Good Day at Goodwill [Goodwill: San Francisco, Clement St.]

Even though I've had one good experience at the Clement St. Goodwill store, I was totally blown away by the number of good-quality and -condition items to be found there this past Sunday.  I literally made 3 trips to the dressing room to try on stuff.

Among the finds:

Michael Kors leather tassel mules
(similar here; for sale on eBay here)

$8.49

I can only assume that someone didn't know their designer brands when they priced these below the plethora of (new) Target shoes.

Zara leather ankle booties

$18.99

Can't find how much these retailed, but these Zara ankle booties are $59.99 (actually not as expensive as I was expecting).

Gap wool coat with funnel collar 

$128.00 $14.99

I really wanted to like this coat but the sizing was comparable to my Old Navy ruffle wool coat, i.e., not fitted enough in the torso.  Plus the collar was a little weird to me.  Too bad.  I was happy to hand it to another customer who was eyeing it though.

Ralph Lauren Polo cable knit short-sleeve sweater 

$5.49

I also wanted to like this sweater but wish it were a v-neck instead.  It was also a little short in length and pretty shapeless.  I couldn't imagine wearing it alone, but below you'll see my attempt at a preppy look with this sweater.

Here's what I ended up purchasing:

Mossimo button-up shirt – purple check
(similar here; inspired by this)

$19.99 $5.49

This shirt didn't have the original tag but it definitely looked and felt like it had never been worn.  Since Target donates a lot of unsold merch to Goodwill, I am going to assume it was brand new.  Interestingly I found this in the section of men's collared button-up shirts (new tip!).

Timberland Mazie Tall Suede Boots
(product description here; sold out in the US but available from Sears Canada here)

$180.00 $14.99

Again, no original tag, but they definitely looked new based on the lack of marks or scuffs on the soles.  The only bad thing is they fit a little too tight around my muscular calves when I'm wearing skinny jeans, but hopefully by fall/winter my calves will be slimmer or the boots will stretch out. :) (And please ignore my lone shoe strewn on the dressing room floor :P) 

Not pictured:

After some internal debate, I was ready to buy a pair of barely used bowling shoes for $4.25. A sign on the door said all shoes were 50% off but at the register I was told the sale is for this coming weekend instead (boo).  I wasn't willing to pay $8.50 for shoes I might only wear once a year at most.  So maybe I'll check back on Friday or Saturday when the sale is going.


Has anyone noticed a pattern for when Goodwill (or other thrift stores) put the "nice stuff" out, or did I just go on a good day?

LC Lauren Conrad Sequin Shift Dress [Kohl's: Colma]

Two weeks ago I scored the above dress on super sale at the Kohl's in Colma for a mere $12.00.  The dress retails for $60.00 but was 80% off, so I used some merchandise credit and paid $0 out of pocket!

I wasn't surprised that this dress didn't come with a belt (since I'd read complaints about the lack of belts on LC dresses here and here), but once you add a belt to define your waist, I bet this dress would create a very flattering silhouette on various body types.

Here's a preview of how I envision wearing it for a special occasion with my bf or a night on the town with friends:

Dress: LC Lauren Conrad Sequin Shift Dress (buy here)

Belt: came with a Stylementor dress from Yesstyle (same belt here)

Shoes: Merona Mackenzie cork wedges from Target (buy here)

Nails: "Phenomena" by L.A. Colors Color Craze (see post here)

There were a number of dresses left in this style when purchased mine, so I encourage ladies to try checking in stores before purchasing online at a higher price.

Old Navy Spring Haul [Old Navy: Colma]

The Old Navy store in Colma had some very inexpensive items in stock this past weekend.  I snatched up the following four items.  I'm particularly excited about the first two, as I've grown tired of wearing the same jeans, corduroys, cardigans, and camis all winter so am trying to infuse some pops of color in my otherwise bland wardrobe of solid colors and stripes.

 Twisted Cuff Seed-Bead Bracelet

Original: $12.50

I paid: $1.18

Tiered Gauze Skirt in purple floral (buy here)

Original: $26.50

I paid: $2.91

 Khaki Pencil Skirt

Original: $29.50

I paid: $2.91

Girl's Skinny Jeans in tigris (buy here)

Original: $19.50

I paid: $10.08

Long story short, the store had a crazy sale where all women's clearance bottoms (jeans, pants, skirts, and shorts) were a flat $6 each.  I also signed up for an Old Navy card and got an extra 20% off my entire purchase as part of their current promotion.  

