Tips for Thrifty Karma

HOLY MACARONI! What happened? Where’s the post, women?! Are you slacking again?!?!
Sometimes, I get distracted. Life is crazy, as we all know. My deepest apologizes for the lapse in postings.

Ok, so now that that’s over, let’s talk about one of the fundamentals of thrifting.  Donating.

That’s right kiddos, to find good thrift ideas, you must donate good thrift ideas. Think of it as Thrift Karma. You get what you give.

Do you have a great skirt that’s just a smidgen too tight? Or a shirt you impulsively bought because it was on sale? Got left over baby clothes that were ruined by your little monsters? A set of dishes that’s missing a few pieces? Those horrible shoes you were given?
DONATE THEM! (or if you’re feeling adventurous, CONSIGN THEM!!)

Here are some key things to remember when donating:

1. Think of non profit places first. Check in your area to see if there are groups that offer services to the less forunate. Some socially aware groups run thrift stores to fund their operations.(Think Goodwill, but on a local scale.) Also, check these places out. See if the money is really going where it should.

2. Make sure the item is clean. No one wants to wade through your dirty laundry at a donation center.

3. Remeber that not everyone has the same garment expectations as you. Missing buttons and popped seams can be fixed. Those jeans with the busted knee you have just might complete a young girls wardrobe.

4. A donation point is not a trash can. If that toaster doesn’t work, chunk it. Don’t leave it to the donation point works to get rid of your trash.

5. Ask for a tax reciept. Some places might offer one. From what I understand, you can write off donations on your taxes. Google will know more than I will.

6. Don’t donate anything that’s not safe. Saftey first children.

7. Only donate when the donation point is open. Items left outside overnight can get ruined or cause problems.

8. Be nice! Smiles can go a long way.

Consigning items are a whole different story. Many consignment shops have guidelines on how they function. Most shops want the clothes to be relativitly new (2-5 years is typical, some want more current), in style, and known name brands. You have to remember, consignment shops offer money or store credit for what you bring to them, so they kind of have the right to be picky. Don’t get discourgaged if your items don’t get consigned. Either try other shops or donate them. Just think of it as some adding some thrifty karma to your bank!

And to let you know I’m not blowing smoke up your petunia, I have a big old bag of stuff to drop off right now!

See ya!

Under $20 Goodwill Haul

Hello Thrifters!

Today, I decide it was time for the kiddos and I to finally get out of the house  and hit up the local Goodwill.  We’ve had a bit of winter weather recently,which caused our poor little Southern town to shrivel up and die. The schools were closed for like a week and everyone was in full fledged panic mode. Except for us. We’ve lived in some pretty cold and snowy places, my husband especially. So it was no big deal, but because the DOT here has no idea how to clean roads and stuff, we stayed home for most of the time. A few days ago, all the nasty left over sludge disappeared. While my husband napped after work, the boys and I took a little trip.

I knew, even before I got to the store that I had a self imposed budget. Today’s challenge was to spend under $20.  I’m happy to say I completed that challenge successfully and snagged some pretty awesome stuff! Wanna see what I got?

A lovely green with gold accents gypsy skirt from DK. I don’t know what company DK is, but they make a pretty nice skirt. I’ve really wanted to start wearing more skirts and feel these kind work best for me.

 

This could be my find of the year (Yeah,  I know, its just January, heheh). This is a 100% silk, made in India,  Kariza wrap around skirt. The cool thing about Kariza’s are that they aren’t JUST a skirt. There supposedly are 100s of ways to wear them. AND, according to a google search, these suckers retail between $35 and $70. I paid $3.79.  This is the skirt of my dreams, even though its hard as crap to photograph.

 

The second coolest thing I scored today, I got just for my husband:

Oh yea! A 1983 Burger King/Coca Cola Return of the Jedi glass. Yep, its older than me

I also found something I actually needed. I have one jewelry box, and it’s used to hold old letters. This one is huge and just a little beat up. But I have some beautiful paper and a lot of Mod Podge. So this baby is going to be getting a new look soon!

I was also able to score some pretty awesome necklaces, two of which were broken. Mwhahah, I laugh at “broken” jewelry. I’m an amateur necklace maker! If I can’t  fix it, I’ll make it into something else!

All of this wonderful stuff, AND a pair of shoes for the oldest Monster? $16.53.

I think I did exceptional well!  I managed to be both thrifty AND stylish (well, at least to me).Next time, I’ll take the camera with me shopping and try to give you a feel of the shop!

