Thrifting just runs in my blood. I think it’s an additional gene I was given in the womb. My mind thinks in second hand images, so I thought I would take you along for a sneak peak into one of my latest visits to Goodwill. I have the best friends who agreed to model for me on the spot with no advanced warning.
I had so much fun that I ran out of battery and never even got to the housewares department. I’m making these videos a regular feature here on Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, so we’ll definitely get to .
Forgive the dark intro. I didn’t notice that complete video fail untill I got home and did not want to reshoot it. We’ll work on that. 🙂
Please know that when I mention larger sizes, that is such a relative term. Someone can be in excellent shape and look fabulous wearing a size 16. I have worn anywhere from a size 6 – 20, so I am familiar with many different sizes in thrift store shopping. My point in mentioning larger sizes is not to say that a “12” is large ( I often wear a 12), but I get many comments stating you can only shop second hand if you’re a size 8 or under. I was thrilled that we found some great options for ladies ranging from sizes from 12-22. It may take a bit longer to find the treasure, but that XL blazer I showed in the video would retail for hundreds. Plus, it will make you feel better to actually see the ten pounds I’ve gained over the last few months. I told you it’s a constant battle. Ugh – I hate winter…I’ll get it off again quickly.
Feel free to laugh at my first video thrifting attempt. We were laughing hard ourselves. 🙂
Posted at : life as mom
This Works for me
ROFL!! “The rich people’s Goodwill.” We have one of those too! Love it!
Love the video – especially the ending! 🙂 Those are some great finds! I think I’m inspired to visit a Goodwill near me soon!
Hey! I’m a home schooler i watched the video and I thought that was so cool! I’m totally going to start to read your blog! LOVED that video! =} p.s. it would be cool if you took a video of yourself repairing stuff!!!
I think this is going to be quite fun… thanks for the video! I need to know how to “link up” when I don’t have a blog…. I have a great photo for the frugal fashionista tomorrow.
okay i have to watch the video, how fun.
my goodwill seriously has so much stuff in sizes 8-12, it’s unbelievable. since i am tinier than that it is so frustrating to me, but i tell my friends it’s a gold mine in there for those sizes.
my friends always hate me when i tell them i got my designer duds there. i have to do lots and lots of searching though because i am tall.
I’m a homeschooler and I LOVED that video! I live in a town with a thrift store near the grocery store and I love that thrift store! =}
Love the video.
From someone who really needs help in the fashion department and who ONLY shops at Goodwill and yard sales, thank you for the ‘stay away from patterns’ tip. I’m going to head out and see what I can find tonight!
Oh you are the most stylish frugal fashionista!!!
Thrifting is so fun! I actually find a lot of nicer things in very small and very large sizes (often on the half off tag color), because these things don’t sell as well right away. Sometimes I find wonderful things that aren’t my size but for the cheap price I can take them home and redo them!
Great tips and a great video but…
Size 12 is considered a larger size now?!? Ouch!
@Andrea H, Off to clarify that right now. Sorry. I had just received an email from someone who was 5’0″ and a size 12 and she stated that she had trouble finding clothes for her in larger sizes….in no way at all do I consider 12 large. It’s the downside of having of having no idea how to edit and talking off the top of my mouth.
How fun!! I loved your video! And wish my thrift stores were open late so I could go without the kids! I’ve definitely been doing the “solids” thing – except for the occasional dress with a cute border or something. And I got a great pair of black shoes just the other day – after a couple months of waiting for the right pair at the right price! Thanks so much to you and your friends for sharing with us!
@Abbie,
I, too, have been choosing mostly solids. Now I’ll be even more careful when choosing patterned clothes.
@Abbie, now, don’t get me wrong, I love my prints with the best of them…as long as they weren’t from the 90’s. 🙂 Isn’t it so fun to find that treasure after you’ve waited so patiently? 🙂
@Jens, Some of my favorite finds are vintage 50s and 60s prints! I even have one dress my grandma wore that I enjoy very much. 🙂
Hey Jen!
Love your video take! I can’t wait to see more. I think you guys did a great job. We have a Goodwill about 20 minutes from us and I never make it there. Maybe I need to start doing that.
Will you be going to She Speaks this year?
@Danielle, I love She Speaks, but I don’t think I will be going this year. I will be speaking at a Christian blogging conference called Relevant in Oct and trying not to be away too much…but you never know. 🙂
You need your own TV show, Miss Jen! I would totally TiVo you. 😉
“Rich People’s Goodwill.” I love it!!! I need to figure out which one in my area is the rich people’s store. 🙂
Jen, that was great! Thanks for the video, you did so well on camera. 🙂 Looking forward to seeing you at BlissDom. I’ll be sure to check out your red shoes.
Jen, the videos are such a great idea, it gives us first hand experience without having to actually be there–thanks.
Thanks so much for the video. You are so cute! Can I say that I want the shoes in your first picture. They are beautiful as are the ones modeled (by your friend) in the video.
I think I need to drive way across town and see if I can’t find my own “rich people’s Goodwill” because nothing close by has anything decent. Wish me luck and thanks again for the fun video!
