Good Exchange to Change Lives!

Goodwill is hosting the coolest event this Thursday with Macy’s! It’s called the Good Exchange to Change Lives VIP event, and they’re going to have personal shoppers doing consultations, make-up tips and fashion advice from the pros, free food and drink, and more! I can’t wait to see what Macy’s has in store for fall, and I love going that my shopping habit is all going to a good cause, Goodwill!

If you want to go, you can register here. The first 100 people to register get a $10 gift card to Macy’s, so hurry!  Hope to see you on Thursday!

Travel and Makeup Bags

Since I showed you how I pack my clothes yesterday, I thought I’d show you some adorable makeup bags you can take on your upcoming travels! I always have a difficult time finding the perfect travel or makeup bag.  When I travel for a week or more, I end up taking 2 bags, one checked and one carry on.  I usually try to put the bare essentials into my clear carry on and makeup and my toiletries for the week in the checked luggage.

I have actually spent a lot of money on toiletry bags in the past because I hadn’t checked the local thrift store.  I’ve ended up spending around $20 on a bag, when I could have gotten one for about $3. Oh, well, live and learn.

I thought it interesting that I actually have and currently use this blue makeup bag.  These two bags have a certain shape to them so they don’t crush easily.  Plastic interior helps one to clean if there is a makeup or toiletry catastrophe.  It also makes it easier to pull the toiletries or makeup out of their zippered openings.  Zippers help so much and honestly, I feel all toiletry bags should have zippers or a closing of some sort to help keep things in their place.  These bags are small and mostly for makeup.

These fun little bags are great for a night out where you only want to take the bare essentials. All priced at $1.99 each, and never been used!

I have to say, I fell in love with this little bag, brand new, and still tagged.  It is fun and would make me happy every time I looked at it.  If I needed one, I’d get it, but as a thrifty thrifter, it’s best not to overdose on things, too easy to do.

I’ve been talking about makeup and toiletries, and haven’t mentioned anything that would carry jewelry or a nice pair of shoes.  Here are some very fancy bags that I found that almost match in their oriental type print on both. It is truly a luxury to have your own jewelry case or shoe carrier.

This final suede bag, brand new and priced at $2.00 is a great overnight bag. Love it!

Good stuff, now I know where to go to get me a travel case!

Yardsale thrilling finds

Diverting from my usual Goodwill weekly visit, I headed out with my trusty madre for some yard sales.  The spring in Colorado has been kind of rainy, so there haven’t been to many of these going on.

Saturday, it was nice and breezy, a perfect dry day for a great yard sale and there were enough for me to feel very lucky with my finds.

I do love the color white.  I also tend to spill, so I go through white clothes easily.  I found a fabulous summer pair of Guess Pants which I got for a mere $3.00.  I know these were $60.00 pants brand new, and of course I was in need of a new pair of white pants. These fit me like a glove.  I LOVE Guess clothing, but too expensive for me new.

I scored not one, but TWO Coach bags for a total of $15.00!  I am now a proud mother of two bags from this line, which is my favorite! I would guess that brand new they were at least $150 each, and even on eBay, you still couldn’t get this lucky.  I made sure it was the actual brand by checking the inside for the leather embossed piece saying it was made by Coach. My day was already made.

But I also got a square scarf, made by Carlisle in Italy.  Although I’m not familiar with pricing on square scarves, I found this brand on eBay and the lowest price they were asking is $20, but most are going for about $60.

To compliment my new tennis ball purchase, I found a very light, graphite Wilson tennis racket and cover which I got for $5.00.  My racket is a heavy hand me down.

I also got an ionic air cleaner with germ protection for my living room for $15.00.  This one retails for $230.00 at Sharper Image.  I consider that a HEALTHY savings for something I wasn’t willing to purchase brand new.  It doesn’t ever need filters!

Usually I’m not this lucky at yard sales, but Saturday happened to be quite a day full of lucky finds!

Thrifty Travel Tips #2: Deciding on Shoes and Jackets

Deciding on shoes and jackets when you have minimal luggage space can be a challenge. This article will focus on a few of the most important travel items: shoes and jackets. With so many choices at Goodwill, it is definitely the place to start for inexpensive must-haves.

What to bring for every vacation? I definitely always go with a good pair of black shoes or knee-high boots.  They should be comfortable enough for walking long distances, but cute enough to wear with dresses, business casual clothes, or even jeans.  You can also stuff the inside of the boots with socks, and other items so the space isn’t wasted in your suitcase.  Flip flops are such a great pair of shoes to bring along and can be dressed up or down, worn with skirts, swimsuits, jeans etc. Flip flops also don’t take up too much space, and open toes really add flirtatiousness to any outfit.

Even though summer is almost here, a jacket is almost always a necessary addition to any travel wear.  This particular layer is probably the most crucial, as it is something that needs to go with everything and provide warmth at the same time.  A light cardigan or sweater is also a good option, that way you can wear it under your jacket if it gets really cold, or remove layers if you start feeling warm.

Finally, you can take a cute blazer along as a jacket, and of course boyfriend blazers are really in style this year.  A versatile blazer should not only be travel wear, but a part of any wardrobe.