Category: Thrifting Fun

2021 Thrifting & Secondhand Shopping Wrap Up

As part of putting 2021 to bed and welcoming 2022, I enjoy taking a little look back at the previous year of thrifting and secondhand shopping. Last year for my 2020 wrap up, I shared my most ‘exciting’ scores… which were items where I paid very little but their retail value was quite high. This year, I decided to break it into two lists: my most worn favorite items bought secondhand in 2021 and my most exciting scores, based on value.

Let’s take a look back at my 2021 thrifting finds!

My 4 most worn secondhand items from 2021:

Rainbow hand-knit blanket (July 2021) – thrifted for $3.99

I felt bad for this sassy little rainbow blanket because someone obviously knitted it with love… and then it ended up at a thrift store. So, for $4 I rescued it and it now lives in my den. I grab it multiple times a week when I curl up on my den couch to reach a book or just admire the Christmas tree. In addition to being warm, I love the rainbow of colors!

J. Crew Chambray shirt with pearl snaps (July 2021) – thrifted for $6.99, retail price $90

This chambray shirt was exactly what I was looking for and the pretty pearl snaps were just a bonus. I love this shirt knotted over a work dress or skirt and I’ve already worn it to work a bunch of times since buying it at the thrift store in July. Here are some of my outfits I made:

Taos Crave combat boots (November 2021) – bought secondhand off Posh for $65, retail price $220

Over the past year, I went a little boot crazy. In fact, in this blog post alone I’m listing three pairs of boots that I purchased this year (and that isn’t all…) I’d say I have a problem, but I’m pretty happy with my comfortable feet. This pair of Taos Crave combat boots was my first experience with the brand and I AM A FAN. The leather is so incredible soft and smooshy and the insoles, rubber tread and slight heel makes these magically comfortable to walk in for hours. I scored these slightly worn off Poshmark for just $65 and they are worth every single penny. I’ve worn them over a dozen times since I purchased them in November and expect to wear them many more times before winter is over.

My 4 most exciting secondhand scores of 2021:

Dollar for dollar, these four items were my HOLY CRAP thrifting finds of the year:

Lululemon Align Joggers (May 2021) – bought at a consignment store for $35, retail price $98. I always find Lululemon for my friend’s size and never for my size. It’s a blessing and a bummer. So, I was pleasantly surprised that although these joggers are a size smaller than I would typically wear, they fit me!

Eileen Fisher Organic Linen Moto jacket (October 2021) – bought secondhand off Posh for $34, retail price $258. Love this versatile moto jacket. It adds an interesting layer over dresses and skirts without adding too much warmth. Here it is in action.

Frye Veronica Short Slouch Boots (August 2021) – thrifted for $60, retail price $298. Did I need these boots? Nope. Was I going to leave them behind at a pop-up thrift store when they were in fantastic condition? Also, nope. These timeless boots earned a spot in my In Heavy Rotation post because they look cute with pretty much everything.

Frye Veronica Studded Moto Boots (October 2021) – bought secondhand off Posh for $106, retail price $398. These may be my winning secondhand find of the year for the price savings alone! Perfect condition Frye studded boots for almost $300 off retail? Yes, please! Photo evidence.

Each year when I look back at my thrifting/secondhand winners and losers, it helps me keep a better focus on what I REALLY need for future purchases. I can’t wait to see what 2022 brings!

Like what you see? Share me with your friends!

November Thrift Haul

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend with family and all the food! This month, I had some thrifting luck where things on my watch list magically appeared. I also found some fantastic scores on Poshmark… which isn’t thrifting, but still secondhand. Let’s check them out!

{Pssst, you can read about my previous thrifting adventures here}

Thrift Scores:

It was 50% off day when I stopped by my favorite thrift store and I had two main things on my list – a chunky knit ‘grandpa’ cardigan and a North Face jacket/fleece for Jack.

Oatmeal cardigan, $5

When I said chunky knit grandpa cardigan, this was EXACTLY what I was imagining. It’s a now defunct brand and probably was made in the 80’s or 90’s. It is 100% cotton, a fabulous oatmeal color and has pretty tortoiseshell buttons. What more can I ask for? It was also marked at $9.99 but after the 50% off sale it was only $5.

Green cardigan, $4

After I found my perfect grandpa sweater, I kept looking with the vague feeling that I’d like something chunky and green. I found this Universal Thread cardigan in a surprisingly soft knit with interesting balloon sleeves. I’ve worn it with jeans and a t-shirt so far, but it does give off ‘Taylor Swift frolicking through a field in a dress with chunky cardigan’ vibes… so I’ll try that look soon.

