Category: Thrifting Fun

I didn’t think I’d be able to find the time to do much April thrifting, but I must have underestimated the stress that comes with finals for my master’s program! I made a few ‘mental health’ thrifting stops and ended up getting super lucky with some fantastic finds for myself and Jack.

{Pssst, you can read about my previous thrifting adventures here}

My Consignment Score Find
My friend recently visited a local consignment shop called Clothes Mentor and was blown away at what they had to offer, so she sent me an online coupon to try it out myself. The store is pretty great – it’s like they took a lot of the hard work out of thrifting — it’s neat and organized by size! I tried on a bunch of items, but only ended up buying this super soft cashmere sweater.

A post shared by pocketfulofjoules (@pocketfulofjoules) on Apr 7, 2018 at 10:36am PDT

Talbots 100% Cashmere Intarsia Heart Sweater, size Large, $10
According to my research, this sweater originally sold at Talbots for $179. It was marked at $20, but with my friend’s $10 off coupon I got it for just $10! Of course, now it’s finally starting to get warm… so I’ll most likely be packing this one away to enjoy next Fall/Winter.

My Random but WILL ABSOLUTELY BE USED Find

Land’s End Double Bottle Insulated Wine Tote, $4.99
I always do a drive-by of the purse aisle because you never know what you’re going to find. This super cute bag turned out to be a double-bottle wine tote from Land’s End. The two inside pockets are insulated to keep your wine cold and there are external pockets for your bottle opener and snacks! I searched and searched, but couldn’t find anything like this online. This one looks like it’s never even been used and I can’t WAIT to use it for our next wine festival! It is very plain though, so I might end up adding some embroidery, patches or even paint on some flowers at some point. For $5, why not?!

My Fitness Clothing Finds
I recently cleaned out my exercise clothes drawer, so I was looking for a couple items to round out my normal workout clothes options.

Title Nine Double Time tank top, Large $4.99
North Face running shirt, XL, $11.99

Nike Leggings, Medium, $8
LuLaRoe Jade Leggings, Large, $8.99
32 Degree Cool shorts, Large, $4.99

I love both the tops and have already worn them for my 10k and also a home workout. I’m so happy I picked up the shorts, because right after I bought them we had two days in the mid-to-high 80’s and I have NO warmer clothes out right now. I basically wore these nonstop, including to bed at night! I didn’t bother trying on the LaLaRoe leggings in the store, which was a mistake because they fit more like a medium. However, the Nike leggings that actually are a medium… fit like a large. Sigh. Guess I’ll be adding the LaLaRoe leggings to my next ThredUp bag!

My Kiddo Clothing Finds

The kid’s section is always hit and miss – even more so than just the overall thrift store. Often the clothing is WAY too worn to consider buying, but every so often I do a breeze through and get lucky. Each of these items was just $2 and with my discount they came down to $1.40 each! Jack doesn’t need a lot right now, but these ‘wicking’ t-shirts and tank top will be great for summer and summer camp. As soon as the sweatpants hit his drawer, he grabbed them out to wear them. Apparently the zipper pockets are perfect for keeping his Lego guys safe!

My Work/Home Clothing Finds

Nic + Zoe sweater, petite small, $3
Cable & Gauge sweater, large, $5.50
Ann Taylor wrap top, large, $5
Karl Lagerfeld Paris skirt, large, $7
Etoile linen tank, $5
Tahari Wave Patent Leather sandals, size 9, $8

Like I said, it was quite a bountiful month! I often throw a patterned cardigan over a t-shirt on the weekends, so I anticipate getting lots of wear out of the two sweaters. I love Nic + Zoe knits, so I’m happy to have picked this one up for just $3. The linen tank top is fantastic for home on weekends or under a blazer at work. And those shoes… so adorable! I can see wearing them with everything from skirts to cut-off shorts!

I already wore the Ann Taylor wrap top and paired it with a high-waisted Anthropologie skirt:

A post shared by pocketfulofjoules (@pocketfulofjoules) on Apr 24, 2018 at 3:41am PDT

I also tried the spotted cardigan and skirt together:

A post shared by pocketfulofjoules (@pocketfulofjoules) on Apr 25, 2018 at 4:01am PDT

For the month of April, I bought 18 items, which is quite a lot. Luckily, I’m also doing a great deal of closet purging (post coming up soon).

Here’s my thrifting spending breakdown for the month:
Fitness clothes: $39 on 5 items.
Kid’s clothes: $7 on 5 items.
Work/home clothes: $43.50 on 7 items.
Wine holder – $5 and worth it!

I’d love to hear your thrifting stories! Did you find a diamond in the rough (literally or figuratively)?

I mentioned last week that I had a bit of a Spring Break off work last Monday and Tuesday. Of course, being Maryland it actually snowed on Tuesday… and then I was snowed in with Jack on Wednesday and Thursday, but I didn’t mind the time off a bit!

One of my main goals for that Monday was to go by my favorite thrift store and spend as much time as I wanted wandering around. It was SUCH a treat! It was also weirdly crowded for a Monday, so I was a bit concerned that there wouldn’t be anything ‘good’ to find, but WOW did I find a bunch of great stuff:

A post shared by pocketfulofjoules (@pocketfulofjoules) on Mar 19, 2018 at 9:03am PDT

{Pssst, you can read about my previous thrifting adventures here}

I tried on a TON of items, which takes quite a while when you are only allowed to bring 8 into the dressing room at a time. I ended up putting a bunch of stuff back based on fit, but I still scored some awesome finds!

