Category: Thrifting Fun

I had a small surgery to get two sketchy looking moles removed from by body and tested earlier this month. As I was getting ready to leave, my doctor told me to be sure to take it easy the rest of the day. So, obviously I took that to mean that I should go by Sonic for a milkshake and do a little thrifting…

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

And WOW and I glad I did! While I was at one of our nearby Goodwill stores they made an announcement that they have a 30% discount for students and teachers. Well, I’m currently a student in a Master’s program… but I don’t have a student ID since I’m taking my classes online. So, I decided to do a quick check of my work ID (I work at a university) and it actually says “Faculty and Staff” on it, so I got the discount!

Want to see what I found?

Visit #1 Haul:

51 Piece Cookie Cutter Set, $6.97 + 30% off

My sister texted me a few days before Christmas to see if I had any cookie cutters, because she was in the middle of making sugar cookies at my parent’s house and couldn’t find any. So, when I saw this brand-new cookie cutter set I knew I had to buy it so that we are prepared for next year! There are a ton of different shapes, but my vote is for Christmas dinosaurs…

Merona dress, Large, $7 + 30% off

I normally don’t buy Target brands at thrift stores because they don’t tend to be the best quality. However, this particular Goodwill is a location where they have a bunch of Target cast-offs that were donated from the store. I really like the softness of this dress, as well as the black and white pattern. It has a gathered waist too, so it’s pretty flattering on. I’m planning to wear this as either a swimsuit cover-up at the beach or maybe as a casual weekend dress.

Halogen cardigan, Large, $5.89 + 30% off

I’ve mentioned before that red is one of my university’s colors… but I don’t actually own much red clothing at all. This Halogen cardigan (a Nordstrom brand) is a pretty shade of red and in great condition, so I decided to go ahead and get it for less than $5. I already wore it too!

A post shared by pocketfulofjoules (@pocketfulofjoules) on Mar 6, 2018 at 3:46am PST

 

Liz Claiborne faux wrap dress, Large, $7.00 + 30% off

Whenever I go to Marshalls or TJ Maxx, this is the type of easy dress I gravitate towards. In fact, I have a few similar dresses in my closet and have been wearing them for probably 5 – 10 years because they always look great and basically last forever! This one has a flattering shape and a pretty pattern, here it is close up:

Visit #2 Haul:

Two weeks later I had to get my stitches out, so I made a quickie stop by the same Goodwill. I probably only had about 30 minutes, so I scooped up a few items and ended up with three winners:

Grayer’s Cotton Sweater, Large, $3.50
Chico’s skinny jeans, size 1, $8.40

I initially loved the pretty stripes on this 100% cotton sweater and although I wasn’t familiar with the Grayer’s brand, I could tell by its tag that it was kind of fancy. I did some googling and found that Grayer’s is a men’s brand created by a designer that spent 11 years working at Ralph Lauren. They’re vision is classic with a twist and when describing their fit they say “it’s not the classic, baggy fit, nor is it the slim designer fit – we walk a fine line in-between the two.”  They sell their clothing through their own website and Nordstrom and similar sweaters go for $88 – 98.

I don’t normally bother trying on pants or jeans when I thrift, because it’s so hard for me to find a pair that fit me right. I decided to try these on a whim, having no idea what a Chico’s size 1 even would be. These jeans are part of the Chico’s “so slimming” collection (price range $89 – $99) and I’d like to be slim… so I tried them. Oh, and a Chico’s size 1 is supposed to be equal to regular size 8 and that’s totally BS because I’m NOT a size 8. Anyways, these jeans fit kind of great and figured I’d give them a try for less than $9! I’ve worn them twice since I bought them (here’s one outfit) and have been pleasantly surprised at how they don’t fall down throughout the day!

Coldwater Creek wrap dress, size 10P, $4.90

Once again, getting introduced to a new brand with this Coldwater Creek dress. It looks like it’s a catalog/website brand that attracts the ‘more mature’ lady. Sigh. First I buy Chico’s and now Coldwater Creek… apparently I’m turning full-on old lady at age 40. Anyways… I liked the colors of this dress and you all know how I can’t resist a good wrap dress! The first thing I did was cut off the fake wrap ribbon thing on the side. I may end up hemming this one a bit shorter, but I’ll wear it to work once to see how I feel about the length. All it all, it was a steal for $5!

If you follow me on Instagram, you know I also did a little more thrifting earlier this week… but I’m going to do a special Spring Break Haul post next week.

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

I finally had the opportunity to go thrifting over the weekend and had some awesome scores! Also, I realized I have a couple thrift purchases that I haven’t shared yet… so let’s get on with the February Thrift Haul!

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

Dr. Martens ‘Mini Tydee Boot’, size 7, $19.99

The thrift store that I went to has their shoes all over the place. They are just randomly stacked on top of the clothing racks as far as the eye can see. I browsed through the section that was marked 8 – 8.5 and didn’t see much. Then, I wondered into other sections and found these babies. They were marked with a size 5 tag, but they looked my size, so I pulled them down to check them out. Inside the shoe it shows size 5UK and size 7US… but when I tried them on they definitely fit more like an 8.

