New Online Thrift Shop For Designer Duds

I love thrift stores (just bought two nearly-new designer tops for myself at Goodwill Westport today!). So here’s an innovation: an online thrift store!

Twice is a new online site that offers gently worn designer clothing at a deep discount. It works sort of like this: people send in items, get cash, then you get the benefit of buying it. The site is brand new so it’s tough to get on it right now. But the offerings look great. I am not so sure I’d actually buy myself anything other than shoes, however.–and I don’t see those on the site at the moment.  I am at the age where I really need to try things on to see if it’s long enough over my hips–lol! I’ll look forward to the shoe selection! 

Here’s a bit from the Website:

How Does Twice Work?

Twice is like a brick & mortar clothing resale store, but online. Sellers send in their clothing (we pay shipping), and we make an offer for their items. We pay for everything upfront, so you get your cash right away! Buyers purchase items from our store, where most of our items are available for 70-90% off retail. And we offer free shipping on orders over $49 ($5 otherwise) and free 30-day returns.

The $5 shipping isn’t bad, either — it’s like a gallon of gas I’d use to get to and from a store! If you use the site, let us know if it works for you.

Another seriously sad fact from the website: the average person throws away over 170 pounds of clothing a year! However, the frugal know to donate anything in good shape, offer things as hand-me-downs, and if clothing is in rough shape, we take off the buttons for other uses and cut the garment up into rags!

~Marilyn, TFF

Teen Still Loves Goodwill’s Prices–Look What She Found Today!

Today Aimee and I took our daughters to Goodwill in Westport to shop for clothing. My daughter really needed summer clothing — we are out of hand-me-downs, unfortunately. (Ah, those were the good years when I rarely had to pay for great clothing, but now, the hand-me-down stream has dried out.)

I paid $16 for four items of clothing, all in excellent shape, at the Westport Goodwill today. That kind of money won't get you far in a clothing store. (However, I will say that I scored an adorable long-sleeved shirt at Old Navy this weekend for my daughter for a whopping $1.97. Gotta love their clearance sections.)

Here’s what my daughter found and everything looks fantastic on her. She found four items that were $3.99 each. So, for $16, she was able to get four items for the price she’d pay for one flimsy piece of clothing from a regular clothing store. The tops are in great shape, hardly worn, and the jeans (Old Navy–with adorable detailing) and shorts (Gap–also with cute detailing) look brand new and fit her perfectly. We left before Aimee checked out, but I think her family scored some great deals, too, since it was “1/2 off blue ticket” day.

I can’t wait to get a day to myself when I can scour the racks for some new items.

~Marilyn, TFF

Innovative and Budget-Minded — Oransi’s Robby Wash Ball Laundry Detergent

Here's a Robby Wash Ball in a traditional washing machine ready to go. Note the detergent pellets in the ball.

 

As promised, we tested the Robby Wash Ball, a new, innovative, space-saving, and possibly money-saving product from France (which we love). The manufacturer says that one ball should last for 12 months, or, for 120 loads. But, that is assuming you wash one load every three or so days. Many families need to wash one load a day. It’s also good for all types of washers, including HE. 

We’ve used it for a month. Here’s the review. 

How it’s going: Not bad! We’ve been using it in cold water for a month. It’s so easy to use, we haven’t even had to add more detergent granules to the ball. The ball is so easy to use! Just pop it in the wash (see photo) and forget about it. You have to take it out of the washer when done so it can dry, but it is no muss, no fuss. 

How it cleans: It cleans well. We don’t notice if it’s better than other detergents, but it is just as good as other detergents. 

How it smells: It is a fragrance-free product. Some people will love that, some won’t. 

Pre-treatment of stains: We love the pre-treat stain stick! It works, it works! It works on tough stains (on jeans, on shirts, etc.) 

One con: We had some clothing with some odors on it. We smelled a faint whiff of the odors even after washing. But, we washed it in cold water, so we will try again in hot water. Since this is a fragrance-free product, there is no fragrance to mask the smell of odors that may not wash out right away. 

Cost: $32.95 for one ball which is supposed to last one year assuming you do 120 loads a year. That means about 10 loads a month, which means about two loads a week.  

The reality of the cost: (also see above and below) Based on what the manufacturer says, our ball won’t last a year. We do a load or two a day, which means our ball will last only a couple of months, three at the most. But, we have to say, the granules are slow dissolving, which we guess is good news. We haven’t had to use other detergent yet, so we are satisfied for now. 

Is it economical?: Yes…and no. For families who use low-cost detergent ($2.99 or less a bottle which lasts about three weeks), this option may not be economical. We pay about $40 a year for laundry detergent (we don’t buy fancy or expensive products and our washer is not HE) so the Robby Ball would not necessarily save us money. For families who opt for more expensive detergents ($3.99 and up), this could be a very economical option, and we’d highly recommend it. 

