By Mary Moreno |Staff Writer|
Thrift shopping is an affordable way to spruce up your wardrobe while on a students budget.
For this article I invested $20 to see if I could build an entire outfit from thrifted items.
The location I choose was ECO Thrift on E. st. in San Bernardino.
ECO Thrift was packed to the brim with shoppers which was unexpected on a Wednesday at noon.
I examined each rack of clothing carefully, first the dresses, then the skirts.
Amongst the shirts there was an awesome vintage patterned gathered skirt for only $2.98, score.
A beige chiffon shirt from Forever 21 listed at $1.98 and a New York & Company cardigan for $2.98.
The piece de resistance of any outfit are the shoes and with some luck I found a pair of like new Seycelles buried underneath a pile of orthopedic loafers.
They were a hidden gem listed at $9.98 a tenth of their normal market value.
The Forever 21 shirt was probably around $19.99 retail and the exact cardigan from New York & Company is listed on their website for $39.95.
The total with tax on this trip was $19.40, the amount of time spent in the store was about an hour and a half, with the savings reaching over $100.
The wonderful thing about fashion is that it is cyclical, trends from yesteryear are always reappearing.
Currently there is a resurgence of 90s fashion which includes overalls and slip dresses.
You can bet your bottom dollar that you will be able to snag a slip dress at your local Salvation Army for under ten bucks.
The key to thrifting is being adventurous, searching and above all patience.
Thrift shopping is like mining for gold some days you score an awesome find other days you leave empty handed.
The beauty of thifting is that you can try on different styles without investing in giant prices.
Chain thrift stores like the Goodwill and Salvation Army are constantly running promotions and sales so you can score greater discounts by keeping an eye out and asking an employee.
Some items may even be new with tags from the original retailers and can now be purchased at a fraction of the cost.
The key to finding clothes is to try things on even if they aren’t in your normal size.
Street sizing various tremendously so don’t be afraid of an XL or XS, try it on. More often than not you will be surprised by what works.
A great tip is to look at all the clothing sections even if they don’t corespondent to your gender.
Sweaters, cardigans, slacks and shirts are easily interchangeable between the sexes, the only difference is which side the buttons are on.
There are 14 thrift stores in the San Bernardino area, ranging from private to non-profit.
Persistence beats resistance when it comes to thrift store shopping, the savings are always high but there has to be some time invested.
A fun new outfit doesn’t have to break the bank especially when there is a thrift store right around the corner.
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