This was great! Can’t wait for more!
Loved it! I love thrift stores too but was having a hard time figuring out what to buy before I read this incredibly helpful book:
Style on a Shoestring (Andy Paige).
It tells you specifically what to look for in terms of quality and fit so you can buy things that will look great.
Keep the great videos coming!
xoxo-
Lisa in Atlanta
Jen, thank you for doing these posts, video and all! I, too, am a thrift store/garage sale gal and I enjoy everyone of these posts…thanks for the fresh tips, I appreciate it! However, I have to say, that recently I had some friends over who are professional home organizers and they helped me to purge, give away and share my ‘stuff’ with others and do it quickly in order to simplify my life, as I have just finished my 1st round of chemo, with 5 more to go. I will say the “letting go” of my stuff (w/encouragement from my friends) was easier than I thought because most of it was free or a very low purchase price and the reality was I needed to move things along, bless others, reduce my accumulated items and start anew. Thanks for letting me share, I know that God is good in all of this! ~C
@connie, Connie you are SO right….part of this is being able to purge the extra and keep it organized. I have a guest poster who will be sharing how she keeps her closets/clothes organized. Thank you for sharing about your chemo…i will definitely be lifting you up in prayer. Keep me posted on how things are going.
You gals looked like you were having fun.
Shopping and friends — great combo.
Thanks for sharing all the great tips. I’m looking forward to another video whenever you’re posting next.
Peace.
Oh, I just love, love, love your idea. Please do it regularly. I am a thrift store shopper, too, and love Goodwill (especially in the rich neighborhoods). Love your blogs….and am so excited about your new appliances! Wow! Hope you’ll stop by my new blog site Gail-Friends and gab a little. You are going to be a blessing at Blissdom! Wish I could go. God bless you.
Jen, I’ve been following your blog for awhile and I’m impressed with the frugal fashionista. Could you explain what a “rich people’s Goodwill” is? Is it the neighborhood it’s in? Our Goodwills don’t seem to have the “rich” side to them.
@Cindy, Yes, she just means it’s in the nicer part of town – you know, like where people hand out full-size candy bars on Halloween and have closets full of designer clothes with tags still on, ready to donate so all of us frugal types can squeal at a bargain!
@Cindy, Becca is exactly right. It’s a Good will in the nicer part of town. You still have to take the time sorting but I aways find something. The downside of it though is that they charge higher prices for household things. Sometimes I feel like I am in Target….LOL. The clothes are a set standard price, except for “Special Finds” which they mark up….like that $60(gasp) coat.
JEN. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this! seriously. {did i mention i love this?!}. your kitchen tips (5 meals in 5 minutes) was really fantastic…but REALLY TRULY. do this again.
i will watch (more than once…).
[does that sound creepy? i meant that in a most non-creepy, admiring way possible…& now i’m just sounding like a weirdo…signing off….]
@jlyn…, hee hee….You are too funny. Thank you so much for your kinds words. I took it in the nicest possible way…no creepers allowed. 🙂
Love, love, loved the video! Y0u’re so fun! Even though it’s 10:30 here, I was ready to pack up and head to the nearest Goodwill… guess it’s best to wait until their open, huh?
This is FANTASTIC and I can’t wait to see more!
Many Blessings,
Melissa
How fun! I’ll look for your ruby heels at Blissdom:)
And the books! I just started a link up called Feed Me Books Friday for moms to link up 1-3 of their favorite books and share them with other moms.
It’s already been a help to find great books for our own reading library. I’d love to have you join us some Friday and share your favorite Children’s or Young Adult books.
The video was great- you need to make more… and let your son edit them so that we don’t miss the really good stuff:)
I just wanted to throw it out there that if people are looking for good thrift stores they can try googling their city and the word “thrift store” to see what comes up – a lot of sites offer a spot for people to leave reviews on the thrift store and while I haven’t seen tons of reviews on any one store, the reviews I have seen have been useful.
I have traveled to Atlanta and Charleston in the last three weeks and each time I googled the city and “thrift store” and got great results – especially in Charleston where there was a thrift store that actually sold clothes for .99 cents and nice household items starting as low as .45 cents!! Unheard of in my neck of the woods!!
The flip side to googling your thrift stores : if someone has a “Can’t be missed store” in their own area, they should write a review about it!!
I love your dark intro- the earings flashing in the dark remind me of rollerskating as a child- disco ball, roller rink, work with me here.
I am excited that I will finally have some frugal finds to show you.
I love thrift stores. It’s like going on a treasure hunt each time I shop at them. Thanks for letting us see you in action. Not only was it fun but the tips are going to be a huge help.
Blessings
I loved this video! I already dabble in thrift store shopping, but now I am completely inspired to do more! I have yet to discover a “rich people’s Goodwill,” but I will keep looking! Not all of my family understands my penchant for thrift stores and yard sales :-), so I really enjoy reading your blog. Thank you for making this so fun!