How to order: Online only, but click here for ordering details.

This Just In: Brand New Resource for (Almost) Free Children’s Clothing

A new swapping service for kid's clothes by ThredUp! Photo: ThredUp

Guest Frugal Fairfielder Blogger, and The Great American Apparel Diet Blogger, Cathy Curley, shares a great frugal find for free children’s clothing! It’s an offshoot of ThredUp for adults. Now, they are starting a kid’s version! READ ON: 

Cathy writes: 

Although I’ve written previously about not having an excess of clothing in MY closet, the same cannot be said for my kids. Having thoughtful friends and family with kids a bit larger than my own has assured that both of my boys have plenty of great-looking hand-me-downs filling their drawers and closets. Unfortunately, my boys keep growing (pesky kids!). But buying lots of new clothes just isn’t in the budget right now. I’m sure I know plenty of people in the same boat, so I’m thinking some clothing exchanges may be in order… kind of a modified version of TGAAD for kids. 

Coordinating exchanges amongst lots of different people with various aged kids can be a challenge, though, so I’m going to try using ThredUp for kids to accomplish this task. Those of you with growing children may be interested in giving it a shot too. I know some of us have blogged about the ThredUp adult version not working out for some, but I’ve decided to give the kids’ site a go. 

One thing I like about the kids’ version is that they will even coordinate swaps with your LOCAL friends for you at no cost. You can browse online to see what items & sizes your friends have available and grab them when you want… no need to pay for shipping! However, if you don’t have any local friends with whom to swap, ThredUp will have a nationwide network of participants sure to have clothing that suits your needs. 

If the concept interests you, click here to find out more about their upcoming seed phase. The seed phase (which will populate ThredUp with clothing to prepare the site for launch) should begin in early March and anyone who signs up for the launch will be the first on board. Participating in the initial seed phase also has perks and benefits not available to the general population. 

Happy swapping, everyone… I’m looking forward to hearing how this works out for people! 

(To see the original post by Cathy, click here.) 

Thank you, Cathy! ~Two Frugal Fairfielders 

Bargain Alert of the Day for Fairfield, CT

Run to JC Penney to buy children's clothing for $1.97! GREAT SALE! Photo: Courtesy of JC Penney.

 

JC Penney in the Trumbull Mall (and elsewhere) is having an unbelievable children’s clothing sale! We are not kidding! Go to the children’s department where you will find tops and pants, most for $1.97. (Look for the 80% Red Zone signs.) You read that right! $1.97! You can get girl’s and boy’s hoodies (decent quality) and tops, some decent jeans for that price, too.  

Hurry in–it was packed and getting picked over yesterday (Sunday)–but there’s still lots there.  

Good Bet: The girl’s department has oodles of tops, hoodies, and pants on sale at $1.97.  

Best Bet: USE YOUR $10 Instant Money coupon that you got in the mail! You can then get 5 pieces of clothing for free! All you pay is about $1.75 for tax. So…5 items for $1.75. Not bad.  

Caution: When you shop the boy’s department–dig around. There are a number of hidden areas where you will find items (fleece hoodies for $1.97). Hint: GO TO THE BACK OF THE STORE WHERE THE FURNITURE DEPARTMENT IS…FOLLOW IT TO THE BOY’S DEPARTMENT WHERE YOU’LL FIND MUCH MORE ON SALE FOR $1.97. (These directions are for the Trumbull Mall store, only.)

Fairfield Moms Go On a Clothing Diet

Join the clothing diet and save money!

A couple of Fairfield moms have decided enough is enough when it comes to buying clothes, so they recently joined The Great American Apparel Diet to take on the challenge of not buying any new apparel for an entire year. The Great American Apparel Diet originated in Seattle, and has gone nationwide thanks to a little press.

Cathy Curley, one of the Fairfield moms and new members (see her profile and posts at www.thegreatamericanappareldiet.com/author/catherine/), says she decided to join because, although she’s already frugal, she wanted to do something more tangible to take control of her family’s finances.

“Some of the women who are on this diet have closets full of new items with tags still attached—it’s tough for these women to go on a clothing diet,” she says. “Though I’m not like that, I joined so I could feel that being frugal is more of a choice than an imposed prison sentence, and this is a good way to connect with others to have my voice heard.”

There is some flexibility (meaning loopholes!) on this diet: shoes, accessories, and of course, undergarments are not considered apparel, and you can still buy for family members. Some members have held clothing swaps, or joined threadsup.com (more on the service in another upcoming post),

To join the apparel diet revolution and save quite a few bucks along the way, log on to: http://www.thegreatamericanappareldiet.com/rules-for-participation/