I challenged my daughter and her friend to see how much they could buy with $20.00 at our local thrift store. My daughter is naturally frugal, so I knew she would do well, but I was still surprised with all that she was able to purchase. My daughter came home with 2 pairs of pants, 3 tops, and 2 dresses which came in right under $20.00, but she also found a pair of shoes that met her exact specifications (she had been searching for this style of shoe for over two years), so the final total for everything was a little under $25.00. Her friend found 4 shirts and a skirt for $20.00, but fell in love with a purse at the register and ended up spending a little over $24.00.
In the first picture my daughter is wearing a Maggie London black silk dress that she bought for$6.99. She is also wearing the $4.99 shoes.
Our thrift store has a bargain bin where they sell items that they could not sell in the main store for greatly reduced prices. You can buy clothing there for $1.50 a pound! My daughter found the black pants in there. She found the bolero in the main thrift shop for $2.49. The pink tank and hat were already in her wardrobe (I think she bought the tank at Wet Seal for $5.00, so it cost more than the pants and bolero combined).
She also found the brown pants and the tan top in the bargain bin. When I asked her how much they cost she said, “I don’t know; I will have to go weigh them”. She says the brown pants are the most comfortable pants she has ever worn and is grateful to the person who broke them in for her. She already owned the light blue tank, which she bought at Kohl’s for $5.00, so it cost twice as much as the shirt and pants combined.
I was taking a picture of Rew and happened to catch part of my daughter in this photo. I included it because I happen to like the brown combo better with her white Banana Republic tank. (I bought the tank on sale for $6.99 last week, because it has a nicely detailed neckline, unfortunately it doesn’t show up in the picture. But I digress, the point is the tank cost more than three times as much as the shirt and pants). We should start looking for tank tops at the thrift store!
The floral top is another bargain bin find. Those pants really must be comfortable because she is still wearing them. Does she looked a little annoyed with the paparazzi to you?
My daughter and her friends like to go ballroom dancing. She bought this $6.99 dress for tango night and is threatening to wear a red rose in her hair. She is once again wearing her $4.99 shoes.
marnyfarn says
Bought three pair of pants (dkny capris, dankskin exercise, and wrangler cords) for under $10 on one trip to the thrift store. Today, I came home with two long sleeve t-shirts and a very stylish casual jacket for under $12 from the same store. Yes, it takes time to rummage through all the racks, but I have more time than money, so thrifting is the way to go!
Angela Barton says
Alea- I'm so excited to have her participate! All of the photos are so great- whichever one she likes best is fine. I love that I've gotten a man, and I am thrilled to death that I recently received a photo from a pregnant woman. And now a beautiful teenager. How fun!
I agree completely with your parenting and values. My husband and I don't have children, but we are dismayed by some of our friends who buy their kids everything they want. I don't see how it's going to contribute to their characters. I also agree that the frugal by choice lifestyle can be fun. My goodness, we used to spend hours making up our own games! Plus it gives you more control because money is there when you really need it. And I certainly am with you on putting more value on travel and music lessons over the latest trendy fashion.
It's the soap-box follies!
Alea says
I talked to my daughter and I will email you a picture tomorrow.
I can't imagine spending $100.00 a month per child! I budget $25.00 a month per person for clothing. We will go months without buying any clothing, but when somebody needs something the money is there.
I think it is important for kids to understand why you are being frugal, so they don't feel deprived. I also think it is important to make a thrifty lifestyle fun, which is not hard. Mmost kids really would rather spend an evening playing board games or a Saturday at the beach, than to be given an expensive gadget that will just end up collecting dust.
We are thrifty by choice; I could budget much more for clothing, but I think it is more important to put that money in to travel or music lessons which will leave my kids with experiences and skills that they can enjoy for a life time. I also prefer to direct funds into the kids college fund rather than buying a shirt that will be in style for 5 minutes, so they go off into the big world educated and debt free. It saddens me to see some of my daughter's friends have more debt after a year in college than my husband and I have ever had in our life.
I'll step off my soap box now.
Angela Barton says
Your daughter found such fantastic clothes! I would love it if she would agree to send one of the photos in for my Thrifty Threads segment. It would be so much fun to have a teenager for the segment. And then I would mention your blog- unless your daughter has one too!
Great parenting. It's funny how life is. I was JUST (5 minutes ago) having an online conversation with my editor about a radio piece another writer had done about budgeting with your kids and it said "you should keep their clothing budget to $100 a month" and I wrote to her saying, "are you kidding- why would a kid need that much money for clothes every month?" and I don't think she got what I was talking about because she just finally said "okay, thanks for your input."
Geez- the listeners are going to think we're all living in Beverly Hills or something.
Kim says
Cute outfits!!! Cute daughter.
Struggler says
Wonderful finds! She has a great 'harvest' here!
I don't do terribly well with clothes at thrift stores; I get impatient and tend to drift off to the home section instead.
Amanda says
I think it is great that both your daughter and her friend were up for the challenge. I think too many kids today (luckily none of my nieces) are caught up with designer brands and price tags. I hope I will be able to instill the same values in my my children 🙂
Rachel says
How fun!!! I love thrift store shopping! I can't stand to pay much for clothes (even that are on clearance at department stores!) 🙂 I have absolutely no problem purchasing clothing second hand…it's recycling unwanted items & it saves me tons of money plus after a good wash they are good as new!! 🙂
mrs. fisher's findings says
I also found your blog while looking at Moneysavingmom.com. I love to go to our Goodwill, and I find something almost everytime I go in there. I like to bring my oldest son (2.5 years old) and he calls it the toy store! 🙂
Eclectic Pink Rose says
and she looks AWESOME!!! What a fun challenge, I should try this one with my girlies. I found you through blog surfing and your post title caught my eye. I love love love thrift stores and am constantly dragging my two girlies with me, one loves it, the other not so much. This would be so fun to do with them. They're thirteen and eleven. LOL!! Thanks for the idea, and I am your newest follower "fan". 😉
♥ Teresa
The Thrifty Countrywoman says
I love to shop at thrift stores. Although it's hard to find things that fit well,(it's hard everywhere) I have an hourglass figure with too much sand in the top! I still can find cheap things to wear out in the garden and for mucking about cheaply. If I had a cute figure like your daughter's I'd be shopping there all the time. Love that tango dress!
mub says
I like shopping thrift stores for clothes, but I have to be really really determined to find things that will fit. I have this theory that if you're a really tall woman you wear your clothes until they disintegrate because it's so hard to find stuff that's long enough… which means the pickins are pretty slim at the thrift stores!