Goodwill (Wardrobe) Hunting

 This was a busy month as I moved from a wardrobe focused on attire appropriate for the workplace (even during the pandemic when I was working from home, I dressed in my normal work attire) to a more casual summer wardrobe. Here are the items I purchased at my local Goodwill along with their prices: I found this beautiful Ann Taylor 100% cotton black blouse. I'm able to pair it with my white shorts and blue jeans: $5.29. (Plastic "turquoise" necklace previously purchased used) I was also excited to finally have a top with which I could wear the turquoise necklace. I'd purchased it years ago, holding on to the hope that I'd eventually have something I could wear it with! I needed a belt to go with the utility skirt I'd purchased in July: Stretchy woven belt with leather trim: $3.49 Here's a photo of the belt with the skirt: I also purchased this top in August (pictured previously in this blog post ): $8.29. (Replacing another top that cost $4.29, so true c...

Journey to Financial Independence Financial independence doesn't have to mean you'll quit your job and never work again. It could mean that you have the means to changes jobs or relationships. It might also mean that you have enough of a financial cushion to get your own business off the ground, or take time off from paid work altogether. My husband and I saved enough money to not have to work for several years back in 2008. Average Amount Spent On Clothing Per Month According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), the average amount spent on clothing in 2018 was $1866 per person (male or female), or $155.50 per month. While this information was not broken down by gender, other less formal surveys indicate that women on average are spending more; up to $400 per month on clothing, with men spending proportionately less. My husband and I track all of our expenses, and from January to June of 2020, we spent $111.76 on clothing. Not per month - that was the total  spent on c...

I'm as subject to the " Sunk Cost fallacy " as anyone--witness the red sweater shown in my earlier blog that I have yet to give away. This is the idea that once you've made an initial investment, say in an article of clothing, you feel you have to stay committed to that investment in order to get your money's worth - even if said article of clothing looks terrible on you and you never wear it. Keeping Clothes We Don't Wear Our common response, according to both my personal experience and the experience of friends, is that we keep the piece in our closets for a year or two, and then give it away at our next Goodwill run. This is rather ridiculous, if you think about it - you don't wear it, it's taking up space in your closet, and every time you see it, you feel that little jolt of "ugh - what a mistake!" What's the remedy? In my role as a financial advisor, I would ask my clients who had invested in a losing stock if they would buy that ...

Most of us have few opportunities to wear formal dresses. As I write this post, we are in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020, with few opportunities to attend a wedding, a gala, or any other more formal event. This too shall pass, and I suspect that opportunities to get out and dress up will rebound. Meanwhile, what better time than now to score a couple of nice dresses? Here are some dresses I've found at Goodwill and worn to some formal occasions in past years: I wore this most recently to a friend's wedding last year. I also wore it to my high school reunion two years ago, which is always a quite formal affair. It's a Banana Republic dress that ties in the back. I don't remember what I paid, but the typical cost for a dress at Goodwill is $12.99, and I likely paid under $20.00. I intend to keep this dress for a few more years. The necklace, a simple sterling silver strand, was purchased new. I got this dress for an audition just prior to the pandemic shutt...

When you buy used clothing, it's that much more important to focus on quality and timelessness. After all, the clothing is already used, and who knows how old it is? If you go after something that was trendy last year your clothing will soon look dated. These outfits, created from my new (to me) summer wardrobe , may not reflect your personal style or preferred colors, but note how just a few quality or classic used pieces can stand the test of time to create some very presentable outfits. Each piece shown was either purchased at Goodwill  or a local thrift store. The necklaces and belt shown were also purchased used. I hope you feel inspired to check out your local Goodwill or thrift store for your own classic, quality finds!

When I was a teenager, I LOVED the trendy styles! I've already mentioned the Gunne Sax  dress I'd gotten in high school. As a teenager in the 70's I owned "peasant" blouses, halter tops, tube tops, disco fashions... It didn't matter, because I was going to outgrow whatever I purchased anyway. Until I didn't anymore. By my early 20s (and full grown), I recognized that I'd been duped. I'd spend a lot of money on a trendy fashion, only to discover how OUT of fashion it looked in just a year or two. Surely there was a way to dress that didn't require me to constantly throw out my clothes (and my money)! In 1982, Leah Feldon published the book,  Dressing Rich : which turned out to be a classic in much the same way as her clothing recommendations. The book, reissued in 2001 with no changes, is nearly 40 years old, but you can still buy it new on Amazon (hint:  you can also get it used for as little as $1.99 plus shipping). It was my first exposure to...

 Confession I don't buy 100% of my clothing at Goodwill. For example, I generally purchase my shoes new (although I've gotten some good pairs at Goodwill in the past).  However, when I DO purchase new, I'm frequently disappointed because I don't follow my own rules. A couple of years ago, I purchased a red cardigan sweater with matching scarf at White House Black Market: I don't remember exactly what I paid, but I found a similar cardigan in their online store for $39.99, and a similar scarf for $19.99. Not pictured, but included in the purchase, was a white camisole that tied everything together - say another $19.99, for a total of - $78.98 (a lot more than I paid for my entire  summer wardrobe ).  They all looked great in the dressing room, and I already had in mind the trousers and skirts I could wear with these new items. I also had some black tops I was hopeful I could wear beneath the cardigan. However, once I got all of the clothing home, I only wore the new ...