Category: Thrifting Fun

I’ll be doing a 2024 thrifting wrap up post soon, but before we start winding down the year I need to share one last thrifting trip with you!

I only had one thrift store visit this month, but I’m super pleased with my two items:

Lands End Squall Waterproof Parka and bonus REI gloves, $17.99

I totally manifested this purchase and I’m so, so happy with it! The day before I went thrifting I was outside for an evening event and thought that I could really use a heavier winter coat that is long enough to keep my bum warm. Well, I found this coat the very next day!

It’s the Lands End Squall Waterproof Parka in Deep Sea Navy and it retails for $199. This particular coat is from Winter 2022 (you can tell by the inside tag), it is in fantastic condition and even has adjustable elastic in the waist so you can give it a little shape if you want. It’s the size I would have preferred, a color I enjoy and the exact cut that I was hoping for.

Even better, when I came home and threw it in the wash, I found that it came with a pair of bonus REI gloves in the pocket, which retail for $40. So that’s $240 of coat and glove goodness for just $17.99! Yay for secondhand. And now I’m planning to donate my previous winter coat (that was too short and too constricting on me when wearing a sweater) to a local nonprofit’s coat drive.

Kenneth Cole Reaction skirt, $6.99

I’m a skirt girl, so when I saw this circle skirt in a substantial material I went in for a closer look. It’s super flowy with pockets and I enjoy the grey/beige + white + black pattern. The waistline is a little bit big for me, so I stuck a belt on it to wear it to work last week.

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I may take the time to figure out a new waistband situation on my sewing machine at some point… or I may just keep topping it with a belt so it can be adjustable based on my holiday eating!

After an awesome October Thrift Haul, it seems that the thrift scales have been balanced with this month. That’s right, I have ZERO thrift finds for the month of November. However, I do have a few fabulous secondhand scores from Poshmark over the last few months that I will share for this month’s Haul.

Garnet Hill Linen & Cotton Sweater with hood, $19

I have recently become somewhat obsessed with Garnet Hill and love, love, love their cotton and linen sweaters. However, they run from $100 – $160 so I’d really like to not pay full price! I’ve been stalking a bunch of them on Poshmark and when the Posher sent me a deal of just $19 for this linen and cotton hoodie, I scooped it up. It is exactly what I was hoping for – really soft, oversized and a great, chunky knit that isn’t itchy. I’ve been wearing this regularly with joggers on telework days (it looks fancy on camera for Teams calls), and with jeans when going out and about. 

Garnet Hill Linen & Cotton Sweater, $25

Which leads us to this sweater. I was also stalking this one, as it is an oversized pullover style with the same kind of chunky linen and cotton knit. I was sent an offer for $25, so I went ahead and treated myself. I just got this one in the mail and haven’t even worn it yet.

Madewell The Regan Black Booties, $40

I thrifted a green suede version of these booties and have recently started wearing them. They are so comfortable and go well with jeans, dresses and skirts, so I decided to search out a black pair. I found these never worn on Poshmark for just $40 and I think they will be perfect for days that I go into the office.

L.L. Bean Vintage Corduroy Skirt, $16

I’ve had a vintage corduroy skirt on my thrift list for months and months. When I found one I loved, it would inevitably not be my size… especially because vintage sizing is so wonky. I went up three sizes for this one, figuring that I can always tailor it to my body. As it turns out, the waist actually fits well – so be sure to ignore sizing when it comes to vintage and go by your waist measurements instead. This is currently sitting in my sewing pile so I can hem it to knee length. I can’t wait to pair it with a graphic t-shirt, chunky cardigan and my cowboy boots!

Rothy’s Sneakers, $17

Jack’s Rothy’s were getting tight, so I started the hunt for the next size. The kid has been growing so quickly that I don’t bother with half sizes… so he went from a women’s 7 to a women’s 8 in the slip on sneakers. Which means that very, very soon he will be fitting in mine… These have been barely worn and were just $17!

If you’ve been thinking about trying Poshmark, you can use my special invite code to open an account and get $10 off your first order. Just use: POCKETFULOFJOUL And here is a direct link to my closet: https://poshmark.com/closet/pocketfulofjoul. Feel free to make an offer on something if you love it!

I’m quite certain that October was my luckiest thrifting month of the year. I had the opportunity to make a few visits to different stores and I’m so pleased with the items I found!

Let’s check them out together:

For my first trip, I found a cornucopia of awesome… and most items were half-off the tag price!