If you're considering signing up for an Old Navy card (which, btw, also works for Gap, Banana Republic, Piperlime, and Athleta), I would only recommend getting one if you routinely shop at any of those stores AND you are positive that you will (1) not shop at those stores more often now that you have a store card, and (2) pay off your card every month and not rack up any retail debt.  After all, the best deal you can buy is to not buy anything at all.

Springy Scarf [Old Navy: San Francisco]

Scarves seem to be in season year-round, so this patterned lightweight scarf in a nice coral color will likely do double-duty in both spring and fall.  I got this one from Old Navy in downtown SF for a mere $4.89.  Originally $10.00, it was on clearance for $6.99 and then an extra 30% off all clearance items.

I saw that the same extra 30% off clearance sale was going on at the downtown SF Old Navy yesterday, so you might want to check it out while you can.  Or you can wait it out some more until clearance items get an extra 50% off. :)

If you're shopping online, you can use the coupon code BRONGAP20 to get 20% off until Wednesday.

UPDATE: Use code ONBOGO to Buy One, Get One 50% Off until Sunday.  My scarf is currently available in a very pretty green:

Women's Jersey Sheer Burnout Scarves

Don't Give Up [Goodwill: San Francisco, Clement St.]

When you're trying to shop lean but maintain some standards of quality, it can sometimes feel like an uphill climb. There are so many things working against you.  It's more convenient to buy something off the rack right when you see it, rather than wait until the price drops or you find a cheaper, similar product elsewhere. There is near-constant pressure from ads to buy the latest and greatest things brand new.  When you narrow your price range, you also narrow your options to choose from.  You'll repeated have to walk away when something doesn't fit the bill for one reason or another.  It can be tempting to just give up.

I feel this way sometimes when I read or hear about fabulous finds people have found from unlikely sources such as thrift stores, garage sales, and estate sales.  This especially applies to thrift stores, since I don't make it a habit to check out local garage sales and have yet to set foot in an estate sale (though I still want to!).  So I tend to have high hopes upon entering a thrift store...but more often than not, I leave empty-handed and disappointed.

With this in mind, I now shop at thrift stores only when it's convenient.  On Friday I went to the bank and decided to check out the Goodwill store across the street, since it was right there and I had time to kill.  Now, I've been to this store 3 times in the last 6 weeks and each time I didn't find anything to buy.  So why should this time be any different?

But lo and behold, I made two purchases I am really happy with:

Aqua Short Sleeve Shirred Blazer (buy here)

Original: $88.00

I paid: $4.49

 Elastic striped belt with chain (no label)

I paid: $1.99

Blazer and belt together:

Despite my admonition to know your labels, I actually had no idea that Aqua was a Bloomingdale's brand until I did a search for this jacket.  Beyond that, I was surprised to find this exact blazer still available online for the retail price!  I had assumed this would be a style from a past season and thus unsearchable on the internets.  Judging by the wrinkles, I'm guessing someone didn't follow the Dry Clean Only directions and the jacket shrunk in the dryer.  Oh well, their loss is my gain!

So if you feel like giving up on a certain store or method of saving money, DON'T!  For every time you find an amazing deal, there will be many times you won't find anything.  But when you do find something that's a homerun, the strikeouts are totally worth it!

Ruffle Me Up [Old Navy: Colma]

I don't say this about many things, but I definitely am my mother's daughter when it comes to shopping.  She loves to shop and goes almost every weekend.  This time she and I went with my grandma in tow as well.  We drove about 30 mins south of the City to the small town of Colma, known for shopping centers, car dealerships, and cemeteries.  (Lovely, I know.)

We made a quick stop at Old Navy in the 280 Metro Center so I could exchange some jeans, but of course I couldn't help making a short detour to the Clearance section, just to browse.  One of the first things that caught my eye was this ruffle collar, wool-blend coat:

Stock photo:
(clearly much more purple than the real thing)

I'm a pretty avid Old Navy shopper, so I knew this coat had been part of their winter line and had, on numerous occasions, been 50% off in stores over the past few months.  With the tag showing the original price of $69.50 and no clearance sticker in sight, I brought it to the register with me to get a price check.

It rang up as $45.99, which I was NOT willing to pay, but the girl behind the register said she was pretty sure the coat should be on clearance and sweetly offered to check with the manager for me.  The manager came around, thought for a second, and said, "I could do it for $19.99."

To be honest, the stingy side of me wasn't all that impressed with $19.99 but I bought it anyway since (1) Old Navy has a good long return policy (90 days for full refund or exchanges) and (2) I had a gift card, so only paid about $6 out of pocket.

