Thrifty Thursdays: Costa Blanca Coat*

My sister Peeah came down to do some shopping on Saturday, and she actually helped me find my “treasure” for this week’s post. We had hoped to try a few stores, but as bad weather hit we had to cut our shopping excursion a little short and head home early.

Well, you all know just how much I love shoes. I also have a secret love for coats. I love coats. I love having different ones to go with different outfits. Sure, I have my “everyday” coat that I wear most often, but it’s fun to change it up and wear something new, especially during these long, long winter months.

So, while we were at Value Village, I took a minute to peruse through the coat racks–an aisle I don’t often visit. While I was there I found this:

A Costa Blanca goldy-beige dress coat. I have absolutely no idea what these cost originally, but I don’t have anything this color in my closet and I loved it immediately. Sadly, after pulling it off the rack and trying it on, I noticed that there was no price tag on it. I was hesitant to even put it in the cart as I didn’t want to make it all the way to the cash only to find that the price was more than I wanted to pay. Peeah talked me into it, so away we went.

It ended up being my only find that day, and I was thrilled when the manager priced it at $9.99. I took it home, washed it, and here’s what it looks like! Please excuse the obvious self-taken photos–my photographer (aka the Hubster) was at work and I didn’t want to wait until he got home. haha!

A classic mirror shot for you! And here’s the whole outfit… complete with my thrifted Guess shoes!

So, I was pretty happy with my purchase. I may tighten a few of the buttons, but other than that it’s in fabulous shape.

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I’ve been posting my outfits on my Facebook Page, and I’ve been getting a ton of positive feedback about thrift shopping and my friends’ own experiences. Until now, I’ve shopped exclusively at Value Village and Goodwill, but I kept hearing fabulous things about smaller consignment shops. So, I knelt down before the mighty Google to see what I could find. I found the addresses for two consignment shops within walking distance of our apartment, so I decided I’d tackle one place each day and see what I could come up with.

Yesterday I decided to try and find the one closest to my house. I walked over, only to discover that it had recently gone out of business. It was such a lovely day, and I wasn’t quite ready to head back home yet, so I decided to keep walking up the street. Just one block up I found a huge Salvation Army store! I hurried in to scope it out.

It’s a good-sized store with lots of different things to look at. I took my time looking at everything (shoes first, obvs) and found an adorable white H&M long-sleeved cardigan for $7. It is scoop-necked and has great big white buttons that I love.

Today I walked over to the other store, and couldn’t believe what I found. It’s a little haven of designer thrift fabulousness tucked away in a plaza. There were purses, shoes, clothes, wedding gowns, and I recognized several big names like Coach, Dior, Chanel, Jimmy Choo and Burberry, among others. I think I stood in front of the handbag wall for 15 minutes trying to pick one, but it was SO hard to choose. Now I know they probably aren’t all authentic, but several of the ones I looked at were. I’m eventually going to go back and buy a bag… there was a Coach one I really liked for $40. The prices in the store were higher than the other stores I’ve been in, but everything was in perfect condition and a lot of it was brand name.

I’m pretty excited about both the stores I found this week, and I’m going to keep looking for more.

But I also have some other exciting news for you! If you’re already a thrift shopper–or have been thinking about giving it a whirl–there are two fabulous sales happening tomorrow that you may want to try out! Goodwill is having a 50% sale and almost everything in the store is marked down. Go early though, they are usually pretty busy on these days! On one of these sales my parents found a loveseat for $2.99. Unreal!

Also, The Salvation Army Thrift Store is having a “Buck or Two” sale tomorrow. All books, blazers, skirts, dress pants and dresses will be marked down to $1, and all purses, shirts, activewear and blouses will be $2. I’m really excited and I can’t wait to see what I’ll find!

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Lastly, I’m taking on a bit of a challenge for this week’s thrift adventures! The lovely Jae of How Not to Dress Like a Mom reposted an article she’d previously written about breathing some life into a “neutral” wardrobe by adding in little splashes of colour. As is clearly evident by my photos above, neutrals are my thing. But, I think a little color can be fun, so for this week I’m on the hunt for colorful accessories and shoes that I can use to brighten up my outfits! I’ll let you know how I make out–I’ll be starting with those awesome sales tomorrow! :)