Popping a few more tags

So I've had some reasonable success at ye olde Sally Ann lately but, now that I put the (fairly terrible) Iphone photos here, the stuff I bought looks a tad frumpier than in real life. I probably should've modelled them but I'm useless at trying to shoot a selfie and end up looking all spoon-faced and wide-nosed, so you'll have to trust me on this and use some imagination.

Perhaps my favourite recent purchase is this black bag - or 'purse' as they call them here, only we always called a wallet a purse....except for men, in which case a wallet's a wallet, but a purse is usually a bag. (And so the messed-up anglo-canadian bilingualism continues. Confused? Welcome to my world.)

Since most bags/purses at Sally Ann these days average between $10 and $20 (well, they do in Vancouver anyway - where everything is more expensive), I was pretty chuffed to find this one, which is exactly what I was looking for and in brand new condition, for just $6.99. More importantly, it's not leather either, so it's guilt-free: recycling AND vegetarian. At less than $10 I have to suspect it was a new volunteer pricing things up that day - perhaps the same person who priced this rather fabulous Banana Republic cowl-neck shift dress at $6.99 also. You can't quite tell from the photo but it's actually a lovely autumnal shade of orange which looks fabulous with my chestnut-coloured hair, even if I do say so myself. Plus it's a heavy jersey fabric so, even being sleeveless, it still works for this time of year with a great pair of boots. Yay!


It's actually a small but looks much wider
here. I don't think it makes me look wide. 

And, speaking of boots, I've done alright on that score lately too. After a pretty poopy day at work recently, I went for a little retail therapy and found this rather cute and comfortable pair of faux-suede boots for just $7.99.

Don't you step on my faux-suede shoes

In terms of retail therapy that's about as extravagant it gets for me these days. Admittedly, I've never really been one for lavish purchases even when I'm buying new - I can't handle the overwhelming guilt afterwards. It literally ends up ruining any short-lived buzz that I might have got from the purchase in the first place. So, at that price, the buzz certainly felt a little more smug.

I scored another pair of boots last week - one more black pair to add to my winter collection. They were $19.99 but 20% off and are brand new, super-comfy and I just couldn't resist. Besides, a similar pair I bought last year (for $8 from the SPCA thrift store) are starting to look a little worse for wear, so these are now in line as their imminent replacement.

Mind you, I do think $20 is overpriced at a thrift store for heaven's sake and it's not like they're leather! At the same time I was trying these on, an old man was arguing with the cashier about a pair of snow boots he wanted that were apparently $49.99 - he basically said what we've all been thinking, "That's ridiculous - they're not even new. You're a thrift store. You get given this stuff - for FREE." They wouldn't even let him have a discount other than the 10% senior's discount (which the cashier at the West 4th store offered me recently. "Yikes, do I look rough today?" I asked him, jokingly. "No, but you're often in here so I thought I'd give you a discount." Poor guy looked a tad embarrassed actually and I felt a pang of guilt for my unavoidable sarcasm.)

And, still on the subject of footwear, these shoes go with just about all my clothes, are perfect for work and cost me all of about.....ooooh, $9.

Another item that unfortunately looks frumpier here than it does in real life is this gorgeous Esprit silk skirt that was $7.99. It's light, hangs nicely and can be dressed up or down (trust me, I tried it out with much of my wardrobe already). I'm not usually big on bold patterns, although I've definitely come a long way since my pattern-free, monochromatic days of 99% navy in my closet. At first glance, I wondered if it might look a little too wall-paper-y (a very british fear, I'm sure) but it actually looks really nice, especially with boots.

And, with the wetter colder weather upon us, I found the perfect coat to replace the longer coat I've worn the past few years,which suddenly seemed to look incredibly dated with its wide flappy collar. I already have several coats but quickly realized I was missing one that's long enough to keep my legs dry. This long grey, wool coat cost me $29.99 and is a lot more stylish than it looks in this picture - and warm!

And a good coat deserves a cute hat.....or three. Seems I've found a style that suits me. Only problem is, when I wear a hat, my hair looks totally flat and greasy once I take it off. Do people who wear cool hats simply keep them on all day to avoid the chip-pan look, removing them only in the scrutiny-free safety of their own home?

Same style and same price - $2.99

And there you have it, another round of thrifty shopping. It's odd though, while I obviously feel a certain amount of satisfaction buying nice things at low prices and recycling as opposed to lining the pockets of the major retailers, I nevertheless hide most things I buy second-hand from Lorne. I don't want to come across as cheap or scabby but seriously, you can find a lot of good stuff at thrift stores. Not always, but often. It also explains why the local Salvation Army stores I go to are always incredibly busy, so I'm certainly not on my own! Heck, I've personally given a lot of good quality items to thrift stores too, including brand new clothes that were perhaps a bad decision at the time and I ended up never actually wearing them. 

So as I pass the jingling-bells of the kind volunteers collecting for the Salvation Army's Christmas Kettle Campaign this year, I can feel comfortable that I've been generously donating my fair share all year long.