Thrift Minded: A Collegiette’s Guide to the Ithaca Salvation Army

Goal: Go to Salvation Army (for the first time!) and purchase some great clothes on a not-so-great budget.
 
Budget: All of the money I have in my wallet.  So basically I went shopping with six dollars. 
 
Mission Report:  The Salvation Army is huge, I’ve never seen one so large!  And there’s a great selection of clothes for girls and guys.  Never having been at the Ithaca Salvation Army before, I was told that there was a terrible selection for Colligettes, which was a total lie.
 
I didn’t have any products in mind as I went shopping, but I was immediately attracted to the long line of blazers.  I have never seen so many different colors of blazers in my entire life!  I flipped through the rack and found this great magenta blazer.  It was edgy, fun, and only three dollars.
 
I went to the skirt rack next.  Not the best selection, but I did find this great old-school skirt; tan, pink, and teal houndstooth print (it looked better than it sounds).  I knew that I had nothing in my closet to match it, but I tried it on for fun anyway. Not to be conceited, it looked great on, but it was four dollars, and I was not leaving that store without my magenta blazer.
 
Sidenote: College men, don’t fear!  There was a great blazer section for men.  One of my guy friends went shopping with me and found a cool woven vest and an awesome tweed jacket.  He had to look hard for it, but he spent nine dollars for both pieces!  Totally worth the search.
 
I couldn’t see any inspiring pieces in the clothing racks, so I followed my guy friend around for a while.  He went through the men’s sweater section and found the coziest sweater.  It’s black with a gray zig-zag pattern and as soon as he tried it on, I was mega-jealous.  He decided he didn’t like the fit and I may as well have snatched it from his hands.  As an over-sized sweater, it was great for me.  And only three dollars!  It was perfect for my budget and as a conclusion to my mission.
 
Mission Results:  I bought two great pieces for six dollars!  Definitely a mission accomplished, considering I can buy half of a sleeve for six dollars at Urban Outfitters.  For all you fashionistas at Ithaca College, make sure that you stop at the Salvation Army on your next shopping trip!
 
Lessons Learned: 
·      Double-check the quality of the garment before you buy it. You can never be too careful!
·      Don’t be afraid to try the silly things on! Have fun while you shop.
·      Venture into other sections of the store.  Whether it’s the men’s section, the furniture section, or the VHS section, you never know what treasures you’ll find.
·      Have fun! Because what’s the point of shopping if you don’t have any fun with it?