Closet Purge - Thrift Store Donataion

As part of my continuing declutter, before I went thrift shopping this weekend I went through more items to donate to charity.

An article I read indicated taking a picture of items to let go can help if it is sentimental so here goes.

In the above picture, the yellow baby hat was crotcheted by a former co-worker when my son was born. There are also several shirts that were his that are too large, like the Shelby Racing shirt in front, or too small.  I hung on to them in hopes he would have a child that might want to wear them someday.    He is now 26 and has no children and he has said before he doesn't want any.  Time to let them all go. 

The vest below was used in a movie that my son was in through a local video production company, Windsong, for their movie "Michalimacinaw" set in the 1770's.   I couldn't afford an authentic costume so I bought a blazer, took the sleeves off, shoulder pads out and changed/added buttons. 

While the transformation was minimal on my part, there was a lot of effort on my part to get him to rehearsals and shoots and many times I tried to sleep in the car as I had to be into work at 7pm and work until 8am.  We also went up to Mackinaw City where they filmed at the Fort up there.  We had a good time and have great memories of our few days up there.   

Not something he would ever wear again and Halloween is coming up; maybe someone else can use it.  

Nope, never going to wear parachute pants again.  Maybe someone has a 90's themed party that might love them.

This was a little more painful as I loved these shoes, but I can no longer wear heels. I haven't worn them in over 15 years so time for them to go too.

This was a present and I did like the scarf, but see how it wrinkles?  I don't like to iron so it is going too.

This was probably the hardest of all to let go of as I have had it for many years and only wore it around Christmas.  I am sure people are tired of seeing it and it is bulky and takes up too much space for something I wear a few times (or less) in December.  Also, I have lost weight and it is way too big and would be a pain in the butt to resize it to make it look decent.  Time to be welcomed to another gal's closet to bring holiday cheer.

Walmart Womens Swimsuit Clearance - $3.00 to $5.00

If you are still in the market for a swimsuit for a late Summer outing or vacation somewhere over the Fall or Winter, you might want to check out Walmart.

When I stopped in at Walmart this evening I noticed they have a good variety of swimsuit tops and bottoms on clearance starting at $3 and full swimsuits starting at $5.  I almost bought the black swim top in front and the vertical stripe swimsuit on the second rack and did pick up a blue swim top and a blue print maxi skirt for $3 each.

They do have a few swimsuits listed on Walmart's website. However, for a better selection, I suggest checking out your local store.

5 Trends You Can Rock at Any Age (Budget Edition)

This is from a Youtuber I follow, Busbee Style who is a professional wardrobe consultant and she has a list of current trends that any age can "rock".

My style these days is mostly oversized and comfortable, but working on improving that.

For a more limited budget though, I will offer a few suggestions:

Jeans

• Levi's jeans have a variety of styles and I have found them to be the most durable.
• Thrift Stores on half-price sale days.  
• Kohl's or JC Penney's when they have a sale and stacking with coupon codes.

Color Trends

• Surprisingly, in Dollar General    While the selection is not vast, I don't think I have seen a piece over $15.  Most of it is comfortable and they even carry Bobbie Brooks brand (as made famous by John Cougar Mellencamp in his 1982 song "Jack and Diane".

Modern Motorcycle Jackets

• Consignment Shops 
• Macy's  with sale or coupon usually $40 and up 

Animal Prints

I do think you can go wrong with too much animal print:Photo: Source

This I think is specially if you are older, so I will limit this to:

• Shoes - 6pm.com - they have pumps starting at $11.80.
• Scarf  -  Ebay.com - While a lot of items that come up under the sort are not animal prints, the Auctions start as low as .01 and some include free shipping.

Sunglasses

If more for fashion and not out in the Sun all-day:

• Dollar Tree - they have a variety of style during the Spring/Summer months.
• DIY your Dollar Tree Sunglasses.  Below is a pair that I glued a chain using E6000 glue to the top several years back as a copycat of a Chanel pair that sold for $2,200.

• Forever 21 - they have a large variety in current styles starting at $5.90.

McDonald's Limited Time Promotion: Worldwide Favorites

When going through a local drive-thru at McDonald's to get a soft drink I noticed the above limited-time promotion that McDonald's is offering where you can get a sampling of 4 foods served at other McDonald's globally.

• Canada's Tomato Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich
• Spain's Grand Extreme Bacon Burger
• Australia's Cheesy Bacon Fries
• Netherland's Stroopwafel McFlurry

The one I am planning on trying is the Stroopwafel McFlurry.  I wasn't sure what a Stroopwafel was, but in Googling found it a thin wafter of baked dough filled with caramel syrup.

Which, if any, appeal to you to want to try?