It's the most wonderful time of the year!

It's ugly sweater season!

I'm thrilled it's here. As soon as the temperature dropped below five degrees, I pulled the Rubbermaid tote with my winter clothes out of our storage closet. In it - my thick, heavy, and frankly, ugly sweaters.

I've been collecting these beasts for years. It's like wearing a warm hug all day long. They just don't make sweaters as thick, warm, and durable as they used to, which is why I turn to thrift stores for all my winter warmth needs. As frumpy as I look, I'm warm and cozy and there's nothing I'd rather be wearing when drinking hot chocolate or studying for hours on end. I probably looked like a train wreck at school most of this week, as my outfits of choice mostly included an oversized ugly sweater.

How I feel when I wear one of my many ugly sweaters - even though Carlton isn't wearing one in this scene...

I have a growing fear that the ugly sweater is going out of style (not that it was REALLY stylish...). It was a must-have for wannabe hipsters in recent years, but as I look around me at school ugly sweaters are a rare sight. Maybe it's just my change in location from the University of Winnipeg to Red River College (no offence...really).

That leads me to ugly Christmas sweaters. If you don't wear them over the holidays, you should start. There's nothing more whimsical, timeless, or nostalgic than an ugly Christmas sweater to make you feel like you're living A Christmas Story (need a bunny onesie or a Daisy Red Ryder Range Model 1938 Air Rifle BB gun for that special person on your list?). Also - host an ugly Christmas sweater party, and award the person with the prettiest (or ugliest) sweater a prize. It makes for good laughs and good fun.

Have a favourite sweater that's a little "out there"? Let me know in the comments and maybe send me a picture so we can swoon over your wonderful (or terrible) fashion sense and be frumpy together.

Always buy the button-up

Slapping together a thrifted outfit - easy peasy.

The button-up shirt - easily the most easily found and easily worn item you could ever thrift.

A nice button-up blouse that fits is essential to any wardrobe and can be worn no matter the occasion.

It's easy to pair a blouse with jeans, dress pants, circle skirts, pencil skirts, or leggings for any look from casual to business formal. You just have to experiment and learn to coordinate.

If you're going for an everyday look try to pair a loose blouse and a pair of leggings, or a fitted button-up and skinny jeans (ripped, high-waisted, cuffed, whatever). Slap on whatever footwear you want - heels, flats, boots, wedges. Seriously the easiest look and the easiest way to incorporate something thrifted into your wardrobe.

Thrifted this burgundy Smart Set top from Salvation Army this week - my favourite colour and it fits like a glove :)

Business casual - dress pants are obvious. Business formal - pair a button-up with a pencil skirt, tights or pantyhose, and heels. This look also works with a circle or a-line skirt.

Oh, and don't forget the blazer.

One thing I've learned recently is that it's super easy to look put-together if you add a bold and large statement necklace that fits snuggly around the collar.

The bold statement necklace makes the outfit a little more exciting, in my opinion

As I said, easy. :) If you thrift and have tried this look or have other tips, let me know in the comments or send a picture my way. I'd love to see how you tackle the button-up!

Thrifter Profile: Zachary

This post may seem out of the ordinary, but starting now I want it to become a regular thing. As this blog runs its course I want to take time to feature other thrifty folk around Winnipeg. If you or someone you know thrifts and would like to be featured, please comment on this post or get in touch with me here. Without further ado, I would like to introduce you to my friend Zach.

Name: Zachary Oulton
Age: 21
Occupation: Communications Coordinator at Riverwood Church Community

Q: Why do you thrift?

A: I thrift for a few different reasons. One of those is definitely because it was engrained into me as a child. My family didn't have a lot of money growing up so my parents were huge advocates of thrifting. I also definitely have a style that makes it easier to thrift; things like an oversized sweater don't look out of place in my wardrobe and are fairly easy to pick up at a thrift store (At last count I owned upwards of 30 sweaters...). I really enjoy the process of thrifting. I like going through everything and then finding great things for a good price. I will often get people asking me where I bought something and I tell them that I picked it up at a thrift store.

Q: What's the best thing you've ever bought from a thrift store?

A: Oh man, picking just one is hard! In terms of home decor, I recently picked up a really nice typewriter from Value Village with the traveling case and all for $8. That was a good one. I also got a film SLR that I use all the time from Value Village that came with two lenses and a camera strap, so I'd say those two are tied. When it comes to clothes, I've had so many good finds over the years but one that I'm still proud of is my camel peacoat. I picked it up at Value Village 3 or 4 years ago and it makes a regular appearance in winter.

