I’ve mentioned many times before that I believe that “thrifting” is a fashionistas secret resource. It’s a thrill to hunt through thrift stores, second-hand shops and vintage clothing stores with the hope of scoring something fab, interesting and unique …  at a next-to-nothing price.  WHOA ~ and when you do, that makes you feel good, right?

Ok, so what if you found out that one of the stores you just scored a great deal at has donated over $200 million to its nonprofit partners and keeps 650 million pounds of reusable goods out of landfills every year? That would make you feel even better, right? Well, that’s exactly what happens when you shop at your local Savers stores.

Savers was founded on the core principle of supporting local communities and has embraced that value by partnering with nonprofits since 1954.  So I was excited when I was recently contacted by Savers corporate team to inform me that they had just built a new Savers store in Santa Fe, New Mexico (one of their largest in the country with more than 150,000+ items for sale) and that the Santa Fe store has a partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Mexico.

Additionally, they informed me that not only were they extending an invitation to me to attend their pre-opening event ~ they also wanted to see what a fashionista, such as moi, could do with $50 at their store.  Umm, spend it … and spend it fast.  And let me please just say, I think I did VERY well.  (insert maniacal laughter here:  Bwahaha.)

So, this past Tuesday, I showed up for the challenge but instead of doing my usual ~ buy as many items as I  can with this free money I was given ~ I decided that I have more than enough miscellaneous items in my closet and that this time I would actually shop for complete outfits.

 *** this is how the store looked before I touched every single one of the 150,000 items.

 

So what was I able to create with $50?   Well, see for yourself.  Firstly …

I purchased this super cute Jessica Simpson dress (retailed for $75) for $4.99, this sweet cobalt blue purse (mini bags are HUGE right now) for $3.99 and these Nine West lace-up pumps (retailed for $85) for $14.99.  Total price for this outfit: $23.97. #SMOKIN

I was actually asked to move away before my haute outfit melted all the ice. 

 

I then purchased …

this classic white eyelet top for $5.99, this adorable straw hat for $4.99 and these Tommy Hilfiger lace-up espadrilles that I will have on full rotation all summer long for $7.99.  Total price of this outfit, excluding the overalls that I already owned: $18.97.

Now, so far I had spent $42.94 and I wasn’t sure if I could score another outfit for the remaining $7.06 balance.

HOWEVER,  what I was able to score was an brand new Stella McCartney cross-body Falabella bag that has retailed anywhere from $650-$1100 (depending upon size of bag and where you are purchasing) for …

… WAIT FOR IT

$12.99!  BOOM  I sprung for the difference.  🙂

 

What are YOU doing this weekend?  Why not shop your local Savers?

 

 

*** Thank you to Savers for kindly sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.