I came, I saw, I thrifted...

Wednesday happens to be "half off" day at our local thrift store. I found myself "in the neighborhood" with two hours that wasn't spoken for, and the rest is history! I almost never shop for thrifted clothing, reason being I'm very hard to "fit" and I usually have the grandkids with me, so it's too much trouble to try things on. But yesterday I was by myself, and I took notice of the large dressing rooms with mirrors. I decided to make a stab at it. I made a mental note not to spend more than $10. Did I?

First I'll show you the incidentals that I couldn't pass up...

*The tin candle scounce goes with several other pieces I already have. Can you believe, 25 cents?

*The small display hanger was 15 cents. I have black iron accents in my kitchen, so I'm sure I can find something to hang on it.

*The larger hanger I'm thinking is supposed to be for a bunch of bananas. For 99 cents, I picked this up to give to my mom, who also has black accents in her newly remodeled kitchen.

*The candle holder in the middle of the photo is dark blue speckled tin. It's a cup with a handle attached to a bowl. I thought it was well worth the 75 cents I paid for it, even though I changed out the decorative ring and added my own candle.

I'm totally in love with this soft leather purse, which measures about 8" x 6". It is in perfect condition with a nice silky lining and a working zipper. My cost? 50 cents!

Now for the clothing...

This will be my first attempt at wearing a vest. I liked the color, and it fit well even when it was zipped up. I have a cream colored, collarless, long sleeved T-shirt that I think will look nice with it, either with jeans or black slacks. The vest is a combination of cable knit and suede and the color is something in between rust and burgandy. For $2.00, I thought it was worth the chance.

I was really happy to find this green sweater with the black trim, especially for $1.50. It is in beautiful condition and I wear black dress slacks a lot. I just read yesterday that the "in" color this season is black, paired with darker shades of greens, blues, reds, etc. instead of the bright "neon" colors that have been popular the past couple of years.

This is a more casual shirt, but the fabric is heavier than a T-shirt, so I think I can wear it either with jeans or slacks and it would look nice either by itself or with a casual vest or jacket. It's by Sonama, and well worth the $1.50 I paid.

This blouse was my real gamble. It doesn't quite fit me well enough to wear it yet, but I really love it. I'm pretty sure I tried on something like this at Coldwater Creek a couple years ago and it didn't fit at all...plus if I recall it was something like $50...which was totally out of the question. But I loved the style and the feel of the fabric. When I tried this on yesterday, I made a pact with myself that if it still didn't fit a year from now, I will donate it, but I think if I can lose one size it will work. I bet $2. on it. Have you ever done anything like this--bought something you really liked but couldn't wear? How did it turn out for you?

All of these items together came in under my $10 limit. But one more item called my name! I debated with myself, but finally caved in.

This is a faux suede lightweight jacket from Briggs, that is machine washable & dryable. It fits well even when zipped, with the exception of the sleeves, which I can easily hem up. I know I will get a lot of use out of this basic jacket, especially as much as I'm in and out of the car, where I hate to wear heavy coats. So the $4 put me over my self-imposed budget, but I'm not feeling too guilty.

Grand total, including tax: $13.64