Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Thrifted dresses

Cute thrifted dress. Ruari’s dress: $2. Mine $13.

Clothes are spendy. That’s a darn fact. BUT, I have managed to buy the majority of Ruari’s outfits thrifted (or, on super clearance). She goes through them so fast… it’s just not worth it (in my mind) to spend too much. Unless it’s for a special occasion (birthday’s, holidays, etc.).

In fact… I have become SO cheap from all this thrifting. I have a rule in my head that I keep while shopping for R’s thrifted and new to us clothes: Shirts should cost under $4. Pants should be under $5. Dresses and sweaters should be under $10. Shoes should be under $12. Yup. Those are my weird rules… I mostly find all of her clothes way under those prices… and, I feel like it’s helped me keep her dressed cute at little cost. The little dress she’s wearing in the photos above… $2. ::high fives all around::

I have different rules for when I’m shopping for my own clothes. Since I wear my clothes a bit longer than her (and, I don’t roll around in the mud in mine) I can spend a little more on my thrifted outfits. Not too much though. Hee.

– Chelsey

{Linking up with Mandy for Steppin Out and High on Thrifting.}

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{If you have a Wordless{ish} Wednesday, please feel free to link it up below. And, feel free to link up to these blogs too… Parenting by DummiesProject Alicia,And Then She SnappedJenni from the Blog, and Live and Love Outloud.}


35 comments

  • steph nelsen on said:

    cute outfits!! and i totally have those same rules for my four year old, marrin, and me : )

  • Suburban Sweetheart on said:

    You guys both look so cute! I think your thrifting rules for Ruari are totally legit. I always have a tough time thrifting. I'm borderline plus-size & can't sew, & it seems liike NOTHING ever fits me well enough to be worth buying.

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  • georgia on said:

    oh, my! these are precious photos. and that dress… it's so sweet. just the kind of thing i would like to wear. love your blog. so refreshing, happy and serene.

  • Laura on said:

    Such pretty finds! I never have that kind of luck when I go thrifting for myself! 😀

  • Karo on said:

    Which consignment shops in Portland do you recommend? I’m pretty new in town and haven’t stumbled across any yet that have drawn me back for a repeat visit. Thanks 🙂

  • Jennifer Worrell on said:

    Adorable pics! I shop ONLY at consignment shops–I think your pricing is VERY reasonable!

  • MeaganMusing on said:

    Oh my! Rauri's dress is the CUTEST! Okay, yours is nice too. 🙂

  • Terri on said:

    I love thrifting! I would say 98% of my wardrobe comes from the thrift and my boys' wardrobe, about 82%. It doesn't hurt that I actually actually work IN a thrift shop! R's dress is super cute. Yours as well.

  • Kate on said:

    Love both dresses, so sweet! I too am an avid thrifter and I set limits to what things should cost. When it comes to shopping for my 2 year old girl I try to keep every outfit to $10. It's tight but it can be done and I can't tell you how many times people stop me to ask where I got her outfit from.

  • kendall on said:

    Love those dresses — you both look beautiful!! I use the site hip2save.com {she always posts good kids deals} for all of Wyatt's clothes- and we shop the sales racks! Love this post 🙂

    –kendall
    songbirdsandbuttons.blogspot.com

  • Tammy Schaper on said:

    You always have the cutest clothes on both you AND Ruari! I'm jealous of your thrift spending. I do go to consignment shop down from where I work and I am getting better at finding good deals. I should take some of your rules into account! Adorable!

  • abi on said:

    Chelsey, this is inspiring! I must try this thrifty thing!

  • Jennifer on said:

    That is awesome!! I love to thrift shop too. Where do you typically shop? We have an abundant of really cute children's consignment stores in our area..however, inexpensive they are NOT. You can't find a dress under $20, and pants and tops are at least $10 and up. They only take high end boutique clothes so I guess you are still getting a "deal" compared to what they may originally run for, but it is still $$$ to me? And, unfortunately our brand new Goodwill does not have a lot of kids clothing at all. (Although they do have a LOT of women's items which is fun!)

    • The Paper Mama on said:

      I mostly do Goodwill, Value Village, and a couple salvation armyish type spaces. Plus, I have a consignment shop I frequent that has great prices. 🙂

  • Leah on said:

    You did so well on both of these! Adorable!
    And I totally have weird price rules like that, too. It save me a lot of back-and-forth if I'm on the fence about something.

    • The Paper Mama on said:

      Yes. Unless something is absolutely adorable and I just have to have… I stick to those prices. 🙂

  • alicia on said:

    Wish I could thrift with you! You always find such cool stuff!!

    • The Paper Mama on said:

      I have a consignment shop that I sell at…. I ALWAYS find stuff there. There's some chick that brings her stuff there and is my size and has wonderful taste. 🙂

  • kat on said:

    LOVE your dress and sweater.

  • Jennifer on said:

    I LOVE both of those dresses! I was admiring them from the other blogs. 🙂 Doesn't it make you feel so good when you find something super awesome at a thrift store? I know it does for me. Recently I found a bunch of cute tops at a garage sale and they were all a dollar! You know, it's just the little things in life that make me happy. 🙂

    • The Paper Mama on said:

      Seriously. Finding a bunch of shirts for $1…. that would normal be $20 or more each = awesome.

  • Corey Moortgat on said:

    Such cute outfits! Love the embroidery on Ruari's! I'm proud to say that probably 95% of my kids' clothes are thrifted- it's very rare that I buy new for them. And I think they're pretty well-dressed, if I do say so myself! Even my own wardrobe is probably 40% thrifted. If you look hard enough, you can always find stylish clothing at the thrifts!

    • The Paper Mama on said:

      I think your kids are always adorable. And, I'm about 40% thrift for myself too. I have a really hard time with pants! Never find them in my shops I frequent.

  • sadiedear on said:

    Both of these outfits are gorgeous! Wonderful finds, and I like how you have styled your dress with the cardi. I love thrifting!

  • sarah on said:

    I am so with you on this – and think your price guides are roughly the same as mine. When I lived in Florida, you couldn't throw a stick without hitting a kid's consignment or thrift shop. HEAVEN! Now that we've moved to England, kids clothes are hard to find second hand and shoes are impossible. Most people use Ebay over here or go to "car boot sales" – which are basically like big yard sales held all at once in a football stadium. But, however you get 'em, I'm with you – finding clothes on the cheap (especially for the littles) are the way to go! Thanks for sharing your cute finds!

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