nine month mark of my year long shopping hiatus. Woo hoo, I'm in the home stretch. I started my Thrifty Threads 365 challenge on September 1, 2010 and vowed not to purchase any new clothing or accessories {except underwear} for the next year.I've found some amazing thrifted finds over the past nine months so as usual, I don't miss shopping for new clothing because I consider my thrift store items to be "new" to me.In the past couple of months, I've found...

A vintage dress from the Salvation Army for $5.

I think I dress pretty casually but my family always says I'm overdressed. Maybe it's my love of skirts or my obsession with stilettos, but I'm the resident diva in the fam and this Memorial Day weekend was no exception.

My cousin, his wife and their three little girls came from Ohio for a visit and we took a quick trip to Van Saun Park in Paramus, NJ. I used to go to this park/zoo as a kid so it was nice to see my younger cousins experience it.I threw on what I thought was a laid back, day at the zoo appropriate attire but my look was met with "you're wearing that? We're just going to the zoo!"Humph, whatever. It was almost 90 degrees so I opted for a loose fitting dress and added on some accessories.

Ah, red. That oh so bright hue that you either love to rock or it's just too bright for your taste. I'm one who fully embraces color so when I found a pair of red pants at the Goodwill Outlet {clothing is priced at $1.69/lb}, I grabbed them with a quickness. Even in a bin full of clothing it was hard to miss them! I threw them in my basket unsure if I'd actually purchase them. As much as I love color, red pants are a bit much. And could I pull off high waisted pants? I finally decided I needed them in my life.

I'm a sucker for pleats and pockets and a bright hue.

Spring has finally reared her head in NYC and I'm loving it. The past week we've seen temps in the upper 60s, 70s and I've taken the opportunity to put away my tights and show some leg.

I tend to plan an outfit around one item {statement shoes, a dress, bold top, etc} and I knew I wanted to rock a cute skirt. I'm normally not a fan of velvet, but I found a number from the Salvation Army that I couldn't refuse. The satin and velvet embroidered beauty is simply divine.

Have you ever had an outfit that you planned around an amazing pair of shoes? Well, that's what I did with my most recent thrifty threads look.The weather in NYC was a bit mild and I wanted to whip out my Betsey Johnson sequin pumps from Marshall's. I'm a lover of all things sequins, so these shoes are my babies. I paired them with a few other cheap chic finds for a perfect spring look.

This is a pretty plain body con dress, but the detailing at the waist is what made me thrift it from the Salvation Army.