Comfort Zone

I like to try new outfits that take me outside of my comfort zone. It's not easy but I always find it was worth the risk!

Last year I found this picture on Pinterest of an outfit idea with a gingham shirt.

So yes it took me a year to finally try it out. I don't know why I was so hesitant to try it out. I mean you can't go wrong with gingham... Ever!! Plus I got a lot of compliments at work. Considering I was doing the top knot bun because I didn't feel like washing my hair ( #don'tjudgeme) the button up gingham made me look totally pulled together.

Old and New

This post is about all things old, new & new to me things! I have a lot of clothing items that are old, meaning I've had them for more than 4 years give to take, not like high school old. If you still have some of the clothes you wore in high school ( you know who you are) get rid of them!! Nothing good can come of keeping it!

I love buying timeless pieces that can carry over into multiple seasons & last year after year. You can even make some trendy pieces last many years if you buy the right ones. I bought a pair of black skinny jeans about 6 years ago at Ross on clearance for $9. I still wear them all the time & they haven't gone out of style.

So this outfit I choose to wear out to lunch with my parents in hopes it old pull me out of my sick funk was a perfect mix of new & old.

Green cardigan -OLD-the clothing swap last year
Feather long sleeve shirt-NEW to me-Goodwill
Dark Skinny Jeans-NEW to me-Goodwill
Booties-OLD-Macy's clearance 2 years ago
Coach cross body bag-NEW Christmas present from my sweet hubby along with a matching IPad case & wallet he picked out all by himself!

FYI if a cute outfit, curled hair & lunch with some of your favorite people doesn't make all your cruddy sickness go away you might need to go to the doctor, bleh! Not how I wanted to spend my New Year's Eve but what is a girl to do?! So for now Thrift on thriftygrls!!
P.s. if you have a super cute outfit you found at a thrift store please email me I would love to have a guest blogger post about their cute thrifty finds!

Year End Wrap Up

Wow has it already been a year since we started this crazy challenge?! Yes it has, one long, crazy challenging year. Not only did we start the "thriftygrlchallenge" but I started a blog, which happened to be more challenging than I thought!

My sisters & I started this "thriftygrlchallenge" a year ago & we did it!! We got creative & stuck with it to see it through. Even my older sister Marie who found out she was pregnant, started shopping at consignment stores for maternity clothes!!

I had someone ask me if I was able to save a lot of money, my answer is yes & no. I would answer yes because being able to get name brand tops & a pair of name brand jeans for $20 at Goodwill is more than I would've got at a regular store even from a good clearance rack. I answered no because I just found other things to spend the money I saved on! Ha ha
However I love how my style has changed! I feel like my style really reflects who I am now & that is how every woman should feel when you get dressed every day!

So the "thriftygrlchallenge" is officially over but not forgotten. We have decided to continue with it for the most part but if I want to buy a $6 perfect yellow color sweater from Old Navy at an after Christmas sale I will and/or have!! Besides it was fun and I think it will be more fun when we don't have any specific rules to follow. I will continue my blog. I hope to only improve my entires & to post more, which is a lot easier to do with my Christmas present!

So for now I leave you with the outfits that didn't make it into a blog post! Thrift on thriftygrls!!!

Goodwill Hunting

Since I started the "thriftygrlchallenge" blog, I have had a lot of people ask to go thriftiness with me. So a couple of Sundays ago some friends & I decided to take a field trip after church to a Goodwill we had never been too. We picked one of the Goodwill stores in Atlanta which is about a 30-45 min drive for us but totally worth the trip!

There were about 5 of us that went and some of us brought our daughters. We had a blast! We helped each other look for stuff and helped each other pick out outfits!

I had a list made up of a few items I was looking for. One of which happened to be a tweed jacket. I have been searching Goodwills & thrift stores for a few months now looking for the perfect one. I had even looked at this Goodwill & had no luck. While I was waiting in line for the dressing room m good friend LB yelled across the store to me & held up the most beautiful piece of clothing. There it was the perfect tweed jacket!!! I had totally overlooked it!

