Deborah's ThriftScore

My friend Deborah is one of the shrewdest ThriftScorer I've ever met. I've never been clothes shopping with her though -- her thing is HOUSES.  I've seen her take a nothing piece of property in the middle of nowhere, fix it up on a sit on it a bit, and then reap in huge profits from reselling it. She was the one who actually inspired me to buy my first place, way off the grid on Berry Hill Lane in the Olympic Peninsula.

But I digress. Here's what Deborah has to say about this particular ThriftScore:  "Do garage sales count?  I have found the most amazing things in Florida recently.  We put our whole new house together for under $200 for most rooms.  We even scored a nice wood dresser and cast iron outside chairs from the side of the road. My favorite is the photo I am sending you, garage sale, 25 bucks.  I love it.

"Everything is cheap now where we are in Florida, there are many livable houses in the $30,000s, some very cool houses for $100,000 with pools!  Lots of ThriftScores there."

YES! This counts. Which brings me to another important point: Sometimes people throw away perfectly good furniture because they are moving or have replaced it. It ALWAYS pays to stop and check it out. Even if you can't use it, if it's good you can resell it on Craigslist. I've made a ton of money this way.

ThriftScore Miracle

The great thing about this ThriftScore, a Banana Republic suit, was that I found the jacket and the pants in entirely different places, for a total of about $11. I got them years ago in Seattle, and they're still good as new and match perfectly. That's another rule to think about while ThriftScoring: Look for well-made, classic pieces that have a lot of life left in them.

Tamara's ThriftScore

I'm sure the jacket looks super sexy on Tamara too! 

The Knitting Architect says: My most cherished possession is a suede cowboy jacket in a beautiful rust color that has 8" fringe in all the right places. I found it in a church basement sale in Montana and I swear it belonged to Wyatt Earp. You just can't find that at Macy's.      

Professional & retro

What I liked about this ThriftScore outfit from today is that it combines high and low, vintage and new.

Skirt: Gap, $1 ThriftScore
Shirt: $1 ThriftScore
Shoes: Nine West, FREE for being a great customer (marked at $6)
Belt: Betsey Johnson, bought new
Leg Warmers: bought new from Target

Traveling Thrift


Guaranteed nobody will show up in the same antique lace-up riding boots that you score at the Vintage Clothing & Textile Show!