Filed under: Fashion, General, Retail and Donations | Tags: Clothing, Consignment, England, Facebook, fashionista, Frugality, Goodwill, Home, Look and feel, Price, retail, Shopping, Triad Goodwill
Karen Goodin was born and raised in England, then catapulted across the pond in 2002. She’s always had a unique sense of style with an innate European flair. Before she began Frugal Fashionista, her friends (and sometimes strangers passing her on the street!) would ask her for her style secrets. It finally made sense for her to follow her abilities and make her passion for helping others look and feel great a full-time job!
In addition to shopping thrift stores like Goodwill, she answers a common question by other frugal fashionistas in training on how to save money. Is this you?
Q&A Submission:
Q). I know that one of the most frugal ways to fill out my wardrobe is by frequenting consignment shops, but I just can’t kick my addiction to new clothes. How can I still buy new items, yet be frugal?
A). There is a secret, and it is, in my opinion, one of the most savvy shopping moves a bargain hunter can make: Shop out of season so you can stretch your dollars to unbelievable lengths.
Buying items you may not be able to wear until months after you’ve made the purchase not only allows you to get great deals, but it also frees up funds so that you can take advantage of rock-bottom prices by buying in “bulk.” Just think of it as buying yourself a present you get to open and enjoy a little later. I like to keep the price tags on as the clothes hang in my closet waiting for their time to be worn. Not only does this allow me to see lots of new clothes in the que, but I love to see the marked-down prices as a reminder of the great deals I got.
From experience, if you can make a habit of not buying items until the end of the season, the savings can be substantial—often up to 70-80% off the original price. It takes patience and the willingness to really ‘work’ those clearance racks, but you get to leave the store with shopping bags stuffed full of NEW clothes!
Use this as a clearance season guide:
January – February: winter clothes
April – May: spring dresses and shoes
July – August: swimwear, shorts/tees
September – October: rain coats and fall suits
November – December: winter coats and fall shoes
In the game of smart shopping, timing is everything. Sometimes being behind the times can help you get ahead. It makes fabulous sense!
Happy Shopping.
Karen Goodin
Frugal Fashionista
Watch Karen in action and get more information by visiting www.karengoodin.com or check her out on Facebook. If you know you’re ready to look and feel FABULOUS, call 336-456-2072 to get started!
Like this:
Filed under: Fashion, General, Retail and Donations | Tags: Antiques and Collectibles, Business and Economy, Clothing, Facebook, Granny, Shopping, thriff store, thrifting, Triad Goodwill, United States, Vintage clothing
Vintage and handmade emporium, Design Archives, has been a vintage clothing destination to many Triad shoppers for years. Today, owner Kit Rodenbough, reveals her secrets to finding that perfectly aged gem, and how many times, it begins at Triad Goodwill.
“I began my career in the seventies as a clothing designer, and on the side I have always collected vintage clothing and textiles. Ten years ago, the collecting became my full-time career, and now I sell vintage clothing to cool people for a living.
“One of my favorite places to do my hunting and picking is in Goodwill stores. These stores hold a host to treasures that can be found in all departments…but the clothing departments are my specialties!”
You might ask me where these treasures come from? Hint: The best treasures I find are those that have been deposited at Goodwill by family who have discovered that Granny and Grandpa have saved everything they ever wore!
Kit Rodenbough and Mike from the History Channel show American Pickers
The Picking Process
I always grab a shopping cart so that I don’t waste anytime later trying to find one when my arms are piled high with fabulous finds! I then assess the store’s layout to pick a key location inside each store to begin. I usually start in the Men’s Department. After a quick scan of the racks I start a slightly slower pace of skimming each rack for their vintage items.
Since I was in the clothing industry for many years, I can detect the older colors and fabrics pretty quickly and if I think the item is vintage I inspect it more closely. Vintage has been a trend in clothing design recently, and some retailers can make some pretty good imitations of true vintage.
After some inspection, I scan the labels to validate what’s authentic from what’s imitation. Often the simple phrase on a tag “made in the USA” is validation enough.
I recommend the seasoned thrifter to tackle the denim or T-shirts racks. These racks are usually longer and hold a lot of clothing. And with so many pickers out there who skim those racks daily, the competition is fierce, so put your picking shoes on – I know you’re up for the challenge! With T-shirts, I look at the neckline and see the way the neck binding is constructed as well as the type of label and brand to determine the age. For jeans, I scan the legs for bell bottoms, and the shade of the denim.
Current fashion trends will dictate how much time I spend in sections like the Children’s Departments. Young hip women have been wearing their tops and coats a lot tighter the last few years and the vintage items often give them the fit they desire. Therefore, I always stop in this department in search of cool colors and then I inspect the garment to see if it could fit an adult.
Take your time in this department. Women have always shopped more and owned more than men, therefore there is more to dispose of…and more to find! Before leaving the department, always look up and around in case there is something awesome like the beautiful vintage fox fur coat that I found several years ago!
And remember to relax and enjoy your picking experience. You will have good days and great days, good finds and great finds, and I can promise that if you do it right you will never be disappointed. I usually drive away with a car full to the brim, and cash to spare!
Find Kit Rodenbough on Facebook.
Like this:
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Facebook, Flickr, Mission, Services, Twitter, YouTube
Over the years, Goodwill has come to be known as many things to many people: a donation center to drop off clothes that were too small or too big, a thrift store that provides great merchandise for a reasonable price, or a job training facility for people who need to get back on their feet. And the truth is that Goodwill is all of those things. In fact, Goodwill prides itself on being able to serve the community in many different ways, whether that is by providing a place to give your clothes a second life or by teaching someone how to become self-sufficient through our job training classes.
Riley, age 6, shows her love for Goodwill
It is a constant process to educate the public about all of the different services Goodwill provides to the Triad community. In addition to this blog, Goodwill has also launched sites on other social media networks in order to continue spreading the mission. By creating a presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr, Goodwill can reach new audiences and continue to spread mission awareness.
You can show your love for Goodwill by following us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/TriadGoodwill) or by becoming our fan on Facebook(http://bit.ly/103Uvs). You can also keep up with what’s been going on at Goodwill by browsing our pictures (www.flickr.com/triadgoodwill) and watching our videos (www.youtube.com/triadgoodwill). We will also be posting useful information and updates on this blog so be sure to bookmark this page and keep checking back.
