HAUL: $100 at Salvation Army
Yesterday I had some time to kill for about 4 hours while my car underwent some work. I had the auto shop's courtesy shuttle drop me off at my favorite Salvation Army Family Store, where I proceeded to nab some really great deals before the shuttle came back to pick me up.
The Goods
Blue & gray flowered dress
Flowered dress
Black lace dress
Blue & white dress
Fuschia tank top
Black & white tank top
White V-neck tank top
Button-down shirt
Comfy jeans
Dark jeans
Black slacks
Bolero-style sweater
Silver cardigan sweater
Striped pitcher
Disposable plates
6 books
Glazed Murder, Jessica Beck
Simple French Desserts, Jill O'Connor
Murder Melts in Your Mouth, Nancy Martin
The Essential Pasta Cookbook, Whitecap Books
The Complete Illustrated Guide to Dog Care & Behavior, Bruce Fogle
Ultimate Cake, Barbara Maher
Altogether, I bought 21 items for $100.56 after taxes. Now that's a good shopping spree!
Continue reading for all the nitty-gritty details.
Confession: Returns Anxiety
Because I tend to purchase, then try, then return if necessary, I wind up returning items... a lot.
I always make my returns within the given 90 days, at least 95% of the time I have the original receipt, and I almost always keep more from any given transaction than I return. Still, any time I have to return more than just one item, I get uncomfortably anxious.
For years now, I've feared that stores keep track of who returns what — they do make you print and sign your name, at the very least, and sometimes even require an address or phone number. Because of my propensity to act now, decide later, I irrationally fear that I'm on some "heavy hitters" list of returners, just one item away from being banned from making returns.
I'll stand at the register, waiting for the return to go through, and worrying in my head, "What if I can never return anything ever again? I guess I'll have to try everything on in the store... Oh no, then I'd need to bring William [my husband] along to get his opinions on everything before purchasing..."
Luckily, I don't think they maintain any list or ban people from returning things. (And if they did, let me tell you, they'd have banned me.) But everytime I walk up to a register with a bag of items and a receipt in my hand, a part of me worries... just a little bit.
Confession: Old Navy Confusion
I first heard of Old Navy a few years after it was founded, probably around 1998. One of my teen magazines had an editorial on where to find cute but inexpensive clothes, and one of the featured outfits was from Old Navy.
Not being near any Old Navy outposts or even having heard of the young store, I had no point of reference for the Gap offshoot, but I did have extensive experience visiting army/navy surplus stores and US Navy bases. So, my 12-year-old self assumed that Old Navy was not a new chain clothing store, but instead an army/navy surplus store of some kind.
I was quite confused as to why my magazine would be shopping at army/navy surplus stores in the first place, let alone including pieces from them in a national publication, since most surplus stores are fairly local.
It was probably a few more years before I saw my first Old Navy store, and another year or two after that before I finally made the connection. (Having gotten it in my mind that the featured outfit was from a surplus store, I quickly forgot the name of the store listed and remembered only that it was an army/navy store.)
Now, I shop at Old Navy fairly frequently — there's one in each of the malls and shopping plazas I go to — and I can't believe how I ever made such a funny mistake. At least no one else knows about it!
Oh, wait...
HAUL: Salvation Army
Salvation Army Family Stores are awesome places to shop any day of the week (except Sundays, when they're closed), but they're especially great to go to on Wednesdays, when they run specials. The location that used to be by my parents had 50% off all clothes, media, and knick-knacks on Wednesdays; the one I currently shop at has 25% off pretty much everything except mattresses on Wednesdays. Needless to say, I like to go as many Wednesdays as possible, since you never know what you'll find. Today was one of my milder expeditions, but I still picked up several good deals.
The Goods
Plaid drawstring-waist shirt
Sundress
Cardigan sweater
Skirt (rear)
2 books & a movie
Gourmet's America, Gourmet Magazine
The Flaming Luau of Death, Jerrilyn Farmer
Drop Dead Gorgeous (DVD)
I came home with 7 items for $17.93 before taxes. Read through for the full price break-down.
What is a frugalista, anyway?
You may have noticed this blog is called Adventures of a Frugalista... but just what is a frugalista, anyway?
The term is a combination of frugal and fashionista, which itself is a combination of fashion and the suffix -ista.
frugal, adj.
1. Characterized by or reflecting economy in the use of resources
2. Economical; prudent; thrifty
3. Avoiding unnecessary expenditure; avoiding waste
fashionista, n.
1. A designer, promoter, or follower of the latest fashions
2. A devoted follower of fashion
So a frugalista is a devoted follower of fashion + someone who avoids unnecessary expenditure, or a thrifty fashionista.
frugalista, n.
1. A person who is fashionable while being thrifty
2. A person whose budget does not prevent them from being fashionable
3. Someone for whom fashion and frugality are equally important
Join me on my adventures…
Hi, my name is Andréa Fernandes, and I'm a shopaholic.
I like to shop... a lot. Definitely more than I should on my freelance income. But having a limited budget doesn't mean I can't shop at all, it just means I have to get a little creative. And let's be honest: everyone could do to save a little more money, especially in this recession.
So I invite you to follow me on my frugal shopping adventures. I'll share with you the best stores for finding good deals; the awesome hauls I can get for just $20, or $50, or $100; what pieces are worth investing a little more money into; and how you can make different pieces work together to create awesome outfits on the cheap.
My family thinks of me as their own personal shopper:
Need a gift but don't have the time to go shopping? Call Andréa.
Shopping overwhelms you but you need a whole new wardrobe — and quick? Call Andréa.
Always need more fashionable but inexpensive pieces to add to your 9-to-5 wardrobe? Call Andréa.
I hope that with this blog, I can help you become your own personal shopper.
Now let's get on our way!
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