People. I have missed you. Yes, all 1-2-3-4 of you who left me comments since the last time I was ’round these parts. And I am back. For all FOUR of you and the twenty-one million who most likely stalked the page and never left any hard evidence of their busymom.com lurking. It’s okay. I completely understand. I, too, am a lurker. I scan & peruse all kinds of people’s spaces. Straight up in my night gown AND with furry teeth. It is here where I would like to interject the beautiful element of the adjective. Yes, I lurk. People’s space, uh huh. Let’s be more specific. People’s ONLINE spaces. Because the last thing my sweet little East TN town needs is a round-up-to-40 year old woman tip-toeing around people’s houses with furry teeth.
I’m the new gal. And with this being my 2nd official TBM post, I feel we need a refresher on good ole Meg. I live in East TN. I homeschool. I run a custom designing business. I am a writer. And I am HYPED up on B-12 to make all of the above happen. I love dancing. I also outfit 90% of my family’s closets by shopping at Goodwill. No. The dancing is not HOW I am able to outfit my family with clothes from Goodwill. Let’s clean this up. Because, truly, clarity matters.
I love to shop Goodwill, and I love to dance. Not related in the least, but both truths equally as important to my innards.
We ready to do this? Alright. Let’s!
It is a known fact that floral prints are totally hype-a-docious for the fall. The aztec prints of early summer are muffling their tones as the easy breezes of autumn are slowly unpacking. And just who does Fall happen to be pulling out of his cardboard boxes? FLORAL PRINTS. That’s what. The romantical kind. The hippy kind. The muted jeweled hues and the electric neon ones too.
So I put my Goodwill hunting to the test. Nah. That’s a lie. I didn’t. See? Clarity matters, dear ones. Truth? Our family is on a strict budget. We stick to it as best we can. Why? Because how else are we going to pay all those overdue public library book fines? For real though. We do keep a tight budget. Hence, the Goodwill shopping. So, for this fashion exercise, I only used what I currently had in my closet. 95% of these outfits were purchased from Goodwill minus 3 of the pairs of shoes & one pair of skinny jeans & a pair of shorts.
Below you will see how the above ensembles faired when they magically became 3-D.
White skinny jeans: Old Navy clearance. $6.46
{SCOFF & GASP} Yes, I am wearing these bad boys after Labor Day. I am looking at wearing the w-word after this holiday like the good ole comma. None of us really know where that sucker belongs in a sentence. So ignorance is bliss, and I am, wearing, white, after, Labor, Day.
- leopard print peep toes wedges WITH bow: $1.00 GW
- mod floral blouse: $1.99 GW
OUTFIT TOTAL: $9.45
STOP. Right there. I have a step mother-in-law who LOVES me. And she gifted me the moccasins. Straight up for FREE! She originally purchased them for her, but she didn’t enjoy them like she thought she would, so VOILA! On.my.feetsies.
- shorts: $.50 yard sale
- navy & white striped tank: $1.99 GW
- floral button up: $2.25 GW
OUTFIT TOTAL: $4.74
- skinny jeans: $7.99 GW
- nude pumps: $19.99 TJ Maxx
- Ralph Lauren cable knit lemon sweater: $2.25 GW
- red & white floral button up: $1.00 GW
OUTFIT TOTAL: $31.23
- mustard floral peasant blouse: $2.25 GW
- black crop jeans: $3.50 GW
- gray vest: $1.00 GW
- mint slim belt: $2.50 GW
- mustard booties: $19.99 online purchase from Shoe Dazzle
OUTFIT TOTAL: $29.24
I did it. I found my floral. Now if East TN would ever so kindly find the temperature dial and begin to ease in that breeze otherwise known as “less-than-95”, I would be ever so gracious.
Now it’s your turn. Whether it’s the happening floral prints of now or someone’s deceased Mamaw’s assortment of holiday handcrafted puff paint sweat shirts, Goodwill is waiting. It’s best you get there. You just NEVER know with fashion. First aztec prints. Next florals. Then BAM! Puff paint. You snooze you lose, people.