Carry Me Company Tote Bag, $7.99 on sale for $5.36

This tote bag is so adorable with the little crabs, starfish and seahorse. It’s brand new with tags from a little company in Pennsylvania and originally cost $37.99. I basically use tote bags for everything, so I’m happy to have another cute one to add to my collection! This one has a snap to hold it shut, an interior pocket and a key hook too.

Oshkosh swim trunks, $2.49 on sale for $1.67

Continuing on with the crabby theme, I couldn’t resist these cute crab swim trunks for Jack! He will have a couple swimming days at summer camp each week, so a cheapo pair for less than $2 is perfect for him to destroy this summer.

Gillian O’Malley shirt, size XXL, $3.99 on sale for $2.68

This is a Target brand for sleepwear, but I’m totally going to just wear this as a shirt. Is there some sort of rule about that? The sizing is absolutely ridiculous because it’s marked XXL and fits like a standard large.

Eci dress, size Large, $19.99 on sale for $13.40

This brand is one that is sold at stores like Nordstrom and Macy’s and typically is around $90 for a similar dress. I really liked the fun green pattern on this one and I feel like I can totally wear this with tights to work now and then with sandals during the summer. Super cute and really flattering too with the wrap-style top.

I’m wearing it today with a cute beaded sweater, tights and booties:

A post shared by pocketfulofjoules (@pocketfulofjoules) on Mar 27, 2018 at 3:37am PDT

Boden dress, size US10, $11.99 on sale for $8.04

I love a good Boden jersey dress, so I decided to scoop this one up for $8. It is in perfect condition and has really cute pockets too. It looked fine on me in the store, but I didn’t like it as much when I got it home. So, I went ahead and washed it and then listed it for sale. It sold within 7 hours of listing for $40, so I’m calling it a win!

Loft Snow Leopard print car coat, size Large, $24.99 on sale for $16.75

I found this adorable jacket on the Loft website and it was sold for $168 in winter 2014. It actually has 140 reviews and averages 5 out of 5 stars. I remember seeing this when it came out, but it never went on sale low enough for me to buy. The person who bought this one must not have loved it though, because it seems totally unworn and even still has the protective stitch holding the back flap closed (it is such a pet peeve of mine when people wear clothes without cutting this stitch open!).

This coat was my absolute favorite find of the day! I love how it’s a grown up shape with a bit of extra sass. The tag says dry clean only, but I threw it in the washing machine on cold and then let it hang dry. It turned out perfect and I’ve been wearing it nonstop while it’s still cold outside:

Happy first day of Spring from Maryland! Yesterday I was wearing a t-shirt… I would be mad, but it gave me the opportunity to wear my new-to-me thrifted snow leopard coat, so I’m calling it a win! 🤗🤗🤗 #ootd #thriftstyle #maryland #fashionfatemarch #styledinmarch #thriftedchicstylechallenge #mysecondhandstyle #styleblogger

A post shared by pocketfulofjoules (@pocketfulofjoules) on Mar 20, 2018 at 10:36am PDT

Eileen Fisher sweater, size PL, $5.99 on sale for $4.02

I just can’t leave $5 Eileen Fisher behind at the thrift store. This green elbow-length sweater is 85% cotton and 15% cashmere. It will be a great work topper for the spring and summer to keep my arm tattoo under wraps.

Land’s End wrap dress, size medium (10-12), $9.99 on sale for $6.70

Much like I can’t leave Eileen behind, I also have it ingrained in me to try on every wrap dress I see. This one is a solid navy version from Land’s End. It appears unworn and fits great, so this will be immediately washed and put into my work rotation!

Mexican Embroidered dress, no size, $11.99 on sale for $8.04

I shared this dress with you all last week (read the post here). I love the embroidery on the top of the dress, so I’m planning to cut it down into a shirt like this one or these. I may also cut the sleeves off to make it a tank top. Stay tuned!

Hei Hei Juneworthy bomber, size small, $14.99 on sale for $10.06

Hei Hei is sold at Anthropologie and this adorable navy bomber went for $78 earlier this year. This one is in perfect condition, so I decided to take a chance on it and list it for resale. Fingers crossed that someone wants to buy it!

For fun, I decided to add up what I spent thrifting and compare it to the retail cost of each item:

Item	Thrift Cost	Retail Cost
Carry Me Company Tote Bag	$5.36	$37.99
Oshkosh swim trunks	$1.67	$15.00
Gillian O’Malley shirt	$2.68	$15.00
Eci dress	$13.40	$88.00
Boden dress	$8.04	$85.00
Loft Snow Leopard Car Coat	$16.75	$168.00
Eileen Fisher sweater	$4.02	$198.00
Land’s End Wrap Dress	$6.70	$100.00
Mexican Embroidered dress	$8.04	$35.00
Hei Hei bomber	$10.06	$78.00

 

Estimated Retail Cost total: $819.99

Thrifting total: $76.72

Total savings: $743.27!

That should scratch my thrifting itch for a while!

I’d love to hear your thrifting stories! Did you find a diamond in the rough (literally or figuratively)?