I found them on the Nordstrom website where it looks like they were sold in 2013. One of the reviews even points out that they run about 1 whole size large, so I really lucked out when I decided to try them on. I also found them on Amazon, still being sold in a few sizes for $135.

Let me just say, I LOVE these Docs. I have a pair of plain black Dr. Martens that I bought in 1994 and still wear, if you can believe it. These will look so cute with skinny jeans. I may be a little old to pull them off with skirts, but I’ll probably try anyways. When reading through reviews the only complaint I found was that the design rubs off in the areas where the shoe bends as it gets worn in. If I had paid $160 for them new (as they are marked on a UK Dr. Marten’s site), I’d be super annoyed if the pretty floral pattern came off. However, at $20 thrifted for a brand-new pair and I’m totally fine with any pattern wear that happens!

Dr. Scholls Glendale Wedge Sandals, size 9, $7.99

When I was about to leave, I did one quick pass of the big shoes section. It is this wall at the way-back of the store that has sizes 10 and up. As expected, there were some smaller sizes thrown in there and I found these wedges. They are marked a 9, but I wear anywhere from a 8 – 8.5 and they fit great. I did some googling and found this exact pair was sold on the DSW website 6 months ago for $40 (marked down from $70). They are also still being sold on Amazon in a couple sizes for $50. I like the mix of leather and canvas on the straps and the slight wedge. They are in great condition and Dr. Scholls are supposed to be nice and comfy to wear. I can’t wait until the weather warms up!

JCrew Deck Striped T-shirt, size Large, $8.99

I have a total weakness for super soft striped tops, so when I saw this one on the rack it went right into my shopping cart. It’s from J.Crew and it has a comfy, oversized style and dropped shoulder design that makes it pair great with jeans. I’ve worn it a couple times on the weekend with a pair of comfy leggings and also wore it with a pair of distressed black jeans. You can see it in action here.

Just for fun, I did some research and found it on the J.Crew website from Fall 2016. It’s called the “Deck Striped T-Shirt” and they printed the fabric inside out, which gives the stripes a cool textured look.

Joan Vass tunic top, size Medium, $1.99

I first discovered Joan Vass in my September Thrift Haul post, so when I saw this soft tunic for $2 I couldn’t leave it behind. It’s super thin and fitted, so this will be a great layering piece for winter. It’s got a scoop side thing going on, with the back a little longer than the front, which makes for some good butt coverage. I think it’s this exact one for sale on Amazon.

ASOS Curve Skater Dress with Bow Sleeve, size 14, $14.99

First off, let me start by saying that this dress is WAY overpriced for thrift. Sure, it still had the original ASOS tag on it, but it only goes for $35 new (and it’s still for sale here). With that being said, I tried it on and really, really liked it.

The bow sleeves are elbow-length, so they easily cover my tattoo for work. The dress is a swingy style so it doesn’t cling to my belly or butt and it’s a great length. I can see me dressing this up for work in the spring and summer… so I took a chance on it and it came home with me. If you like it, it does come in sizes 12 – 28 on the ASOS website, which is a pretty wide selection. I usually wear a 10/12 and this is a 14… but I probably would have been fine with a smaller size if I’d found one. As it is, it’s nice and roomy!

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

 

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Even though I consider Pocketful of Joules more of a lifestyle blog then a fashion blog, I obviously enjoy sharing random fashion posts here and there. You can read more about why I feel that it is important for me to talk about fashion and style here: Size.

I enjoy taking outfit photos and sharing them on my Instagram account (@PocketfulofJoules). For me, it’s a great way to keep track of outfits that I like and also show everyone different ways to style various items. Each month I see a bunch of style challenges, so I try to participate when my outfits line up with that particular day’s prompt.

So, I thought it would be fun to combine my love of thrifting and style with my own style challenge!

For the month of February, my goal is to wear at least one secondhand item every single day. This could be something I’ve purchased at a thrift store, on eBay, Poshmark, etc.

You don’t need to spend a ton of money to look fabulous. In fact, most of my secondhand items are purchased for less than $10!

I’ll keep up with my Instagram posting (you can follow along here) and also do a wrap-up of all my thrifted looks on the blog at the end of the month. I’d love it if you’d like to play along! You don’t have to go all thrifted, all the time. But if you find yourself wearing something thrifted, use the #MySecondhandStyle tag on Instagram so we can all check it out!

I’m also thinking I might add a little purge aspect to my month. I did a closet purge a couple years ago (lame post here) and loved having a closet at the end where every single item fit me and looked good. So, in addition to wearing a thrifted item each day… I’m going to pair them with items that are living unloved in the back of my closet. At the end of the day if it is uncomfortable or looks crappy… it gets PURGED out of my closet!