THRIFT SHOPS: USED IS THE NEW BLACK

I’ve seen TV actresses and models prowling the racks at Goodwill. Most thrift stores have regular sales, senior discounts and 2-for-1 days. My fave is a chain in California and Florida called Out Of The Closet. The proceeds go towards helping Aids patients. (By the way, the Alaska Out Of The Closet Sarah Palin favors is not a thrift shop: it is a for/profit consignment shop that was illegally infringing on my store’s registered trademark.)

Every Sunday at OOTC, many items are reduced to one dollar. Needless to say, I only shop there on Sundays. I get there when the doors open at 10, because the competition is fierce. Here are some of my one-buck treasures:

•    RALPH LAUREN black velvet evening trousers, which I paired with
•    A HARARI silk top when hosting my son’s engagement party.
•    A DIANE VON FURSTENBERG floral wrap dress, which I’ve used so many times that by now each wearing costs about a nickel.
•    Zillions of CP SHADES and CHICO’s separates for those comfy but still-a-little-pretty days.
•    A 1950s smoky mauve lace cocktail dress. I’m still waiting for the right occasion to wiggle into this hot little number. I may have to lose 20 pounds first – and pull in my tummy with the Spanx I bought on Ebay.    
•    A WILSON’S tan suede blazer for my husband, Benni. First time out, he managed to dip his sleeve into a bowl of tomato soup, but at these prices, who cares? Dollar clothing gives new meaning to the phrase, “Easy come – easy go.”

And, depending on the salesperson, they sometimes add a 10% senior discount.  I’m serious: ninety cents for a suede jacket. I am a frugalista GENIUS!  

HOSPITAL AND CHURCH STORES ARE CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP

I was spending a few weeks in New York when the early spring weather suddenly turned unseasonably cold and I hadn’t packed any winter clothes. I wandered into a church thrift store that was having a half-price sale on all winter coats. I found a barely used fur-lined raincoat for ten bucks. That puppy kept me toasty warm while the March winds blew. Yes, I sometimes wear fur. There’s nothing warmer, and down coats makes you look like a king-size duvet on legs. Besides, I eat very little meat.