Q: How do you choose what is worth buying?

A: I definitely want something to be clean and in good condition. I think the key to thrifting is knowing when to abandon something. I've had countless items that I love but have left behind because there was a rip or a missing button or something like that. Sometimes items can be saved, but you also don't want to spend tons of money fixing up a thrifted item or it defeats the purpose of thrifting. Generally I go through and take all the items I have a mild interest in and throw them in the cart and then try them all on at once. After that I eliminate things based on fit, condition and if I've already got something else that's similar.

Q: How do you incorporate thrifted pieces into your wardrobe?

A: Make them the statement item! Generally I try and buy staple items that I wear all the time (dark wash jeans, plain t-shirts, etc.) at a regular store and then use a thrifted item as the focus of my outfit. This makes it easy to have a versatile style because you can swap out older items for newer ones and not break the bank while still staying current. I also keep a running list in my head of things that I'm looking for and then whenever I go thrifting I keep an eye out for those items.

Thrifted items in this outfit: H&M Beige Trench Coat - $12 (Value Village), Green School Sweater - $8 (Value Village), Brown Aldo Dress Shoes - $7 (Salvation Army)

"You don't wash your goodwill clothes?!" - a life lesson

That video on this blog has been a long time coming...

Anyway. This week I have been humming and hawing about what to talk about. Studying in Starbucks with my boyfriend James, it hit me that my deadline was quickly approaching as school assignments continued to pile up. I could feel my eyes looked panicked as I quickly straightened. I've planned my posts for the next three weeks, but for some reason failed to think about what I would talk about this week.

James suggested I discuss the importance of washing thrifted clothes immediately after purchasing them, to which I replied "I don't wash the clothes I buy from goodwill before wearing them."

His eyes widened with horror.

"You don't wash your goodwill clothes before wearing them...?"

I never really thought about it. Or maybe I'm just lazy. I don't even like doing my laundry when I've worn an item five times in a row, never mind immediately after I've purchased it. I mean, I've never bought anything that "smells like R. Kelly's sheets" (pissssssss [see video above if you don't understand the reference]).

After overcoming the awkward revelation of my uncleanliness, I said "no - never."

James looked at me with a blank stare. "That's baffling."

I guess this is grounds for lifestyle re-evaluation.

Now that it's been brought to my attention, not washing thrifted clothes before wearing them is kind of gross. I feel gross. For all I know, someone's dead skin cells are now gracing my outer layer. Or my new sweater dress could have been soaked in cat pee.

On that note, the sweater dress is now in the laundry hamper.

Plato is pretty stylish

I guess I have a lot of faith in the unknown. 

I drove 35 minutes across the city to check out this little consignment store called Plato's Closet. You can't really call it little, since you can find locations across the continent. 

Because it's a consignment store, not just anything makes it onto the rack like most thrift shops. Every item keeps up to trends, everything is organized by colour and size, and there were quite a few brand name pieces I came across. 

I had set out in hopes of finding scarves and shoes, but failed. I am not counting it as a failure though because I found some other gems which, when combined, became a full outfit. 

I picked up a red velvet shirt ($6), blue circle skirt ($6), and some grey tights (yes, also $6). 

The boots were picked up from Value Village last winter. 

My pal Joey featured this exact outfit on his street style blog last week. Check it out, he's pretty cool and he's an awesome photographer (you can check out more of his work here). 

Don't be cheap at a thrift store

 A little tip for this week - sometimes "overpriced" items are still extremely underpriced. Technically, almost everything is (or should be) cheap at a thrift or consignment shop. 

About a year ago, I was on a Value Village run with a couple of my friends. I stumbled upon a beautiful, sturdy pair of leather ankle boots with heels that could take an eye out. 

I looked at the sole of one boot to find a price tag - $14.99.

I would never in my life pay that much for used footwear. Or so I thought.

I tried the boots on anyway and they fit like a glove. With a heavy heart I placed the camel-coloured boots back on the shelf. My friend Zach (who I sometimes call "the Enabler") wasn't about to let me get away with it. His excuse - the boots were perfect, beautiful, and fit like a glove.

I sighed and put the boots in my cart, disappointed with my lack of self-control when it came to spending 15 bucks on a pair of used boots.

When I got home, I examined the boots a little more carefully. The name imprinted on the insole was Paco Gil. I had never heard of the brand, so I did some Google-ing. Turns out the mint condition boots I picked off the Value Village shelf for $14.99, were actually worth somewhere between $300 and $400.

