August Thrift Haul

This month’s thrift haul is quite the cornucopia of vacation thrift and consignment finds, and a quick run out to celebrate National Thrift Shop Day. It just goes to show you that while you may have a ‘thrift list’ of what you’re looking for, you never know what you’re going to find…

First up, some thrift + consignment shop finds from North Naples, Florida:

Modcloth Linen skirt, $7

While my husband once again had all the Florida thrifting luck with shorts and pants, this is my ONLY item I thrifted on our vacation. It’s a linen Modcloth skirt and it’s probably 1-2 sizes too large for me in the waist. With that being said, I feel confident that I can easily add elastic into the channel of the waistband to cinch it to my size, while still leaving all the wonderful volume through the hips.

I think that this skirt will look adorable in the fall and winter with booties, tights, lightweight sweaters and maybe a denim jacket.

Eileen Fisher linen sweater, $20

I love Eileen Fisher sweaters and this linen sweater is so soft and pretty. It’s a v-neck dolman sleeve cut, which is super flattering. This is one of those tops that will be great for telework days (since it looks professional on a Teams video), but also super cute with a pair of distressed jeans and some sparkly necklaces. For $20, I couldn’t resist!

Johnny Was Workshop shirt, $27

I love Johnny Was brand clothing and I’ve been lucky enough to pick a few pieces up secondhand over the years (since retail prices are ridiculous). This top is from the Johnny Was Workshop brand, which is where they re-imagine menswear and retailed around $300. It has super soft flannel on the front, and then the back is velvet with embroidery! It’s oversized and eclectic and I love it!

As for styling, I will play up the ‘grunge’ by layering it over a graphic tee and leaving it open over jeans for a warmth layer. I’ll also button it over a tank top and pair it with comfy joggers for telework Teams meetings. It’s super fun and I can’t wait to try different ways of styling it with what I have in my closet.

National Thrift Shop Day was on August 17th, so I hit up my favorite thrift store to take advantage of their 50% off sales. I also had an additional 10% reward in my account, which took the prices down even more!

Black cotton/linen Target dress, $7 on sale for $3.14

Just a simple dress – I just liked the feel of the cotton/linen fabric and the cut of it. It also has an open back with a tie that secures it (right at your bra line), so I’ll probably try layering this over some slim fit tank tops as well as some of my exercise bras/tanks that have fun strappy backs.

Jenny Yoo Annabelle Convertible dress, $15 on sale for $6.74

I was initially drawn to the pretty purple color of this dress and all the tulle. The tulle placement on the bust is just so gorgeous! While in the store, I did a quick google to make sure this wasn’t some sort of Shein brand. I found that this exact dress is still sold on the Jenny Yoo website for $280 and that it is a convertible dress where you can style it in like a dozen different ways.

It was a couple sizes larger than I wear, but I tried it on over my clothes and it fit… so it looks like its bridal sizing. With that being said, I LOVE the style of the dress and have a couple weddings on the horizon. I have no idea what the dress codes will be though, but it’s always good to have options. Also, I have had to attend Gala events over the years in my line of work, so it makes sense to scoop this up for less than $7 just to have it on hand if I need it!

Converse embroidered high tops, $13.50 on sale for $6.07

I’m pretty sure someone was hiding these shoes. I was walking past the kids toys section and found them tucked away with the toys. They’re Converse high tops + fantastic embroidery + MY SIZE, so they were obviously waiting for me to find them. Ironically, I added them to my cart and was walking around and another lady stopped me to tell me how cool the shoes were and inquire about the size… so I almost had to throw hands to keep them.

They were a little scuffed on the toe and sides, but a quick rubdown (inside and on the rubber) with a bleach wipe returned them to perfect. These retailed for $90 and I got them for $6! I can’t wait to pair them with leggings, joggers and oversized hoodies in the fall when it gets chilly.

July Thrift Haul

This month I totally had what I like to call a ‘medicinal thrifting trip’ for my mental health. I left everyone at home and went by myself to the thrift store and browsed EVERY SINGLE section to my heart’s content. And with that browsing, I ended up finding one dress and THREE pairs of shoes…

Cotton Dress, $10.99

I really liked the bold pattern of this dress and the tiered skirt. I wasn’t quite sure about the neckline though and felt like it might be a little too high on my shape. Since my thrift store no longer has dressing rooms, I brought it home and styled it with items in my closet:

I wish I would have also thrown on some sandals with the straw belt, because I think that will also be really cute. OH, and even though it’s a cotton dress, I think it will be adorable with black tights, boots and maybe my black denim moto jacket. After playing around with it a bit, this one gets to stay in my closet for some experimentation!

