Time to Thrift Shop for Fall looks & Get UNBELIEVABLE deals. I know we are suffering from a record heat wave across most of the U.S. The sun is blazing, the humidity is almost visible. So what did I do to beat the heat? Head to the thrift stores! This weather is perfect for shopping for rockin' hot thrifty threads. And coats? Absolutely. This is the BEST time to score unbelievable deals on winter blazers, pencils skirts, the little wool business suit. Courderoys and cable knit sweaters are hanging ignored by the average thrift shopper. I see them hovering around the racks of shorts and sleeveless tops and summer sundresses. Meanwhile I am scoring  some faulous finds on the off season  items.  Things that would be gone 10 minutes after they were put out are ignored in the off season. Before you head out take the time to ; Make note of what you may need to replace; if your basic black leather pumps are looking a little worn, or you found a great black pencil skirt on sale at the end of last season and you need a jacket or the perfect ruffled white blouse to complete The Look. Have some idea of what you might specifically be looking for.   Take a little time to look over your favorite fashion sites and see what the absolute latest fall looks are going to be.    I like to  do a little closet purging before I go. My rule is I have to let go of as much as I bring in (unless you are aiming to end up on 'Hoarders' , the t.v show. And that's for another blog.)   Once you are ready to head out to the thrift stores;   Allow yourself some time. Thrift store bargain hunting takes some time. Items are sometimes (depending on the thrift store) more randomly sorted. Some places sort by size, some don't.   If you have the option, try items on. It's truly frustrating to find a fabulous designer suit at rock bottom prices, and get it home to find that it just doesn't suit you.  I try things on less often now that I EBay clothing. If it's a fabulous classic item, or New with Tags, I know that if I don't want to keep it, I can sell it on EBay and make a profit anyway, so unless you plan on that, or have a family member or find that may use it if you can't, try it on.     You also need to allow more time to thoroughly inspect your fab finds before you check out. If I have made a nice haul, I take my cart to the side and piece by piece, I look at each item. I make sure I didn't miss any spots or stains, rips, or flaws that can't be repaired. If you do find a flaw ask yourself;   Can I fix this myself? If there are buttons missing, do I love this item enough to go get an entire set and replace them, or will it lie in the closet waiting until it's outdated?   Would I have bought this new at a retail store? Will I get plenty of wear from this? Is it truly my style/size/taste?  Sometimes when people are new toThrifting or garage and jumble sales, they are so blown away by the fantastic prices that they make some fashion mistakes and buy things they end up not wearing or using. And that's o.k., once in a while. After all, haven't you done that while paying full retail? Still, you will get a more fantastic Thrifty classic (or funky, or vintage, or trendy) wardrobe if you can avoid the mistakes, even at Resale prices!   Have fun with this. And while you are clothes shopping, take time to walk around and you may be amazed at some of the other items you find.  We have several gorgeous antique lamps that I paid less than 5.00  dollars for, a large vintage 1920's art print that had a twin that sold on EBay for more than 100.00. And I have a antique wardrobe full of fabulous vintage linens which are a passion of mine) that all came from second hand sources.   If you have never done this before, enlist a friend or family member and make a morning (or day) out of it. Maybe you have a friend, sister, or coworker that has a great eye for fashion and color (or some lovingly brutal honesty) that you could talk into going.  It can end up being as pleasurable as any other shopping trip. And your money goes a lot further!

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Thrifty Threads

We all know it, the price of everything is skyrocketing....gas, groceries, insurance, utilities, all of it. And when that happens, we have two choices; make more money or spend less. If you are like my family, we are doing both! Unfortunately, that means we have to pick and choose our splurges. And while we are not alone in this, that doesn't make it fun.

Some of my personal splurges have always been clothes, shoes, handbags and accessories. Lucky for me, I have always been a thrift store shopper. My family and children know it and they have always taken it in stride. My friends have always known it and they used to get a big kick out of it.

I have DVF suits, vintage authentic alligator bags, a big black leather Coach purse,and I recently acquired a pair of Italian black leather boots. I have purchased , over the years, countless fantastic ensembles for all kinds of occasions. Sometimes they have been designer, and sometimes they have been high end name brand.

These days lots of people who have never been Thrift Shoppers before are joining me. And my friends who got such amusement from my hobby have approached me for help and advice on doing the same. I have, in the past few months, been recruited  to help a family member thrift shop for a job interview outfit, helped a friend refill her closet for her office job after she lost weight (yea!) and even by a friends daughter to help her buy a wedding dress. Last month I started getting my 12 year old son's wardrobe ready for the fall school year. And I have copied complete ensembles of Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, from magazine layouts for a 20 something daughter (We are going to blog a complete section on that, with photos.)

All of the above was done at thrift stores, garage sales, and flea markets.

So join me. With the price of everything going up, let the cost of looking like a million go down. If you are new to Thrifty Threads and bargain shopping you may learn a lot. If you are an old hand you make pick up a new idea, and you can join in and pat yourself on the back while you teach others and share your knowledge!