So if you ever come across something that seems expensive and is by a designer you've never heard of, there's probably a reason for that.

THE boots - Value Village ($14.99)

Also, last week I promised some of the items from my haul would make it into a post this week. I follow through with my promises.

Green jacket - Salvation Army ($9.99); J. Crew hat - Value Village ($6.99)

Big shoutout to my little sister Briar for using my camera to take the above photos. 

Friends who thrift together, stick together

Over the weekend I realized it had been more than three weeks since I last went thrift shopping.

Three weeks.

I decided to round the troops last night and hit up two of the more mainstream thrift stores - Salvation Army (on Empress Street) and Value Village (Ellice Avenue).

First off, meet my wonderful friends Suntka and Zach. I can't count the amount of times I've loaded up a shopping cart with sweaters, jackets, and boots alongside these hooligans.

We hit up the Sally Ann to start. I had never been to this location before and to be honest, I was quite skeptical. I've never had luck at a Salvation Army thrift store before but I'm pretty sure I hit the jackpot here. I managed to scrounge up a couple of blouses, a coat, and a purse - all for $20. 

Next, we made our way to Value Village - my home way from home. 

Again, I was not disappointed. I bought two pairs of sunglasses, a skirt, an ugly sweater dress thing, a cat vest, and a pair of shoes. I spent a little more than I had hoped to - a whopping $40.

If you're just getting started or you're broke like me, check out the Salvation Army. Decent clothing for CHEAP. They also had a lot of beautiful vintage furniture and home decor items. I would have nabbed a few things from that section, but my apartment is getting full enough as it is.

Expect a master post of the items I got my hands on last night soon.

For now, here's a preview. I'm in love with pastel colours and so you can guess how quickly my heart melted when I found this lavender peplum shirt and these pointed toe flats from ALDO. Funny story, I actually tried on this exact pair of shoes months ago but couldn't justify paying $60 for them - $7.99 was a better deal in my opinion.

Can Canadians even pinch pennies?

I have a few pennies in my wallet. They are, in fact, American coins.

They are still useful. Kind of.

I grew up in a community where finding a dress that was as "cheap as borscht" was celebrated. I spent many Tuesdays after school at the MCC Thrift Shop in Winkler looking for the most worn-in wolf shirt I could find (they put the new stuff out on Tuesdays).

I grew out of my wolf shirt hipster phase...but the thick-framed glasses seemed to stick, and so did the thrifting.

(I'd also like to note, my style is now impeccable in comparison to how it was in high school.)

Now... (featuring Eugene the cat)

...and then (thank the Lord for fashion discernment
and making me the beauty I am today)

It came to my attention this week that not everyone has had the pleasure of living such a frugal life. I'm here to help these underprivileged, deprived souls by showing them a world of treasures. A world of framed cat paintings and fake plants; of instant film Polaroid cameras (which you can still get film for, by the way, but for a price) and grandpa sweaters; of wine bottle holders (that won't be used as wine bottle holders) and funny hats.

To date, this is still my favourite sweater and
the jeans have since become my most worn cut-off shorts

Yes, you too can own all this and more!

In all seriousness, this blog is about trying to live cheaply in a very expensive world. I love shopping and I love stuff. It's a poison. I'm a borderline hoarder. I shop at thrift and antique stores, participate in clothing swaps, and always beeline for the back of a store to find deals. Getting something for cheap, or for free, is like riding a convertible with the top down into the sunset on a warm summer night (although last time this happened, it was with an ex-boyfriend who dumped me shortly after so maybe I should come up with a better simile). I also have an addiction to buying old cameras (not just Polaroids) and shooting with film - a pricey, but timeless art. It reminds me of my childhood and Beaver Canoe sweatshirts. Expect some of my film photos to make it onto this blog as well (yes, most of those cameras were thrifted).

My bookshelf, featuring two of my many secondhand toys

If you're looking for money-saving tips in regards to food, you'll have to venture somewhere else. Or watch Extreme Couponing. I live off ramen noodles. I'm a student, can you blame me? Posts on this blog will focus on clothing and decor, and the success (and misadventures) in finding both. I'll be talking about how to integrate that ugly pair of shoes from the "old country" into a modern wardrobe, where to find the best deals, and what not to buy. I also plan to introduce you to some of my thrifty and not-so-thrifty friends.

Keep those Canadian and American pennies. We'll spend them together.