Until next time!
.mac 🙂
LOVE Goodwill! For my kids at least. For me, not so much. It’s hard enough to find nice, good-looking, non-frumpy plus sized clothes in regular stores, let alone thrift stores. Add the fact that I am a skirt-only wearer and forgeddaboudit! Goodwill for me equals hello 80’s! And I don’t mean in a super cool, chic way…no, I mean like, hello Dana Carvey-church-ladyesque kind of way. Sigh. Oh well. Glad you found some fantastic finds. And those moccasins…total drool. :0)
Dawn! You just never know what is in that treasure of bye-byes from over exploding closets! I see so many great skirts. And gorgeous tops too. You gotta start slow and ease your way in a piece at a time. Oh, I wish we could shop together! Thanks for your great comment!
Meg 🙂
Inspiring! You’re gorgeous! Your post made me smile. Hope to see more soon!
Hi, Sarah!
Thanks for your super kind words. I love a good deal. Hence, my teeth climb out of my mouth when I get to sport said good deal. See! Being cheap is fun. Oh.wait. Ummm, no. Thanks for your comment!
Meg 🙂
Lots of fun to read Meghan! Thanks for brightening the end of my day!
I truly enjoyed this blog! It was for real and for true as I would put it being from Southern Illinois. I am definitely a GW shopper myself. Keep on sharing and inspiring.
Denise F.
I love to brighten, Beth. Life is much too short to spend way too much on clothing and not have any fun being silly either for that matter. Thanks so much for your comment!
Meg 🙂
What a fun read!!!!
Thanks, Ali! I appreciate your comment!
Meg 🙂
I bet you could wear anything and look cute!
Your posts are fun to read and I was wondering do you travel to help those of us who are fashion challenged learn to find our floral??? Your outfits are amazing and the prices, WOW!!! Thanks for sharing! We are also on a tight budget but I now have no excuse and need to stop wearing my husbands oversized sweatshirts, ha! Lots of possibilities out there just need to learn to put them all together! Thanks for the fun post!
Noelle, I would LOVE to travel to help! That’s dreamy just thinking about the fun we would have. Trust me, I LOVE some husband’s oversized sweatshirts. Wearing some right now as I type! Shopping GW is fun because it’s like a double score when you find a great article and then spend rock bottom to purchase. Hello endorphins! I appreciate your great comment. Happy goodwill hunting to you!
Meg 🙂
I loved this! What an inspiration. I would never have guessed that GW could be so stylish. Thanks for sharing!
It’s so true, Tamara! It takes digging, but it’s so worth it the hunt. Thanks for your comment!
Meg 🙂
good will, community aid all that is great for my kids. I have a hard time finding stuff for me. not only am I short with a c section belly that won’t go away, I am a red head too. not sure what goes well with my complexion and hair. I stay with neutral or earthy tones. doesn’t leave a whole lot of choices…. shopping depresses me
Hmm, Amy.
There are a lot of beautiful shades for red hair. Neutrals, YES!! Muted, mossy greens and soft lavenders are beautiful too. Also, don’t doubt a soft yellow either. As for a clothing style that feels comfortable and fitting to your torso, think of drawing attention to your neckline with necklaces or a dangle earring. A thinner tapered pant is always a great bet too. It contours your shape. And lastly, layer! A great loose top with a flowing knit vest overlay is a wonderful look. I hope these ideas help. Shopping can be depressing, but when you find the right pieces you enjoy wearing along with colors, it can really change your mindset. Good luck! You can do it!
Thanks for your comment.
Meg 🙂
Truth: If it weren’t for Goodwill, I’d be neked… and no one wants that. 🙂 You have to ‘work’ just a tad harder to put stuff together, but you never know what is hiding on the next rack.
Blessings!
Amen, Sarah! A-to-the-men! I love the anticipation of the find so very much! Thanks for your comment!
Meg 🙂