Thrifting for Mother's Day

Hi all! Hope you are enjoying a lovely May. It's finally getting warm in our area. :) I wanted to share about how I thrifted my mom's Mother's Day gift this year. I really wanted to get her a Stitch Fix shipment. I love the idea of being surprised by a fun package of goodies specifically chosen for you by a stylist. My frugal nature started thinking and I decided to challenge myself and see if I could put together a "Thrift Fix" for my mom instead. So I took the $20 styling fee I would have paid to Stitch Fix and went to Goodwill instead. Here's what I got her for a grand total of $20.62.

Black and white Christopher and Banks tiered maxi skirt

Black, white, plum, and tan White House Black Market tunic

Pastel floral Croft and Barrow tee

Navy and gray hooded Sonoma open cardigan

Yellow, turquoise, black, and white floral East 5th tunic

Pros:

• The price of course! I got her some great brands for not much money.
• Lots of choices - I was able to get some specific pieces like tunics and a maxi skirt that I knew she would like.
• Access to brands that we don't have in our area, such as White House Black Market
• Ethically responsible in that it supports local individuals working at Goodwill as well as gives items a second life instead of buying new items.

Cons:

• It took many more trips (and time) than I anticipated. Normally, I browse and if I find something, great, and if I don't, that's ok, too. This time there was a lot more pressure to find things in time for Mother's Day!
• The tunics smelled very strongly of perfume, which due to asthma is something my mom can't deal with. My wonderful husband helped by washing them several times alternating baking soda and white vinegar in order to neutralize the scent. Eventually, the perfume smell was eliminated, but it took a number of washings!

Overall, this was a fun experience and I might try it again. I would definitely start earlier! I've been sharing some recent Goodwill and garage sale bargains over on Instagram. Have you been going to any garage sales or found any bargains?