Spending $50 at Saver's: Part II

After I blew a cool $30 of my gift certificates at the Savers by my house, I took a few weeks off to shop with the rest of my "free money." I decided to hit up the Saver's in Richfield, as I have had good luck in the past finding shoes there. While the store is pricier than I prefer for my thrifting, I had $20 to spend at my leisure, so I figured that I'd invest in some nice shoes, or whatever else I would stumble across.

What I found was almost heartbreaking—after having just spend a nice chunk of money at Value Village on my new vintage, leopard print, reversible cape, I had promised myself that I would not go over the $20 I still had in gift certificates. This meant major editing with the pieces I found, most of which I would have surely purchased had I more funds and more space. I found some excellent button down tops, a stack of shoes (including a pair of Sorels), several adorable sweaters and a wide array of dresses. Determined to stick to my frugal plan, and anxious to beat rush hour traffic, I edited quick and furiously, discounting items immediately if I questioned them or found flaws. As it were, I came away happy, with some quality pieces that quantify as great Christmas gifts (for myself).

As I previously posted, I found two pieces from my wish list—a floral, crushed velvet mini dress and a vintage, tweed, a-line skirt. In addition to these numbers, I found two new pairs of footwear:



Vintage, tall leather Dexter boots. After years of searching for the perfect boot, I now have a sizable collection of amazing boots, so much so that I only go for boots that are outstanding. I wasn't sure about these until I put them on and realized that they were a great color and would be easy to wear, two things that scream "GREAT BOOTS!"



Strappy ,wedge Biviel leather sandals. I really love these. I can't explain why, but I just do, so I got them even if my feet slide forward a bit, causing a small amount of toe hangage.



Out of three sweaters, I chose this one for its preciousness and affordability. The other two (a yellow 80's style and a shrunken striped J. Crew cardigan from 2007) were both over $7, which would have pushed far beyond the $20 limit. In hindsight, I think I picked the best one, regardless of price.

The best part? I only went over by 46¢! Now that I can afford.

While it only took two trips to spend $50 at Saver's, I now know that if I am ever blessed with a gift of thrifting gift certificates again (the best gift ever, hint, hint), I will be a more careful with how they are spent. Even if I didn't pay for it, I'd rather have a cute top than a Hall & Oates record, but you live and learn!

How many ways can YOU spend $50 at Savers?

One of the best presents I received this Christmas was $50 in gift certificates for Savers/Value Village from my future in-laws. Can you imagine?! I didn't even know that such a thing existed. Now, like the Goodwill, Savers is no little backwoods thrift shop, but when you are given FREE money, it opens up a whole new world of possibilities.

With my gift certificates burning a hole in my pocket, I decided to stretch my gams and walk the eight blocks to our neighborhood Savers. You may be asking yourself why I don't frequent a shop so close to my house more, and that is because the only good thing I have ever found there has been a cassette tape of Ray Lynch's Deep Breakfast (which appears to be selling for $12.99 on that website, so I guess I got a deal). Free from the constraints of taking money out of my rent to pay for thrifted items, I found shopping at my neighborhood Savers to be much more pleasurable.



I typically do not purchase a ton of media thrifting. Sifting through records at thrift stores is a huge time suck (like jewelry, as Laurie just explained, the thrifting market is saturated with people looking for good records to resell or hoard, which leaves stacks and stacks of Barbara Streisand and polka albums with little redeemable material.*) and most books and CDs you can find at the library for free.** Still, I always check out the VHS section, in the vain hope that someone has been dumb enough to part with their copy of Purple Rain. Since I was shopping with gift certificates, however, I decided to treat myself to some goodies—a book on herbalism, Encino Man on VHS (love me some Pauly Shore), a Hall and Oates album (this was an impulse purchase) and two CDs we have at work that I have been coveting, Elastica and the Boogie Nights soundtrack.



The real, surprising gems, however, came in the form of clothes (naturally). I am in love with this Icelandic wool jacket! I have been in the market for a vintage wool jacket with stripes and this one fits perfectly, with great belling action on the sleeves and the bottom. LUV it.





I am super stoked about this bright blue, 90's long sleeved mini dress. I normally hate long sleeves, especially on dresses, but when you pair them with a short little skirt, they are unmodest enough for me. I am also a huge sucker for 80s and 90s apparel tags (I think someone could do an entire thesis topic on how the names of brands during this time reflect the societal issues in which they came about. I mean really, Positive Attitudes? Style To Go? Nuggets? And this one, In Charge?) and I thought this deserved a special shout out.

The best part? I still have $20 left! Stay tuned for more ways to spend $50 in gift certificates at Savers!

*Tip: You may be more adventurous than me with your musical tastes, but I have found that even if an unknown album looks cool, chances are, it isn't. Record execs figured out a long time ago that putting a hot hippie chick on a record cover can be used to sell something that doesn't remotely sound like a hot hippie chick.

** Libraries rule! Support your local library!