Feel free to leave comments below. Also, we now have a Facebook fan page. If you’d like to fan or like us (I cant remember which it is)  search us as Thriftomania .

Until we thrift again!

 

 

Thrift vs Vintage

So, you’ve got your day planned. You are ready to go thrift shopping! But wait, what’s that? You’re not sure of the difference between thrifting and vintage shopping.  Well, you’re lucky I’m here to help!

According to the all great and knowledgeable Wikipedia, Vintage (which is a borrowed term from the wine world) simply means old. Old as in originating from another time period. Well, that’s vague enough to do us no good at all. Thanks Wikipedia!

Don’t fear, dear reader, I have slaved and toiled to bring you a better definition. Hopefully, my nifty little break down of times will make the whole thing a lot easier to understand.

1700-1840s —Clothing from this time period is generally known as Antique or Regency. These pieces are probably not going to be found at your local Goodwill. These are plenty beautiful, but really freaking expensive. To me, these are living pieces of history.

1850-1920s—- Clothing from this time is known as either Victorian or Edwardian, which are still considered Antique.I seriously doubt you will find any of this stuff at the local Goodwill. On a personal note, I’ve wasted a bunch of time today looking at Victorian and Edwardian dresses. They are stunning works of art all to themselves, but do not have a place in my messy life.

1930s-1980s—This is Vintage. The most popular and most sort after stuff is from this area. There is sooo many different looks and styles that are covered by the Vintage tag. The price range for Vintage things varies, depending on what the item is, the condition or even where you found it. If you look hard, you might be able to find truly vintage things in your local stores.

1990s-Now—These items are seen as thrifted, used, second-handed, or consigned. These, in most cases, are the most affordable and easiest to obtain. There are probably thousands of these at your local Goodwill or Salvation Army. This category makes up a huge percentage of my wardrobe. Right now even, pretty much everything I’m wearing is “thrifted”. There’s ton of looks and styles in this category.

Even though I’ve broken these down nice and neat for you, there is still a chance for some confusion. In the thrifting world, not everyone follows the same standards. Sometimes Vintage mergers into Thrifted. Sometimes Thrifted is treated like pure Vintage.  There are no set definitions.  That’s the fun of thrift shopping. Remember,  every shopping trip is a dice roll, a treasure hunt!

Thriftomania’s first video…

 

And hopefully, you’re still reading and haven’t run screaming from the computer.  I want videos to be a part of Thriftomania.  I think they can add a more personal level to the blog. And, maybe I just like the sound of my own voice.  Ha! Anyways, I want Thriftomania to be fun, because we all need fun in our lives. I’m sure after I get over my initial goofiness, the videos will be better.

As always, I want to know your thoughts! Comment the video on youtube, or this post here. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, email me!

And I’m still thinking up a witty tag line fyi

My name is Angela, and I’m a thriftomaniac…

While I wait for an unease chorus of “Welcome, Angela.”, I’ll explain to you what Thriftomania is about.

See, I’m cheap. Always have been. I pretty much grew up broke and clothed in hand-me downs or thrift store finds. There was the occasional dress from Wal Mart, but when I was a kid, good old Wally World only stocked the ugliest clothes known to man.  For me, then, my cheap clothing was embarrassing.  Then, something clicked. Why be embarrassed ? Slowly, with only a few minor set backs (you know how teenagers are), I started embracing the style I was stuck with.  Old tshirts, western shirts, tie dyed skirts, and wonderful polyester blends made up my high school wardrobe.  I even got a job at the local Goodwill my senior year. (More about in a later post.)

As you can see, my love for thrift shopping runs deep.  So deep in fact, I started this blog! What I really want to do with this blog is to use it to show just how awesome thrifting can be.  I hope to provide hints and tips for successful thrift shopping, as well as show off some of my awesome finds.  Also, Thriftomania will be a place for me to chronicle my 2011 self challenge.  What challenge is that ?

In 2011, I want to only purchase clothing for myself from thrift or consignment shops/places.  These could be thrift stores, resale stores, yard/garage sales, free stores, freecycles, whatever.  The only exceptions would be for underwear, socks, and bras. Those items and gifts are not included. Everything else though, is fair game.  I figured if  I keep a blog, I would be more inclined to stick with my challenge.

So, here’s to new beginnings ! If you have any questions/comments/tips/grievances  please email me at thriftomania@gmail.com .  I’ll be happy to answer anything

I’d like to use a witty sign off line right now, but I’ve got nothing *shurgs*