I was promising myself that I wouldn't go there with an Olympics reference but it happened anyway. A few days ago I managed to take being a cheap person to a near-competitive level. For less than I spend on weekly groceries I grabbed a dress, a skirt, a scarf and two pairs of shoes. And found a new Cheap Person Secret Shopping Spot. It was a truly rapturous experience which you now get to share in, even if you're not really that interested in plumbing the depths of the the cheap person universe.
First, the dress, skirt and scarf are all from my preferred thrifting mecca, the Goodwill on the corner of Central and Fuller. Goodwill tends to passed over in favor of the downtown Albany Salvation Army by those in the thrifting know most of the time. However, Goodwill is open longer hours, which is really the deciding factor for me. The fact that I found a pristine pair of white J.Crew jeans there a few months ago really endeared me to it. Their stuff is usually ticketed on the expensive side of what I would willingly pay for other people's used clothing but watch out for the colored plastic tags hanging off of random places on clothes because that's where the money (or actually the opposite of money) is at. The magical colors of the week makes this stuff all kinds of cheap. Everything I got channels my desire to look like Andie in Pretty in Pink, slightly homeless bag lady but still awesome. The skirt is certainly on point with that desire- it's a high-waisted, mid-calf wool deal with a pattern and tassels like it was made out of part of a blanket. I think my mother had a dress or two like this button front, criss-cross tie back deal in the early 90's. All of this good stuff added up to a little more than $10- and bizarrely, most of that was from the scarf. The price structure is a little baffling.
How I even came to be in the Cheap Person Secret Shopping Spot requires a little background story. Last month I was wandering around Westgate Plaza waiting to pick up a prescription when I happened on Rainbow. This store has apparently been there for a long time but I never noticed it. I was relating this fact to my coworkers the next day and one especially talented, creative and awesome coworker hinted that I might just be able to uncover a few gems there. I was intrigued. At first things didn't look too promising. Most of the clothing is extremely bright and, even from a fast-fashion standpoint, not very well made. The accessories are really where things are at. The shoes on their website are all INSANE looking but in the store there are also a good number of brogues, loafers and booties. Even better- a lot of them are 2 for $20. I'm a huge believer in getting what you pay for but many of the shoe brands are the same ones distributed to major fast-fashion retailers who slap their names on them and charge an extra $20. If you're going cheap already why not go extra cheap? The velvet smoking slippers I got certainly aren't on par with Jeffrey Campbell's or anything, but they're cute and would make a great base for a little DIY. I also got a pair of plain black low-heeled booties and, bam, there you go, $30 stretched to the max!
