So this happened ...

By Tenisha Mercer
www.BargainistasATL.Blogspot.com

You know how outfits in store displays look great? Well, I was in Forever 21 over the weekend and I was feeling the black and white lapel retro-inspired jacket ($27) just like the one below, styled with a bright pink shirt ($16)  and gold chain ($12) on display. But I wasn't feeling the $60 outfit tag - and that included no bottom.

So you know I had to recreate the look -- thrift store style!

Here's what I paid for my outfit:

• Jacket (Forever 21) $6 at Goodwill
• Top (Express) $5 at Goodwill
• Pants (old) $7, Target Clearance rack
• Shoes (Bloomingdale's) $6 at Goodwill

Not bad for under $25 - less than the price of the brand new jacket! Note: I still *may* go back and get that jacket. I was on Forever21.com and they are having a 20 percent off sale online and in-store with the code F21FRIEND. The jacket is sold out online, but I saw it at the mall.

Saving money on thrift store clothing allows me to purchase the items I really want.

5 reasons you know you shop at thrift stores WAYYY too much

By Tenisha Mercer
www.BargainstasATL.blogspot.com

As much as I like to shop at thrift stores, there are signs that you just need to .... stop.

 1. When you buy the same item two or three times over -- and you have away too many of the same items in your closet.

2. When you have no more room in your closet to fit anything else.

3. When you have more Goodwill plastic bags than grocery bags. FYI: They make really good bathroom trash bags and bags for small trash bins.

 

4. You hide your Goodwill bags from your spouse/significant other and pray they don't notice.

5. When you look at people at Goodwill  like this when they get something you want:

Yaaass!!!

Thrift OOTD

By Tenisha Mercer

www.BargainistasATL.Blogspot.com 

I love it when I find items with the tags still on them. They are thrift store victories, and it's what I call winning!

It's not that I can't afford to pay more. But why, when you can find these deals for less than $20?

I snagged these items last month -- a white Ann Taylor Loft skirt (brand new with the $44.99 price tag still on it) for $6.

Top is from Forever 21 (also thrift) for $5. Shoes (old), Dollhouse and Merona belt $9.99 from Tarjay. Happy thrifting!!!

Thrift OOTD -- Camo, Goodwill style

By Tenisha Mercer

http://BargainistasATL.Blogspot.com

I never know what I am going to wear until the morning. I dress how I feel -- and this morning I woke up and decided to put together a camo theme -- a hot fashion trend earlier this year -- but with my thrift store spin on it, of course.

I bought this Jennifer Lopez for Kohl's tuxedo jacket blazer from GW for $6 over the summer. I held onto it, but now is the perfect time to wear it (remember, Goodwill is seasonal, too). I'll hold onto items for months until I can pull the look off with the right shoes and accessories.

Today was the day. I love the color -- a bright tomato red. Retail: $80 (out of stock on Kohls.com).

I am a girly girl to the core but I love the camo trend, especially when paired with graphic tees and blazers. I love unexpected pairings. So I got these camo jeggings from Wal Mart for $13 on Friday. 

I did not have a good graphic tee to go with it, so I paired it with my $6 clearance top, also from Kohls. 

The belt was $10 at the Express outlet in St. Augustine,  Fla. (last season). And the shoes were $6 at GW. They are a few years old but they are a good neutral and are from Bloomingdale's -- the designer name is rubbed off from my wear.

Total price: $42

While this look is a bit pricier, you can barely get one new item of clothing out of a retail store for what I  paid for my entire outfit! 

My trip to Salvation Army

By Tenisha Mercer
www.BargainistasATL.Blogspot.com

I have a thrift store confession: I don't like Salvation Army. Never really have.

I think part of my frustration is that, when I was a child, my grandmother and I would always truck up to the Salvation Army not far from where we lived in Highland Park, Mich., a stones throw away from Detroit.

And I would see nothing but polyester from the 70s and old, stinky clothing. Nothing new, nothing even close to it. And it would all be a mass jumble -- nothing organized, color coded or anything. Felt like a swap meet -- the only Salvation Army that was halfway decent was in the burbs, but I never went there that often.


So I largely avoided them, even as I became older. Even as a thrifter, I thought there'd be no way I'd find ANYTHING. And they freaked me out (there, I said it). Until last weekend. I happened to be driving near a Salvation Army in Duluth and I stopped in. I was surprised. Now, vintage clothing isn't exactly my cup of tea -- like the average thrifter, I  like some vintage goods, but I did find a LOT of vintage clothing -- bubble jackets from the 90s, gaudy shirts from the 80s.


I managed to find some classic Escada skinny pants - I can't wait to wear them. I have to get out my needle and thread and sew up a rip in the back, but I'll post a pic of them as soon as I do. Escada is a classic brand that I have loved every since I was 12 and 13 years old,  flipping through the pages of Vogue Magazine. I like vintage -- just not all vintage.

The Salvation Army was clean, neat and organized -- they had tons of furniture. I saw at least 3-4 folks on the sales floor, organizing and tidying racks. I was impressed.

This particular store is a good 30 minutes or so away and, while I'm not saying I will go there regularly, it is definitely NOT the Salvation Army of my childhood.

October resale finds

By Tenisha Mercer
http://BargainistasATL.blogspot.com

October came in with a bang.

Found this great pair of shoes at the Goodwill in Tucker.

Just Fab: $11.91 at GW

Forgot to carry my heels to the car and walked out the house in flip flops on my way to work (has anyone else ever done that?).

Usually, I have an extra pair of shoes in the car. But the only pair I had that morning was an animal print pair that day was a pair that's slightly too big (and hurt like hell).

I am obsessive about shoes and there was no way I was wearing flip flops to work -- or shoes that hurt. So I stopped by the drug store to find a heel insert -- and it was $6!

Might as well go by Goodwill! I was there at 9 a.m. Wednesday morning. Got there and found these goodies from Just Fab -- plus a Tahari dress that I just love, and a $39.98 Express peplum top with the tags still on it - SCORE.

And this is what I wore to work with the heels --- a $16.99 dress from Ross and my Michael Kors bag.

Top: $5.60

Dress: $6

BTW: Now is the time to find summer stuff, so keep an eye out for what you'll be wearing next year. Always shop off season, even at GW.