Loved this!! Can’t wait to see more …
That was so much fun to watch, and I think you may have just inspired me to step out of the home section and actually look at the clothes at Goodwill. You and your “girls” were darling.
LOVED the video! Thanks for sharing!!
This was fun and SO helpful! And I swear, girl, you should be on TV regularly! I know you were on a news segment last year, but seriously, your blog would make such a great show. Now I need to figure out where in (south) Charlotte the RPGW is!! Blessings!
Oh my gosh thank you so much for this video! I can’t wait to see more – you and your friends are so cute. 🙂 There’s a Goodwill I’ve been meaning to try and I think you may have just given me inspiration to check it out.
Thank you, thank you for posting. This past Saturday, my husband and I ventured into our first Goodwill shopping experience EVER….we hit all three our city has! I found a few things for myself and our kids. But, our big finds were in the mens’ department. My husband is in the professional world and always has to “look the part”….and it wears on our budget constantly! He was so excited about his awesome finds. He got ELEVEN dress shirts (several Ralph Lauren, GAP and Nautica brands) and seven pair of nice tailored slacks (all of them were the nicer brands). We didn’t find a suit that fit him, but we are on the hunt! The whole trip I kept saying…”Jen says look for this and Jen says do this.” We can’t stop talking about what a FUN day it was and our new found love of thrifting. If it weren’t for your blog, we never would have thought to do this (how silly, huh)? We looked SHARP at church yesterday! Thank you a million times over….you have opened a whole new world for our family.
OK Jen, you look so professional. The reason you don’t know how to work the camera is because you were born to be in front of it. Consider me your camera girl anytime! And btw, I had a blast laughing with you all.
Plus, my sister went back to get the size 12 Ann Taylor jeans and the size 1’s for her daughter. We should become professional shoppers for other people (second-hand-only)…..Rebecca, could this be your new start?
Jen:
Thanks for sharing your advice. Work on the video quality next time!
I LOVEEEEE the video!!!! Great idea!!! I recently started homeschooling 3 weeks ago. So needless to say I was ready to get out and SHOP this past weekend! Thrift shopping is my absolute FAVORITE! I hit my “Sally’s boutique” (my pet name !) and two GW’s. And I got a TON of stuff for NEXT to nothing! I’m certainly ready for your next linky party!!! 🙂
Kristi
Fab! I love vlogs. Keep ’em coming!
Hello fellow thrift shop queen!
I love it!
Great post!
I’m crazy about scoring a deal at these places!
I have been really blessed!
I loved the video, but still can’t get over the “12” thing being considered larger sizes. Ya’ll must be skinny minnies! I would think larger sizes would be much more than that!
@Dee, hi Dee –
I was wearing a size 12 pair of pants just yesterday. 12 is not “large” at all….but I had just received an email that day from a lady that was 5’0″ who wore a size 12 and she said it was hard for her to find clothes that fit.
If I knew how to edit that small phrase out, trust me, I would….I even mentioned to my son…I wear some size 12’s….you must have missed what I wrote in my post so I copied it for you below.
“Please know that when I mention larger sizes, that is such a relative term. Someone can be in excellent shape and look fabulous wearing a size 16. I have worn anywhere from a size 6 – 20, so I am familiar with many different sizes in thrift store shopping. My point in mentioning larger sizes is not to say that a “12″ is large ( I often wear a 12), but I get many comments stating you can only shop second hand if you’re a size 8 or under.”
You guys were having way too much fun! I love thrift shopping too! I have a blog called Thrift and Shout! It’s a blog about living fabulously without spending a fortune!
Lindsey Turner
http://thriftandshout.blogspot.com
I enjoyed your video of your thrift shopping. It made me laugh and think 1st “I’m glad I’m not the only one who has trouble operating her video camera” and then ” I need to find a thrift store.” You ladies put together some cute outfits & I’m loving the prices. Thanks for sharing with us & I look forward to watching more videos.
My daughter found a great upscale Good Will Store near the school where she teaches. She found Jessica Simpson Handbag for $1.99 and a $899 Burberry (not a knock-off) scarf with the original tag on it–for$2.99. Obviously, the store nor the donor knew what they had. She dresses so well that her students commented that she has never been seen in the same outfit twice. I found fresh-water pearls for $1 and Easy Spirit shoes (retails for $79.99) for $1.99. I have name brand suits for $5 and everything from Liz Claiborne to Yves St. Laurent for all you can cram in a bag for $5 sales. On Christmas Eve, my husband (a new convert to Thrift stores), found a new long sleeved shirt with original tag from JC Penney, for $4.99, which originally sold for $29.99. You have to look, dig, think and enjoy the experience to find the treasures but they are definitely out there. happy hunting!
I have so many “designer” thifty store purchases that when I wear them, people ask me where I got them. I tell them and they smile and say “Sure”. But when I was working at a famous department store and wore my thrift store ensemble, they wanted to know WHERE in the store were these items.. that caused me to smile and I had to say quite honestly I did not think that store carried them. If you can find a great outfit at a thift store and it fits well, looks well and gets you compliments, I say there is nothing better.