UGG Endell Black Suede Leather Shearling Lined Boots, $24.79

Yes, I paid up for these. At my local thrift store, any ‘recognizable’ name brand boots tend to be marked at $25ish. These UGG boots have the metal branded nameplate on the heel and the telltale shearling interior, so there was no way that they would have slipped through the ‘brand’ cracks as they were pricing. With that being said, these are absolutely gorgeous and really well made. Someone must have purchased them to sit in a closet unworn, because there is no wear to the interior shearling and the grippy rubber on the bottom is in great condition.

I realized last winter that I actually don’t currently own a pair of winter boots appropriate for snow (I had some workarounds, but nothing warm and waterproof), so these will be perfect for Maryland winters when there is snow or slush on the ground.

Johnston & Murphy Harness Moto Boots, $12.79

Well, the pricing person didn’t recognize this brand… so yay! One of my *tricks* when checking out the boot section is to pick up a boot that looks interesting. If it is relatively heavy, it gets a closer look (cheap boots are typically super light). This one was heavy and the leather is a really thick, chewy kind of leather, so I flipped the boot and BOOM Johnston & Murphy was embossed on the bottom. Similar boots sell on their retail website for $200 – 300.

These are a hybrid of a moto boot and a cowboy boot, with a nice, wide shaft. I think these will be really cute with some of my longer skirts/dresses in the fall, as well as layered with tights and shorter hemlines over the winter. You can see them on in my try-on photos above. They will also work great for my Renaissance pirate costume I’m putting together for a September or October faire visit.

Chuck Taylor All Star Lift Platform Sneakers, $17.79

Yes, it was quite the lucky shoe day for me! This is the first pair I picked up and I was absolutely thrilled that these are my exact size. I had been looking at these on the Converse website, because I like that they were a mix of classic and cool with the platforms. They are $70 retail, so even marked up at $17 made them make sense for me.

The platforms make them so, so comfortable with extra support! I love these so much and may add a little embroidery at some point.

Halfway Through 2025: Thrift Winners & Losers

With half the year behind us, it’s time for my 6-month thrifting check-in! I started doing these a few years ago as a way to keep myself accountable. Even after years of thrifting, I still make the occasional “what was I thinking?” purchase. Looking back helps me recognize those missteps and celebrate the wins, so I can keep improving.

Let’s take a look back at my 2025 thrift winners & losers so far:

January 2025

Winners:

  • Cactus hat, $3.50
  • Stitch Fix sweater, $9
  • Homemade quilt, $15

Losers:

  • Merona Cardigan, $5.50

Time Will Tell:

  • Coldwater Creek embroidered jeans, $9.50
  • Banana Republic scarf, $6.50

All the ‘winning’ items from January have gotten some wear/use over the past few months. However, that Merona cardigan was almost an immediate re-donate. I don’t know what I was thinking when I bought it, but it looked terrible on me and didn’t play well with the rest of my closet. I’ve only worn the embroidered jeans once, but they seem nice. So we will see if they end up getting a lot of wear over the next year or so. As for the scarf, I haven’t worn it yet so it is packed away until next winter.

February 2025

Winners:

  • Land’s End cardigan, $5.99
  • Smokey Bear Bandana, $1
  • MCM California Pottery tray, $4.49
  • Nordstrom Rack linen dress, $14.99

Time Will Tell:

  • Soft Surroundings wrap dress, $19.99

Lots of winners in February and only one that I’m not quite sure about. Before wearing it, I removed the yellow beading from the neckline of the Soft Surroundings dress, and I feel like it was a big improvement. I wore it to work once and it is very cute. I’m not sure if it will be a long-term closet love:

March 2025

Losers:

  • Sage Collective joggers, $5.50

Time Will Tell:

  • Athleta cross-over top, $7.50
  • Lauren Ralph Lauren skirt, $23
  • Charlestown Shoe “Federal” Boot, $7.50

The joggers were new with tags and super silky soft, however; after wearing them a couple times they are just too big. By the end of the day, I’ve got ‘dumpy butt’ and I’m not a fan. If these haven’t already made their way to the re-donate bag, they will be there in the fall when I dig them out again.