The coat fits well at the shoulders and sleeves, but otherwise is pretty loose.  I tried on an XS in a different style and the body fit me perfectly but the shoulders were too tight (grrr at my disproportionate body).  Also, this coat is only about 60% wool so I'm not sure how warm it will be.  But the rich royal blue color is pretty, and I do have a weakness for jackets and coats, so I'm a bit torn.  Should I keep it?

Stinky Feet Fix

(image credit: kiwikewlio)

 If you

• like wearing ballet flats
• like wearing flats without tights, stockings, pantyhose, or socks on
• experience sweaty feet when wearing flats barefoot
• have stinky shoes from wearing flats barefoot

then I have a solution for you!!

Hidden cotton liners save you money by keeping your flats in good(-smelling) condition for a longer period of time, so you won't need to buy replacements as quickly.  They also save you from buying an endless supply of products to deodorize your feet or shoes to little or no avail.

All of the bullet-points above apply to yours truly, but then I came across these hidden cotton liners by Hue. They are FABULOUS and only cost $2.99 a pair from Ross!

 

 

Reasons why Hue cotton liners are awesome:

1. They are made of cotton, so they let your feet breathe and also absorb moisture better than synthetic fabrics.

2. They are machine washable. I even stick mine in the dryer and have had no problems with the durability over the past year.

3. They have a gel pad at the heel to prevent the liners from slipping off (a HUGE plus).

4. They are low-cut so they won't show with most flats.

5. They come in a nude color and in black to help blend in with your feet or shoes.

6. They come in 2 sizes: S/M (fits shoe sizes 4-7) and M/L (fits shoe sizes 7-10).  I wear a size 5.5-6 so I have the S/M and they fit fine.

Even better, it looks like hidden cotton liners are being made by other brands so you now have a few different styles, cuts, and colors to choose from.  I may need to try these next time I'm at Kohl's—extra low-cut and even cheaper per pair!

Be Like the Ant [Old Navy: San Francisco]

Do you know the fable about the ant and the grasshopper?  My dad used to tell this to my sister and me as a bedtime story all the time. Basically the ant stores up food for himself when times are good while the grasshopper doesn't worry about the future and laughs at the ant instead.  Then winter comes and the ant is fat and happy and the grasshopper is dying of starvation...

So what does this have to do with saving money in the city?  Like the ant, a smart saver in the city needs to think ahead and prepare for what's to come--specifically when it comes to clothing and how the changing seasons necessitate a changing wardrobe.

When stores are getting ready to sell clothes for the new season, they also need to unload the previous season's merch.  And that means SALES!

Last September, on the cusp of fall, the big Old Navy in downtown SF had some crazy sales on their clearance section. At the time the clearance section largely consisted of summer clothes. The first week I went, all the clearance items were Buy One, Get One Free.  Sweet!  I bought 2 tanks, 2 shorts, and 2 sports bras for around $25.  Can't get much better, right?

WRONG.  The following week, the clearance section was all an extra 50% off instead!  It sounds like the same promotion but the BOGO is actually not as good a deal because it requires you to buy 2 things to get the lower price, which may result in unnecessary purchases.

This brings me to Lesson #1: Buying clothes out of season can save a LOT of $$$.

As far as I know Old Navy doesn't do price adjustments, so I re-bought the same pieces plus a few more.  Here was my haul:

Camper shirt with buttoned roll-up sleeves

Clearance price: $9.49

Final price (extra 50% off): $4.74

Stretch cotton sateen skirt 

(I bought these in 3 colors: olive green, gray, and black)

Clearance price: $7.49

Final price (extra 50% off): $3.74

Sports bras

Clearance price: $4.99 each

Final price (extra 50% off): $2.49 each

 

White cotton cardigan

Clearance price: $9.49

Final price (extra 50% off): $4.74

Denim pencil skirt

Clearance price: $6.99

Final price (extra 50% off): $3.49

Embellished striped cardigan

Clearance price: $9.99

Final price (extra 50% off): $4.99

Bermuda shorts

(I bought these in 3 colors: gray, khaki, and brown)

Clearance price: $7.49

Final price (extra 50% off): $3.74

Embellished racerback tank

(I bought these in 2 colors: black and white)

Clearance price: $4.99

Final price (extra 50% off): $2.49

Lounge pants

Clearance price: $6.49

Final price (extra 50% off): $3.24

I couldn't believe that every single piece was under $5.00!  And you can see that I mostly bought basics that can be mixed-and-matched easily to create many different outfits.

Lesson #2: It's possible to buy NEW clothes at dirt cheap prices--even cheaper than used clothes at some thrift stores!

So I hope as winter ends and spring begins that you'll have a chance to stock up on scarves, coats, and sweaters at cheap prices!  In 6 months you'll be glad you did :)