OK, so normally I don't like to write posts about "what I wore." One, I am so not that fashionable.Two, usually, as you can see, you will find me in just a pair of jeans, T-shirt, and sweater (because it's always chilly in the SF Bay Area!). Nothing too special. But, the outfit above cost me nearly nothing.
Here's the Cost breakdown of my Outfit:
T-shirt (Rhapsody)- $0 (a left-over from a garage sale I assisted with a few weekends ago)
Jeans (ARDEN B)- $0 (free from a friend who I often swap and exchange clothing with.)
Belt (Vintage)- $5 (Cross Roads Trading Company)
Sweater (GAP)- $2 (Thrifted)
Shoes (Indigo)-$3 (Thrifted, sorry not pictured. That's what happens when a toddler grabs hold of the tri-pod mid picture taking)
Earrings- (Sterling Silver) $0 (Lifted from my Mom...sorry mom. Do you want these back?)
Why do I strive to not pay for my clothing? Well, once we became a single income family the first year my son was born (I now work too much...but still hold tight to my thrifting ways) I had literally $0 for personal expense, and living in the SF Bay Area is not cheap. I didn't even pay to get my hair cut (not recommended).
So, I started asking around for certain items I was looking for, which led me to discover the brilliant world of swaps, exchanges, consignment stores, and Buy, Sell, Trade Stores. And, of course, my usual haunts such as Good Will and my worldly mother's closet. There are so many options for finding high quality clothing for nearly no money, and I hope to share my methods with you throughout the fall and winter months as part of my Thrifty Mama series.
Have any of you started using any of the above said methods for outfitting your wardrobes lately? I would love to hear your tips on how you find your clothing.
Here are just a few of the thrift stores and consignment stores int he Bay Area and Nationwide I have found to be great sources of fabulous clothing :
Cross Roads Trading Company (Nationwide)
Buffalo Exchange (Nationwide)
Labels (Walnut Creek & Berkeley)
Leftovers Trhift Shop (Walnut Creek)
Main Street Rags (Walnut Creek)
Out of the Closet (SF Bay & Nation)
Sola Lucy (Oakland & Berkeley)