For all three of the other items, they have to fall under ‘time will tell’ because I haven’t worn any of them yet! The Athleta top is more winter weight, the skirt is screaming FALL at me and the booties also feel more autumnal.

Spring Break Arizona Haul – April 2025

Winners:

  • Zara skirt, $3
  • Vintage skirt, $7.29
  • Vintage shirt, $9
  • Everlane sweater, $7
  • Acme cowboy boots, $25

Lots of vacation thrifting winners! I’ve worn all five of the items and LOVE them all. Perhaps I need to go on more vacations for thrifting…

April 2025

Winners:

  • Striped + Floral skirt, $7.79
  • Loft cardigan, $9

Losers:

  • Pure Jill Kimono, $9

Both the skirt and the cardigan fit well into my closet and have already been worn to work. I thought the kimono was cute in the store, but after wearing it as a topper at home a few times, it just feels frumpy. This exercise helped me pull the trigger and this one just went into the re-donate bag.

May 2025

Time Will Tell:

  • Talbots 100% silk pleated skirt, $9.99

This was a relatively recent purchase and I haven’t worn it yet.

June 2025

Winners:

  • J.Crew Tulle skirt, $3.59
  • Lou & Grey shorts, $4.12
  • Pleated running skirt, $8.24
  • Linen dress, $6.74
  • Gap top, $4.87

Time Will Tell:

  • Vintage Allison Smith skirt, $7
  • No tag dress, $9
  • Embroidered top, $7
  • Bailey 44 joggers, $6

So far, I know the tulle skirt, shorts, running skirt, linen dress and Gap dress are winners. They have all been worn, and in the case of the shorts and linen dress (turned top), they’ve been worn a few times over the last few weeks. I haven’t had a chance to wear the vintage skirt yet, but finger’s crossed that it’s adorable. I did chop the ‘no tag’ dress into a tank top, but the jury is out on whether it will be put into heavy rotation.

The embroidered top will become a pillow when I have time. And those joggers are most likely a win, but I won’t wear them until the weather cools back down!

Total Spent:

Just to hold myself super accountable, let’s total up all the thrifting purchases from the last 6 months. According to my handy dandy excel spreadsheet that I pulled the info into, my total for 6 months of thrifting was: $281.60, which equals out to about $47 per month. The total is lower than last year by over $60, so that’s nice!

While my thrifting total/monthly breakdown is not an insignificant number, this is my main ‘fun money’ I spend on myself. I very rarely buy books (I use the library and my kindle religiously) and make 90% of my coffee at home, and most importantly… our budget can afford it.

Overall Favorites:

And now my absolute favorite part, looking at all my thrifting purchases over the past 6-months and picking my favorite items!

Home Decor Favorites:

  • Homemade quilt, $15 (January 2025)
  • MCM California Pottery tray, $4.49 (February)

I love both the homemade quilt and the pottery tray that I found earlier in the year! Finding a huge quilt that had been made with love was an absolute score… and having it priced so low at $15 was incredible. I will cherish it for many years to come and it is currently in my sun room for ease of dog snuggling. As for the yellow pottery tray, it has moved around my house to a few locations so far. I love how bright and cheery it is!

Clothing Favorites

  • Everlane sweater, $7 (Vacation Thrift, April 2025)
  • Acme cowboy boots, $25 (Vacation Thrift, April 2025)
  • J.Crew Tulle skirt, $3.59 (June 2025)
  • Lou & Grey shorts, $4.12 (June 2025)
  • Linen dress, $6.74 (June 2025)

I am OBSESSED with the Everlane sweater, even though I only had one chance to wear it before the weather got too hot. It is the perfect chunky knit, 100% cotton and slightly oversized. Love, love, love it! Those vintage boots were an iconic Sedona Arizona find! The tulle skirt is so pretty and twirly and fits great. The Lou & Grey shorts are already my favorites for summer. And that linen nightgown looking dress turned into an absolutely fabulous linen top that I have been wearing on repeat!

The first half of 2025 has brought some great thrifting finds, I can’t wait to see what is around the corner!