I have worn that jacket twice in this week already! I seriously love this jacket!!! I can dress it up or go casual but I am still looking chic & polished!!! If I hadn't gone with a group of girls I would've missed out on some good times but also my jacket! Two sets of eyes are always better than 1 especially when you are shopping for thrifty finds! Nobody left Goodwill that day empty handed. We are already planning our next trip!

Oh so denim

I LOVE denim! It really is a very versatile fabric. You can always dress it up or dress it down.
On a recent day I decided to really test this theory and wear it to work. So I got my denim shirt as seen here 2012 and paired it with a pair of trousers or work pants as I like to call them.

 I really don't know why I waited so long to do this. Lately I've really been trying to mix up my "work" wardrobe. Something like this denim shirt looks nice but it is still comfy. Therefore I have a better day because I'm not uncomfortable in some stuffy outfit. Well at least that's my reasoning.

 skinny trousers: Express on clearance about 3 years ago; denim shirt: Walmart 2 years ago on clearance; purse: Flea Market in Sea Haven, CT; shoes:bought by my hubby on our 1st date( he knew the way to my heart) on clearance at Target.

I know I've said this before but it is amazing how creative and stylish you can get with your wardrobe when you just recycle and reuse your same clothes you already have. I love my style now more.

Fall

Wow it really has been almost a month since my last post! After being off work for a week and completely unplugging I am feeling pretty good!  I was lucky enough to spend some time at the beach this past weekend and some time with family. It is stuff that is good for the soul you know?!

This week I sat down with a friend and she said it's something about the fall, with the leaves changing that makes you kind of want to turn over a new leaf and start new. I totally agree & Fall is one of my favorite seasons!!! I love the summer but when it comes to an end I am not sad to see it go because I know it's boot season!!!! Not to mention it means pumpkin spice lattes make their appearance on the coffee scene! I am a true fan of anything pumpkin but that is a topic for another day.

Today we are going to talk about Fall in Georgia. Sometimes we get a good cold front and sometimes we are left with summer. Try wearing boots in the summer temps it ain't pretty people I don't care if it is Thanksgiving . Luckily we have had a hint of some cooler temps and so boot wearin ain't been so bad.

I have needed some new inspiration in my wardrobe so I took a trip to the Goodwill. I got lucky and found some really cute pieces. One of which I wore today with some boots to church.

Top- NY & Company $4.94

Jeans- Old Navy skinny from about 2 years ago
Boots-Bass Outlet from about 3 yrs ago


Can you tell alot of my clothes are ones I've had from forever?!! However one piece I am wearing is something that is very special to me. My mother in law gave me that cuff, it belonged to her mother. It is a copper cuff and it is absolutely gorgeous!
So there you have it, a few new pieces from the Local Goodwill & I have new inspiration for  my Fall wardrobe!

Southern Chic

 I had wanted a Gingham print shirt for about a year before I actually got one. I had seen one in the J crew outlet and I patiently waited for it to be on sale. So a year later the same gingham shirt in the Jcrew outlet was still more than I wanted to pay for any shirt. It was only like $36, but still that is way more than I want to pay for any shirt. Every time I go in there I would look at it and all the other button up shirts around it would be 15% off but not that one! So when I walked into the Bass outlet last September and they had one on sale with an additional 20% off I finally bought my gingham shirt.

 I wore an outfit to work this week that I have seen in many different variations on Pinterest.  I paired my gingham shirt with a black bubble skirt I scored at Wal-Mart of all places years ago. I only paid $5 for it and no I am not ashamed of shopping the clearance racks at Wal-Mart, just sayin!

Gingham shirt-Bass Outlet $17

Bubble Skirt-Wal-Mart $5

Shoes-Goodwill $6

 

I got so many compliments at work on my outfit. It really makes a girls day, ya know?! One co-worker said I looked very "Southern Chic",  I like that term! I did feel like I could go watch a SEC football game and look every bit of a southern bell. Only thing is my team colors are Red & Black so this outfit won't work for my team!!

GO Dawgs!!!