Here’s the thing… this month’s thrift haul is quite sparse. It’s a combination of only going thrifting once this month, being super picky about what I buy, and not really *needing* to add much to my wardrobe. On top of that, I just did a big closet purge a few months ago, so to add something to my closet means it must really light my fire.
Anyways, all that to say: this month I thrifted just one item.
Vintage cotton skirt, $7.29
This fun vintage maxi skirt is “free size” (aka, one size fits most), 100% cotton and made in India. Which tells me it’s another one of those fabulous mid-90’s finds. What can I say? At least I’m consistent in what I love.
So how am I planning to style it? I grabbed some photos from previous thrift hauls to show you!
Graphic Tee + Skirt + Chucks=
Top + Skirt + Sandals=
Sweater + Skirt = Boots=
So yeah, this month’s thrift “haul” was tiny, but mighty!
While I’m still organizing my thoughts to share all about our amazing week in Tucson, I wanted to show you a few items we thrifted while we were away! I love thrifting on vacation because it is a great way to score unique souvenirs. Thrift stores are cheaper than gift shops, way cooler than anything you’d find at a chain store, and every piece comes with a little story.
Check out what I thrifted in Tucson:
Utah t-shirt, $4
My husband actually thrifted this t-shirt for himself, because we love visiting Utah (see any of my Kanab, UT posts) and he liked the design and colors. However, he’s a 6’4” giant with a long torso, so when he put it on and raised his arms, he looked like Pooh Bear with his belly button out! So, I decided it would work perfect for me with a little snip-snip to crop the length. It’s super soft and now fits in a boxy, oversized way on me, so that’s a win.
Grand Canyon sweatshirt, $5
This sweatshirt had the opposite issue – I love the design and softness, but it’s a bit more fitted than I prefer. I tend to like my sweatshirts super oversized for peak house-goblin comfort. I loved everything else about this though, so I decided to buy it for $5 and cut off the bottom waistband (it felt a little restricting). That was the perfect move, because now it fits a bit baggier at the bottom.
Cotton tiered shirt, $5.50
I feel like I willed this skirt into existence. I’ve been casually searching Poshmark for a 100% cotton tiered skirt that I can pair with a sweater and cowboy boots in the winter, or a tank top and sandals in the summer. This one is exactly what I was looking for and a pretty shade of blue, so it was an easy decision to bring this one home with us.
Vintage skirt, $5
This vintage “made in India” skirt has a flowy shape, two layers, and tiny little bells on the waist tie. I think it’s super cute and would have totally purchased it in the mid-90’s, which is when I’m guessing it was originally sold. This one will also look cute styled with a sweater and boots for winter, or a tank and sandals for summer. I also think this could be easily styled for work with a simple blouse and cardigan, so I’m excited to try all the options.
As always, we stayed in a VRBO with a washing machine. So, we were able to get everything laundered before packing it in our suitcase to come home!
As the year winds down, I can’t help but look back at my thrifting adventures – both the wins and the ‘oops’ moments. While I still make a thrifting mistake here and there, thrifting is a pretty low-stakes (and low-cost) way to experiment and see what actually works for me, my closet, and my home. So, let’s dig into my thrifting winners and losers of 2025!
Oh, and before we get into it, I pulled out any secondhand items that were not thrifted, such as those from Poshmark or Consignment shops, so this is a purely THRIFTed wrap up…
My Favorite Thrifted Home Items for 2025:
Handmade “Trip Around the World” quilt, $15 – January 2025
Vintage Woolrich wool throw, $19 – October 2025
I didn’t do as much *home* thrifting this year, but these two items were welcome additions! The handmade quilt was just $15 for countless hours of the maker’s time. While these handmade quilts can go for quite a high price, I try not to be fussy about this kind of stuff and use things as they are intended. This one has migrated around the house and has been used in our den and even on the laundry room floor for our rescue dog to snuggle on while we are out.
Same goes with the wool throw – yes, it’s gorgeous and vintage. But it’s also a blanket. More specifically… my car blanket. I leave it in my car to cover the leather seat when Cooper comes for a ride and also have it as ‘just in case I break down somewhere and it’s cold outside’ insurance.
My Favorite Thrifted Clothing Items for 2025:
Everlane sweater, $7 – Arizona Spring Break thrifting, April 2025
Acme cowboy boots, $25 – Arizona Spring Break thrifting, April 2025
J.Crew Tulle skirt, $3.59 – June 2025
Gap flutter sleeve blouse, $4.87 – June 2025
Vintage Allison Smith skirt, $7 – June 2025
UGG Endell Boots, $24.79 – July 2025
Quite the ‘classics’ mix for this year’s clothing favorites! Looking at it as a gallery, each item mixes and matches well with each other and could totally be a capsule collection. Lots of natural fibers with the chunky cotton sweater, flutter sleeve blouse and vintage skirt. The tulle skirt was a great addition to my tulle collection and has been worn both styled for work and styled for the weekends. As for those cowboy boots – I mean DANG!? They were such a great vintage score and souvenir to bring home from Sedona, Arizona. Those UGG boots filled a hole in my closet, as I didn’t have any actual *winter, snow boots* and were perfect for the chilly, slushy, snowy days we had a couple weeks ago.
And here were some of my 2025 mistakes that I will learn from:
Merona Cardigan, $5.50 – January 2025
Sage Collective Joggers, $5.50 – March 2025
Cotton dress, $10.99 – July 2025
Ok, first of all… this cardigan is ugly and I don’t know what I was thinking when I bought it. This got re-donated. For the joggers, they were a size too big, but I bought them anyways because they were cheap and I figured they’d be comfortable. Instead, the crotch bagged down to my knees within a couple hours of wearing them and I felt like MC Hammer.
While I like the pattern of the cotton dress, the top/bust area just fits me kind of weird. This one has been sitting in my sewing pile for a couple months, so I need to decide if I’m going to turn it into a skirt… or just re-donate it. All in all, not too many losers this year. YAY!
I can’t wait to see what kind of treasures we find in 2026!
