Teaching Time

Part of my college adventures includes my classes. My favorite class currently is my lab for Education in America. I am studying to become a math teacher, and this lab provides the opportunity to spend time in the classroom observing teacher methods and classroom behavior.

Long story short, I must dress professionally every Thursday morning when I go to my lab. Professional clothes can be quite pricey. However, with my thrifting skills, I have been able to put  together some teacher-like outfits for an affordable price.

First I want to compare my cheap outfit to a similar outfit (from Polyvore) that would have cost much more. 

For those of you who don't know, Polyvore is a site that lets you put together different outfits. It also redirects you to where you can buy the clothes you use in your sets. As much as I love playing around with Polyvore, I would never buy anything from the site. Let me show you one outfit I put together to prove my point.

Top - $47 (see here)

Pants - $112 (see here)

The even funnier part is these prices are "clearance" prices. The top was originally $235 and the pants were originally $320. Looking at these prices makes me squirm. I really can't understand why anyone would spend that much on clothes. 

Now take a look at my (much) cheaper ensemble.

Top (Worthington) - $5 at Goodwill

Pants (SagHarbor)- $2 at Rescued Treasures

Shoes (xhiliration)- $4 at New2You

This was a great outfit for my first day of my education lab. I truly felt like a teacher. Even better, it didn't cost me an arm and a leg. Compared to the above outfit, I saved $150, and the outfit above didn't even include shoes. 

My next outfit I wore for my second week of my teaching lab. I found a similar top on Modcloth (below on the right) that would have cost $37.99. Instead, I found a much cheaper alternative.

Top (Old Navy) - $1.50 at New2You

Pants (Express) - $4 at New2You

Flip flops - $1 at Old Navy

So instead of $38, I only spent $1.50 on this top saving me $36.50. In fact, I like my top better because it has ruffles. Also, I did not wear these shoes to school, but I just happened to be wearing them when I took the picture. Once a year Old Navy has a sale where they sell flip flops for $1 and that's where I got these. I do have shoes that are navy with white polka dots (which I got for $4 at Goodwill) that go with this outfit better, but I forgot to bring them to college.

The point I am trying to make is that professional clothes can be affordable if you look in the right places. 

Happy thrifting! 

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.

Introduction: Senior Pictures

What first comes to your mind when you hear "thrift store." Dirty? Second-hand? Cheap? To me, when I hear "thrift store" I think "GOLD MINE!!"

I first started thrift store shopping when I was in middle school. I volunteered at my school's thrift store and started to find a lot of cute things coming in. Since then, thrift store shopping has become second nature to me. I don't see the sense in paying full price for something at a regular department store when you can get something just as cute for waaaay cheaper.

Now I know what your thinking. This chick probably has no sense of fashion and doesn't know what's cute at all. Well...I'll have you know that people will often ask me "Where did you get that?" and 9 times out of 10, I will answer with "good will" or some other thrift store. Don't believe me? Well I guess you'll just have to wait and see. Through this blog I hope to prove that you CAN be stylish without completely blowing your budget.

The idea for this blog was born shortly after I got my senior pictures taken. It was then I realized that almost every piece of clothing I wore in my senior pictures was bought at a thrift store. I couldn't believe it. My cutest outfits that I chose to wear were made up of pieces that I got for less than $10 each! Pretty hard to believe. Well check it out. Here are a few of my senior pictures. Below each picture I have included where each item is originally from and how much I purchased them for.

Shirt (Originally from Old Navy) - $2 at New2You

Pants (Forever 21) - $1 at Spree

Shoes (Not in photo) - $9 at Target

Yes I know. Target is not a thrift store. But part of being a good thrifter is being able to spot a good deal in regular stores too. Trust me. The clearance rack is your best friend.

Blouse (Worthington) - $3 at New2You

Skirt (Old Navy) - FREE! (Hand-me-down)

Shoes - $30 at Kicks

Once again, I know I kind of cheated on the shoes. These were dance shoes that I had to buy for a play I was in. Otherwise, I would usually NEVER pay that much money for a pair of shoes.

Shirt (Arizona) - FREE (Hand-me-down)

Cardigan (American Eagle) - $3 at New2You

Jeggings (BDG) - $1 at Spree

Boots - $8 at Goodwill

Scarf - $3 at Charlotte Russe

This is a great example of why it pays off to keep an eye out for good deals at "regular" stores. I found this scarf on clearance at Charlotte Russe for only $3.

Well that's about it for my first blog post. Stay tuned for some of my thrift store shopping tricks and tips.

Photo Credit: Charissa Townsend - CST Photography