Sparkly cardigan, $5

My weakness is sparkles. Obviously. So, while a black glittery thread sweater wasn’t on my thrifting list, I can think of a bunch of ways to work it into my office holiday style. And yes, I’m aware you can’t see the sparkles in the photo — but trust me that there is black metallic thread woven throughout. For $5 it was a no-brainer and you’ll be seeing it in my monthly style posts very, very soon!

Kid’s North Face Jacket, $10

I’m pretty sure I manifested this into existence. I saw a very similar North Face jacket at Nordstrom for $99 and took a photo so I could show Jack to see if he liked the style. He said he did, so I added it to my ‘look out for’ list before I went thrifting… and this was waiting for me on the kid’s rack to find. It was marked at $19.99, which is kind of nuts for thrift but on half-price day the price was just right.

Poshmark Scores:

Anthropologie Mouliette Soeurs Stars Tulle Skirt, $90

Yes, I realize this is far from thrift pricing. But let me tell you the story behind this skirt.

I actually first bought this amazing tulle and sparkly skirt from Anthropologie a few years ago, but I ended up returning it because it was *too fancy* for my life and I didn’t think I could pull it off. Well, I just re-bought it off of Poshmark because it is now the PERFECT amount of fancy for my life and heck yeah I can pull it off.

I have big plans to wear it for a work holiday luncheon AND pair it with a cute t-shirt for Harry Potter world next year. I looked EVERYWHERE for this skirt in a large (my typical size), but could only find this one in a medium that wasn’t priced at a bazillion dollars. I crossed my fingers and hit ‘buy’ and was pleasantly surprised that the waist is actually stretched out a bit and it’s too big. A few rows of stiches on my sewing machine and we are good to go!

Taos Crave Boots, $65

This buy was powered by tequila and I don’t even regret it.

Travis and I were on a weekend away at the National Harbor when I saw an Instagram ad for Taos Crave Boots. I LOVED them, but didn’t love the price of $220. So, I clicked over to Poshmark, searched for the boots in my size and found a bunch of options in the $100 – $175 range.

These boots also popped up at just $65 and Poshmark alerted me that the seller had received an offer, so I’d better move fast. Well, I did! I hit BUY immediately and a few days later realized what a fantastic buy I had made. These boots are basically perfect and some of the most comfortable I’ve ever put on my feet. So, now I’m eying a burgundy pair…

Anthropologie Metallic Dot-Print Dress, $22

Once again, Anthropologie + Sparkles is my weakness. This dress was just $22. That is my only excuse.

Like what you see? Share me with your friends!

October Thrift Haul

This month, I only had one day to make a couple thrift store stops. As it turned out, I mostly struck out in the clothing section… but I did find some other scores!

{Pssst, you can read about my previous thrifting adventures here}

A Variety of Vases, $7.50 total

I wasn’t really looking for vases…  but I kept striking gold as I was walking through the ‘random crap on a shelf’ section.

The first one – actually not a vase – that grabbed me was that little bunny holding an egg. I don’t think it’s anything special, but I really liked how simple the design was. I literally put it back on the shelf twice, but then when I realized it was only $1.50… I figured I could make the splurge. I mean, it’s totally already given me $1.50 of happiness!

Here is where she ended up:

Next up, is this beautiful hand-painted Sioux Pottery made by Lakota artists. I know this, because there was a sticker on the bottom that said so and then I did some googling and found the Sioux Pottery company. It was made in South Dakota and found it’s way to Maryland, where I scooped it up for $2.00.

Here is where it ended up:

The other two vases were both handmade and I was able to track one of their makers down. The blue and brown/cream vase had “Lukacs Pottery 89” carved into the bottom of it and I found that it is a shop in Sodus Point, New York owned by Mark and Cathy Lukacs. They have been full-time studio potters since 1978 and my piece was made in 1989. Similar vases are listed on their website for $40 – 60 and I found mine for just $2.00

The other vase may be someone’s personal creation, because as hard as I try to track down the signature I can’t find it. It is beautiful though and I’m so happy to add it to my mantle. Once again, just $2. Here is where they both will live in my house for now:

Lands End kid’s raincoat, $6

I was checking the kid’s section for a super soft lightweight sweatshirt like one Jack wears all the time, and I found this brand-new condition Lands End raincoat. Jack isn’t much of a fan of coats in general (he prefers sweatshirts or puffy vests), but I thought he might like the color combo. It was only $6, so we will see if it gets any wear. The same exact coat is retails for $45 on the Lands End website.

Hand-knit blanket, $6

I thrifted a rainbow afghan a few months ago, and ever since then I always do a little check of the blanket’s section to see what I find. I’m hoping to find more handmade quilts to add to my collection, but this blanket was so cute I couldn’t leave it behind. It was probably made as a decorative baby blanket, and it’s perfect as a ‘lap blanket’ for snuggling up on the sun room couch.

Like what you see? Share me with your friends!