Control Your Financial Destiny
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Hi everyone, Tasha here! I just want to welcome all first time visitors, but especially those who are visiting from Cat's Closet! Thanks for joining us and be sure to come back again. Today, our guest speaker is Cat Polivoda, who runs an online thrift boutique! Her hours of thrifting makes her uniquely qualified to tell us how to find fabulous fashion finds on a dime. Cat, take it away...It’s easy to spend too much money in the name of fashion. But, it is definitely possible to look fabulous and not break the bank! There are just three things to keep in mind: take care of your clothing and accessories, shop with purpose, and benefit when parting with items.
Take Care of What You Already Have
You can extend the life of your clothes by taking a little extra care when you do laundry. A small investment now can save you lots of money in the long run. Â I suggest purchasing a laundry detergent specifically for dark clothing, a good stain remover, and a drying rack. Â I wash all of my clothing in cold water (saving on my hot water while being gentle on my fabrics) and air dry most items (eliminating dryer use to save energy and keep colors bold). Also, ladies, buy a $.99 laundry bag to hold your when you throw them in the wash. And be sure to hang dry! This can prolong the life of your garments!
A load of darks drying on my old drying rack. I’ve since upgraded to a metal one. (Contrary to what this looks like and what my significant other might maintain, I do not ONLY wear black!)
Dry clean only when necessary! Stretch out time between dry cleaning as long as possible and try to find deals. Or, if you're like me, recognize that you don't want to dry clean much and purchase clothing accordingly. I only dry clean my jackets and blazers (possibly a dress from time to time). I usually wait till I cannot possibly go any longer till I dry clean. To keep blazers looking nice for a while, for example, I always wear them over a top so they don’t get too dirty or sweaty and I try to  hang them up right away after I wear them. Also, febreze is your friend.
Repair items instead of trashing them. Â Learn to mend or find someone in your life who's happy to sew a button on or mend a seam from time to time. And, if you spend money on quality shoes, consider having them repaired before getting rid of them.
Shop with Purpose and a Plan
As with most money-related situations (well, let’s be real, almost all situations), making a plan is key to success. Don't be impulsive! Before you shop think about what you need (in order of importance) and how much you can spend. Shop before you’re in desperation mode.  We've all paid too much for something because it was a last-minute purchase.
Deals and clearance can be so helpful if used appropriately but many of us can get carried away. Â The most practical piece of advice I can offer is: only take advantage of a promotion or deal if it is a) a significant discount and b) something you need. By significant I mean 50%+ off of an item. Combine promotions if you can. I regularly get $80 items for around $8. Let me share two examples!
I found these booties at Torrid. They were originally $60ish. They rang up as $9.98! PLUS, clearance was buy one get one free. So, I got two pair (at $4.99 each). I kept one pair and sold the other! So, I actually made money on these amazing shoes!
I was looking for a puff-vest last winter. I didn’t find anything I liked for the right price so I waited. I found this vest at a Lane Bryant outlet. It was originally $79.95. It was on sale with an additional 60% off clearance items. Plus, I had a “Get $25 off of $75!†coupon. I found some other sale items to make my total right around $75 to take full advantage of the coup. So, I got the vest for about $7. I’m keeping it for winter! Also, everything I’m wearing in both pics – with the exception of the tall boots which were a strategically placed holiday gift request—was purchased for under $8 per item.
And, please note: I’m not advocating for buying and/or wearing cheap crap! Search for quality and not quantity. Look for versatile, well-made items that can be worn multiple ways and in a variety of settings. Don't waste money on clothes that you won’t feel great in! Better to have two pair of really great jeans then 8 pair of unflattering ones.
Take advantage of thrift shops (physical or online). Â I have a lot of luck finding quality items in local resale stores. Â It often takes some digging, but you can find gently-used or new pieces for very cheap. (Usually, I spend $2-$6 per item at thrift stores.) While there can be a sizable time commitment involved with combing through physical thrift stores, online thrift store-like sites offer a great alternative. My site is an example of this!
I run a small business called Cat's Closet which is essentially an online thrift store for plus-size women's clothing. Almost all of my items are $20 or under (usually around $12-$14) and I ship nationwide. I almost feel like a personal shopper when I comb through thrift shops and plus-size clothing stores looking for items to put up in my shop! Sometimes I repair or modify items. Other times, I simply rescue items from the overwhelming racks at fitting-room-less thrift stores and take a gamble on them. Then, I create an outfit to model and share with stylish, plus-sized ladies who don’t have the hours to spend at physical thrift shops. Not only is this sort of purchasing good for your budget, it’s also good for the environment as you are re-purposing and reusing already existing items and you're supporting small business!
Here are some examples of items I sell in my store. Check my site out at www.CatsCloset.bigcartel.com
Donate, Swap, or Sell Old Clothes
When you get rid of clothes consider selling your pieces on eBay or bringing them to a consignment shop. (Preferably a regular consignment shop – not some Plato's Closet-like rip-off. Sass intended.) Look for places that do actual consignment – where you get a percentage of what each items sells for.
Personally, I love to host clothing swaps when I have clothes I want to part with! It's free and you'll get some new items to incorporate into your wardrobe in return. Plus, it makes for a fun ladies night!
Before I made my most recent move (and clothing purge), I hosted a swap (which was really more of a giveaway) for some students where I used to work! It was a fun afternoon and it still makes me happy to know my clothes are getting good use from ladies I care about!
At the very least, donate clothes instead of tossing them out. (Don’t forget to get a receipt to use for tax purposes!) And, do a little research. If you’re going to donate, why not donate to an organization that has a mission you believe in?
So, thrifty fashionistas! Remember – take care of the clothes you have, shop with purpose (using deals only when they offer significant discounts on things you need), and be sure to benefit when you get rid of clothes. You can look fabulous while sticking to a budget!
And don't forget to check out my site @Â www.CatsCloset.bigcartel.com
Cat Polivoda is an entrepreneur who seeks to motivate and empower women while encouraging them to love themselves. As mentioned in this post, Cat owns and operates Cat's Closet - a plus-sized, online thrift store. In addition to sharing her style with other women, Cat seeks to share positive and inspirational messages. Cat is also a Student Success Counselor, blogger, StrengthsQuest Educator, social justice advocate, and body positive feminist. She loves to travel, journal, and spend time in the sun. Check out Cat's Closet at www.CatsCloset.bigcartel.com and look for her upcoming personal blog launch soon.
