Goodwill and bejesus

The truth is, I thrift in stages.

I feel completely motivated and make multiple trips in a short amount of time.  But then it might be months before I step foot in a thrift shop again.

I’m hot and cold.

It’s the story of my life.

Recently I’ve gotten the bug again. Mostly thanks to this lady, but for some other reasons also.  Like trying to be creative on a clothing budget.  Which isn’t really happening yet, but I’m trying to spend less money on clothes and whenever I start feeling guilty about money, I thrift.  Now that I write that, I’m not sure it’s the appropriate reaction, but there you go.

My confession about thrifting is that most of my thrifted clothes come from Plato’s Closet or a consignment shop, not hardcore thrift shops like Goodwill or The Salvation Army.  I will buy the heck out of their housewares or furniture, but I’m kind of a snob when it comes to touching their clothes.

As in I think they all have diseases on them and I refuse to touch them.

Again, now that I write that, I’m not sure that’s an appropriate reaction.  I’m noticing a trend. 

So here’s what I did to scare the bejesus out of me and step jump out of my comfort zone: I went clothes shopping at Goodwill.  (Indy Locals: specifically the Goodwill on E. Washington.  Brave, I tell ya.)  I felt like I wasn’t being a true thrifter without trying to find a diamond-in-the-rough at the local Goodwill.

[Random side note: did you know you can return clothes to Goodwill?  Me neither.  I don’t know how I feel about this.]

To push myself farther out of my comfort zone, I decided to try on the clothes before I bought them.  Oh, hell no.  I told you I’m having some sort of crisis.  Seriously, if that isn’t a cry for help, I don’t know what is.

Here’s what I got:

The only reason I’m actually showing you these completely unflattering pictures that I took in the unfinished part of my basement with a dirty mirror is so I can tell you why I think this was a successful trip and why I’ll do it again.

Goodwill organizes by color and obviously I didn’t visit too many racks.  Baby steps, people.  And as a redhead who has always avoided red, I don’t feel bad about the amount of red I bought.  I’ve just recently decided I’m okay in red.

One: Green Wrangler button down, $4.29  
This is a true camp shirt.  And since we’re going camping in upstate New York soon, I felt this heavy duty men’s shirt was something I could live in for a few days.  Throw a vest over it and the stench from three days of not showering will be hardly noticable.  Also, I’m pretty sure this shirt has never been worn before.

Two: Saturday’s Generation plaid shirt, $4.29
Apparently this now-defunct clothing company (at least from what I can tell through some quick research) is popular with hipsters and sell for $30-$50 on some Etsy sites.  It’s a men’s small which is a little too small to button, but I’m thinking I’ll wear it over a jersey dress and belt it. 

Three: red blazer, $3.50
Shout out to the half-prize blazer I picked up.  It’s really hard to find a blazer without massive shoulder pads at the Goodwill, but I trucked on until I found success.  I’ll be dry cleaning this before I wear it, but it’s eerily close to a silk blazer I have that cost much more than $3.50.  It’s a heavier winter fabric, but that works in my favor since it will soon be winter.

Four: red Ralph Lauren sweater, $4.29
That’s a really bad picture and I definitely won’t be wearing it with leggings ever.  I plan on layering it over a chambray top and pairing it with a skirt or over an animal print top and some cigarette pants.  We’ll see how that goes once it’s washed.

I set my budget at $20 but I ended up spending $24.24.  I also picked up a vintage Avon dish to use as a jewelry holder and a shirt for Chris (that he had tried on at Target but didn’t want to spend $30 on…I got it for $4.29.  Beast.).

This 25-minute shopping trip helped me realize I can, on occasion, find some things worth buying at Goodwill, I just have to be in the right mood to shop and be sans children.  Trying on the clothes wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, it wasn’t fun, but I survived.

So I’m considering this the “before” pictures and when I actually wear these pieces out and about, I’ll share the “after” and update you on whether or not these ended up being wise purchases. 

Until then, do you thrift?  Are you brave enough to try on clothes at Goodwill or does it completely freak you out?  Did you know they take returns??