Sonoma Cardigan, $4.50

Okay, this one isn’t super exciting but it was on my thrift list, is the perfect mid-weather weight, and looks unworn.

Nic + Zoe shirtdress, $6

A super bargain for a classic shirtdress! I actually found the original tag for this one and it retailed for $198. I love the silhouette and color scheme and this will be perfect for work next spring/summer.

Jones New York Silk Skirt, $2.50

Another absolute steal – a silk skirt for less than $3?! The colors and flow of this skirt are so beautiful, but the waist is a bit large on me. So, it’s in my pile to tailor to my figure. While it’s more of a spring/summer skirt, I think I might be able to style it with boots and a chunky sweater for the cooler weather, so I’ll be trying that out soon.

Johnny Was dress, $9

I love, love, love Johnny Was but it’s too pricey for me to purchase unless I see it at the thrift or consignment shops. This gorgeous embroidered dress is 100% my style, so I was so happy to spot it on the racks. With that being said, it’s a little bit snug in the bust. So, I’m going to ignore it for a few months and try it on again in the spring.

Pyrex “Early American” Bowl, $9

I 100% bought this Pyrex because I knew my kid would think the cat was adorable. #NoRegrets It’s nothing super fancy – the Early American pattern was made from 1962 – 1971 and its one of the longest running Pyrex patterns. I just think it’s cute and the bowl is a great size for all our regular bowl needs.

For my second thrifting trip, I found just one item… but it’s a really good one!

Rebecca Minkoff Suede Jody Feed Bag, $34.99

Yes, I paid up for this bag. However, it’s a super thick and hearty suede and in absolutely perfect condition without even any crumbs inside. It’s the Rebecca Minkoff Jody Feed bag and it retailed for $248. It’s a great size and the shoulder strap is adjustable, so it makes for a fantastic cross-body purse. LOVE IT!

Okay, last thrifting trip of the month and it gives us some highs… and some lows:

Made in France bowl set (3 little, 1 big), $9

I saw these and loved them, but am having the hardest time tracking them down. Google images is no help. My awesome web searching abilities are not helping me. They look MCM to me, but the only markings are “Made in France” on the bottom. They have the yellow stripe with the atomic starburst-like design and the edges are scalloped and gold. I don’t know. I like them and they fit my MCM theme I have going on in my china cabinet.

Anyways, my thought was that the three small bowls are perfect for ice cream and I’d stick the larger bowl in my cabinet. Well, when I took the tape off the set I found that the larger bowl has two hairline cracks in it. Such a bummer. I still added it to my china cabinet though, since it’s so pretty. I’m still thinking the little bowls will be great for ice cream, unless I discover that they are poison or super collectible.

Qualfort 100% cotton cardigan, $9

This cardigan was totally manifested. It’s giving me Babaa vibes without the ridiculous price. I’ve been wanting a chunky knit cardigan, but I really wanted it to be 100% cotton, oversized, and a neutral color that I can just throw on with everything. This one is PERFECT and exactly what I was looking for. I googled the brand and it looks like it’s sold on Amazon for $40ish, so it’s good to know I can find a back-up if ever needed!

Loft Dress, $13

I was checking the Halloween costume section and came across this pretty tiered Loft dress. It was priced high, but I really like it and can see myself wearing it year-round with my cowboy boots, taller knee boots, tights and a cardigan, or even strappy sandals in the summer.

Eileen Fisher wool cardigan, $8

Okay, this one is a heart-breaker. I found this Eileen Fisher wool cardigan and absolutely love it. Similar wool sweaters by this brand sell for $250 – 300. Yeah, crazy! It’s hard to tell in the photo, but it has a dolman sleeve fit with a swoopy back, so looks super cute with jeans. And it was in perfect condition.

Notice I say WAS. Sigh. I threw it in the washing machine on cold, as I typically do with everything I thrift. But I kind of forgot that you aren’t supposed to wash merino wool, because the enzymes in detergent can cause little holes. Sure enough, when I pulled it out to let it flat-dry…holes. NINETEEN holes to be exact. And yes, I’m absolutely kicking myself. However, it’s not a total loss. I taught myself how to mend holes and it’s easier than I expected. I darned all 19 of those holes and it’s surprisingly hard to find the spots that I fixed.

So lesson learned. Well, two lessons learned. #1: Hand wash wool. and #2 Holes are pretty easy to fix if I make another mistake (or find a sweater with a hole for a steal)!