Dorm Life

Hey guys. Sorry haven't posted in a while, but I think I have a pretty good excuse: I've been moving...to college!! I moved from Grand Rapids, MI all the way to Taylor University in Upland, IN. Yes I know you've probably never heard of it. Look it up.

Anyways, I thought it would be fun to show you some stuff that I picked up from thrift stores for my dorm room. Don't worry, I did buy my sheets and towels and things like that new.

Lamp - $1 at a garage sale

I love the intricate design on the base of this lamp. It's also much more fun than your boring desk lamp It really brings some light to the room, and it is also a good decorative piece.

Trash can - $1 at a garage sale

I picked this trash bin up at the same garage sale as the lamp above. Garage sales often have themes of what they are selling. This sale was actually a moving sale, so it had a lot of furniture type stuff. Other garage sales may be selling lots of kids clothes and toys. Keep that in mind you're checking out garage sales in these last few weeks of summer.

The Hunger Games - $0.50 at a garage sale

The Lightning Thief - $0.50 at a garage sale

I picked up these two book at yet another garage sale. And what a find they were! I would not have expected to find these books at a garage sale since they are still so popular right now. But that just proves that you never know what you might find if you just take the time to look. I do have some other books that I have picked up for cheap, but I decided not to bore you with all of those.

TV (with built in VCR) - $10 at the Meltotter Mission Thrift Store

This is a thrift store I have not featured on my blog yet. Their website is also very helpful, because it lists all their store locations as well as some featured items at each of those locations. I haven't gone shopping there a lot, but they do have some good finds, like this TV for example. It works great and it plays all my good old VHS.

DVD player - $10 at the Meltrotter Mission Thrift Store

This DVD player works great with the TV above, and I actually picked them both up on the same shopping trip. Talk about a good haul! It works perfectly and even came with a remote and all the cords to hook it up.

21 - $1 at a garage sale

Ice Age: The Meltdown - $1 at New2You

Sherlock: Season 2 - $4 at New2You

Along with my DVD player, I also have some DVDs. I actually got Ice Age when New2You was having a sale for half off all books and media. On that trip I also picked up at couple CDs for only $1 each and some softcover books for only $0.25 each. If you check out their facebook page (found here) you can check out all their weekly sales to help you save even more.

I also have many VHS that I have gotten at many different thrift stores, but I'm not showing you them at this time for two reasons. 1. There are far too many, and I don't want to bore you. 2. I have so many that I can't remember where I bought all of them. I do know that I have gotten most of them for around $0.50, $1 tops.I guess I can list just a few of the movies that I own on VHS:

Independence Day

Evita

Remember the Titans

Legally Blonde

The Little Mermaid

Cheaper by the Dozen

Atlantis

Finding Nemo

Ice Age

Tarzan

The Princess Diaries

The Princess Bride

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Miss Congeniality

Grease

Singin' in the Rain

Dr. Dolittle

While you were Sleeping

Forrest Gump

Back to the Future

And more...

That's about it for today's post. My next mission will be to find thrift stores out here...well in the middle of nowhere. To give you a little perspective, Upland has only one stoplight. One. But I have heard that there is one not too far away in a near by town. Fingers crossed.

Out on the Town

So this weekend I went to Chicago! I had a fun time with friends, and I also styled some great thrift store finds. Since it's summer time, I have also found some great finds at garage sales. Just the other day I picked up a huge bag of name brand clothes for only $20. Anyways, on to my outfits from this past weekend.

Lace top (xhiliration) - $2 at a garage sale

Tank top (Mossimo) - $0.25 at a garage sale

Pants (Forever 21) - $1 at Spree

Sandals (Faded glory) - $6 at Goodwill

Purse (H & M) - $1 at a garage sale

This was my outfit for strolling around downtown Chicago. I know I have shown some of these pieces before, but that just goes to show that you can can reuse different pieces in different outfits. 

Top (Emma James) - $2 at New2You

Jeans (Forever 21) - $2 at New2You

Belt - $1 at New2You

Shoes (So) - $1 at a garage sale

I wore this outfit to church on Sunday and then for the ride back home. The previous day, I was shopping at H & M, and I spotted a similar to this one for a much higher price. 

These jeans also have an interesting story. Pants are usually $4 at New2You. However, the zipper was broken, so the cashier gave me half off. Once I got home, I finagled it and vwalah! I got the zipper to work. Sometimes it's worth the risk to buy something that's broken and try to fix it.

Work Attire

This summer I started working as a secretary at a business called Flex Administrators. However, when I first got the job, I realized that I really didn't have very many clothes that were appropriate for the office. So what did I do? That's right. I went to the thrift store. You wouldn't believe what people get rid of! I have found so many different pieces of professional clothing that are in great shape. Let me show you.

Top (Worthington) - $1 at New2You

Skirt (Charlotte Russe) - $5 at New2You

Shoes (Madden Girl) - Gift

I actually just wore this outfit to the office today. One of my coworkers made a comment that she thought I looked very cute and professional. Little did she know my outfit cost me less that $10. 

Jacket (Worthington) - $3 at New2You

Shirt (Elle) - $1 at New2You

Skirt (Express) - $1 at New2You

Shoes (Madden Girl) - Gift

This out fit I wore two days ago. It was kind of chilly in the morning, so I decided to to throw on this jacket. It worked well because it was short-sleeved, but added an extra layer. 

Shirt (Worthington) - $5 at Goodwill

Pants - $2 at New2You

Shoes (Faded Glory) - $6 at Goodwill

Belt - Hand-me-down

This is another great outfit for a chilly day. The top is long-sleeved, but it is also a sheer top, so you won't get too hot either. I have also paired this top with my navy skirt (which I got for $6 at Plato's Closet) and my white pants (which I got for $4 at New2You). 

The belt in this outfit has a bit of an interesting story. This was actually handed down to me from my grandma! Little did you know your grandma's clothes can be stylish. I guess what they say about fashion really is true; it comes back.

Let's Compare

You may be wondering how my thrifty clothes hold up when compared to clothes you may be pinning on pinterest. How could they possibly compare? So with that question in mind I decided to take a look at my own pins from my "Fashion" board on pinterest. Here is what I found:

Left side: Original Photo (see here) vs. Right Side: My recreation

Polka dot shirt (Old Navy) - $1.50 at New2You

Maroon pants (Life in Progress) - $3.29 at Goodwill

Yes I know polka dots aren't quite little hearts, but I think it's pretty close. It's great to look other places for inspiration when it comes to fashion. More often that not, I already have similar pieces in my closet; I just haven't thought to put them together. This is so true with the above picture. This also inspired me to put together another similar outfit.

Shirt (Mossimo)- $3 at Goodwill

Tank top (Mossimo)- $0.25 at a garage sale

Pants (Life in progress) - $3.29 at Goodwill

Sandals (Faded Glory)- $6 at Goodwill

Colored denim has great versatility. These maroon pants were definitely a great find. I also have yellow pants (seen in my first post) as well as olive and purple, all of which I bought at thrift stores. Next I have one more comparison for today. (Original photo see here)

Plaid top (Mossimo) - $1.50 at New2You

Pants (Mossimo) - $2 at New2You

Purse - $3 at New2You

Once again, not an exact match, but close. I think this top is fun because it is red, white, and blue, so I can use it for patriotic events. To spice things up, I could also pair this shirt with my maroon pants from above, or my white pants (which I also purchased at a thrift store). 

So what do you think? Do my recreations hold up? Feel free to leave a comment to let me know what you think. Hopefully I can do some more comparisons in the future, but that's it for this post.