Frugal Fashion Friday - The Four L's of Thrifting

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is... "How do you find such great things at thrift stores?".  I've written other posts on tips for thrifting. Those tips still hold true and make for a great thrifting experience. For me, finding great items, really comes down to four things. They aren't difficult and you don't have to thrift every day or even every week to find great items.

Location....Like....Look....Luck

Location - A thrift or resale store in a good location is important. I find that the best stores are on the edge of expensive neighborhoods. The area of the thrift store isn't necessarily prime real estate but proximity to a ritzy neighborhood means that a charity thrift store will get great donations. My favorite thrift store is close to an older, well off, neighborhood. There are many folks who have owned their houses for decades and they donate amazing items. I've found Diane von Furstenberg, Ferragamo, Coach (vintage), Armani and vintage jewelry there, just to name a few. They also have great furniture (high quality and antique). Sometimes you may find that you'll want to go to multiple stores for the best finds. One store might have a great shoe selection, while another has the best career wear.

Like - Know what you like and hunt for those items first. I go straight for the handbags, shoes, and jewelry, then I will hit up the clothing (I love vintage rock and slogan tees) and home goods (for vintage glassware). If you know what you like, you should do research in advance. I love vintage Coach bags. I've done lots of research on how to spot a fake. Nothing is worse than wasting your money. If you love vintage clothing, know your labels and the signs of quality. Don't be afraid to do research on the spot. Pull out your smart phone and look up information about a tag, label or marking. Having knowledge about brands you like will also serve you well. That information will help you to know fit and spot knockoffs. Knowing what you like will help to weed out the impulse purchases too. In the past I have been known to buy an item and then redonate it a short time later. That's not a bargain.

 

Two of my favorite finds, Ferragamo shoes and a vintage red suede Coach bag. Found at Goodwill.

Recent finds at Goodwill.

Look - Be willing to search. Digging is thrifting. Look at every piece in a section, even if at a glance they don't look great. Move the hangers, check tags. If I hadn't used this method I wouldn't have found the Diane von Furstenberg dress that I scored (and gave to my daughter in law as a gift). I moved each hanger on the rack and {msL} commented that none of the dresses looked good. Like a scene from a movie, I said, "Well you never know when you are going to find a gem."  At that moment I moved a hanger and spotted a great print dress in a high quality fabric. I pushed the neckline aside to see the Diane von Furstenberg label and I think I let out a few excited expletives. My favorite way to thrift is to take my time but I also stop at some of my favorite stores during my lunch break. On those days, I start by focusing in one area and I search through everything before heading to the next area (if there is time). Try stopping by your favorite store the evening before their sale day. Most stores put out their latest donations the night before.

 

DVF silk jersey dress for $8! Found at Goodwill.

Luck - Knowing and using the other L's is great but many times, it's just luck. You are lucky that the person donated a great item. Lucky that you came into the store and spotted it before someone else. You can't plan for luck. Getting to know your favorite store helps but it doesn't replace destiny. My wish is that the thrifting gods are smiling on you and you'll have lots of great finds. I've been lucky that way.

I hope these tiny tips have helped you. I'm off to the thrift store at lunch today to look for my Halloween costume. Wish me luck!

 Happy Thrifting Real Girls

Eureka! - Find the Original Source of an Image

Have you ever been surfing around the net or Pinterest and spied an image you love? The entry promises instructions or a recipe or you'd love to see a larger photo or more images. Then you click on it and DRAT! instead of the image going to the original source, it goes to an image page. All you have is that same image in another window. It's so frustrating. As a blogger, if I use an image that isn't my own, I cite the original source with a name and link. It's just good blogging and keeps you from being a thief. Sometimes I see an image on another blog and I know that blogger isn't the photographer. If I still want to use the image, I need to find the source.

1. Spy the image you want to use or find. You can use this same method with Pinterest.

2. Right click on the image and open a new window. 

 
3. Open Google Images and click on the camera icon.

4. Copy the URL from the open window of your image, paste it into the URL slot and click the Search by Image button.

5. Google will return your results.

 

 

6. Click on the results links to find your original source. It make take a few clicks to find the source but this method has never failed me. 

 

 

 

blog example: Cocktail de Mariposa

photo credit: The Sartorialist

 

It's a great way to give credit where credit is due and to get the information you really want to find.

 

 



Frugal Fashion Friday - Great Uses for Old Toothbrushes

Dentists recommend that you change your toothbrush every three months.  That's four old toothbrushes per year that go into landfills, for just one person. My parents have always been advocates of reusing items and they taught me to save things that can be reused.  I've always saved my old toothbrushes to use in different ways.

Jewelry Cleaning
If you have a sonic toothbrush, you can use your old brush heads along with the charged brush handle, to clean your jewelry.  It works just like a $25 plus ultrasonic jewelry cleaner. You can use plain water or a mild soap if you prefer.

If you don't have a sonic toothbrush, you can use your old manual toothbrush and a little elbow grease. A little mild soap or jewelry cleaning solution can up the cleaning process.

Hair
After cleaning your old toothbrush with a little mild soap, you can use it to smooth flyaways in your hairstyle.  When I slick back my hair into a ponytail, I always have a few fly away hairs near my hairline or some strays along the top. Using the toothbrush in a gentle backward motion you can smooth those hairs and make your style more sleek.

Makeup
One of my favorite uses for an old toothbrush is as a mascara comb. After a little cleaning to remove the old toothpaste and bacteria.  Using super hot water and gentle soap, clean the toothbrush and then let it dry completely. Make sure to clean it thoroughly. The eyes are senstive to bacteria.

After applying mascara, you can use the toothbrush is a gentle upward motion along your lashes to remove clumps and separate any stubborn lashes.


Do you have any toothbrush beauty tips?  I'd love to hear about them.  Please share by leaving a comment below.

Happy Friday!