Treasure Hunting

Some people turn their noses up at thrift stores. My husband is one of those people. For the most part, after getting hand-me downs as a kid, he wants his clothes new.
Second-hand clothing doesn't bother me. As a matter of fact, the hunt is part of the fun. I also like that I am being environmentally conscious (trust me, to my shame, I am not always so good), and that I am getting a lot for my money.
Now there are some things I won't buy at the thrift store (underwear, shoes and jeans are the main items. Underwear and shoes I think are self-explanatory, jeans because I am hard to fit and need a long inseam) and there are some thrift stores that I won't go to (I do have a threshold for cleanliness/grossness and some stores have pushed it). For the most part, though, I can easily kill a couple of hours and there are some great stores near my house.
This week I paid a visit to 2 stores. While I told you about some of the stuff I got, here is the run down of everything I got for $100:
1.Bohemian cardigan (pictured below)
2. Black Apostrophe shirt
3. Long sleeve (print) t-shirt
4. 2 sweaters which I will unravel for the yarn
5. Poncho which I will unravel for the yarn
6. Denim jacket
7. 3 casual blazers
8. Black dress skirt
9. Candie's capri's
10. Old Navy long sleeve tunic
11. Black/white/grey knit pullover
12. Banana Republic T-shirt
13. Knit hooded pullover
14. J.Jill cardigan
15. Black and white cropped cardigan
16. Black Ralph Lauren hooded zippered cardigan
17. Large round decorative tray
18. Brand new decorating book

I got 21 items so that is approximately $5 a piece I spent for these items. Now I shop carefully, I try things on and I am pretty aware of what looks and doesn't look good on my body type so I rarely get home and have a loser (which I either try to refashion or donate back to charity).

My shopping strategy is to try to find basics like the black skirt or denim jacket (yes, even though I already have 4) and then look for pieces that I can layer. Although the weather in Texas is mild, I find that I usually like to have a jacket or cardigan no matter what time of year it is because in the winter it can be cold and in the summer, many stores and offices run the air conditioning at arctic temps.

I would encourage everyone to hit their local thrift store, consignment store, flea market, garage sale or vintage shop because you never know what treasure you will find.