Designer ThriftScores

Los Angeles is lucky enough to have many Council Thrift Stores in and around its environs. My friend Erica and her teenage daughter make regular pilgrimages to the Westside to score there.

If it's important to you to shop for labels, this is one way to do it -- cheap. The goods have been vetted by shrewd volunteers and put away for the Best of the Best sales, which happen periodically through the year.

Best of all, your designer duds help those who really need it. Here's the mission: "Because of your generosity to Council Thrift Shops, NCJW/LA is able to give away more than 30,000 items to 2,000 needy individuals each year through the 20 social services agencies that partner with us at the NCJW/LA Annual Clothing Giveaway. NCJW/LA provides these same agencies, as well as its own clients, with free clothing vouchers that can be used by individuals who may be returning to the workforce or who need back-to-school clothing for their children."