Gloria Vanderbilt jeans have always fitted me well and I make a bee [...]]]> We live in a small town, and the nearest mall is 45 minutes from where I am. So to get there is a mission. But we have a couple of great thrift stores in town. Goodwill is huge and my favorite for jeans.

Gloria Vanderbilt jeans have always fitted me well and I make a bee line for the jeans racks when I get there. And usually I score. My latest pair, that fit like a glove, looked like they had never been worn. They are denim stretch, that darker streaky color. We all know you can dress ‘em up – or down. I love to wear mine with my Ugg boots (ok so I didn’t get these at a thrift store, unless Costco fits that category!) but I don’t think anybody ever part with Uggs.

Another way to expand your wardrobe without spending money is to have a clothes swap, or a “Naked Lady Party.” If you have never been to one, or heard about them, you are in for a treat. A group of friends will get together, bringing their extra clothes out of their closets. Whether they don’t fit any more, you are tired of them, whatever, it doesn’t matter.

All the guests get to check out the goods as they arrive and then draw a number to determine who goes first, second etc. By that time, most have picked out the things they like and have surreptitiously  tried to make them less conspicuous until their turn. Then the person who got the first number chooses and so on, until everyone has pretty much taken what they want.

Everyone wins, you clean out your closet, you get a new wardrobe and the balance that is left can go to the thrift store! And it’s a lot of fun, especially when you run across a friend in the future who is wearing – and looking good in – one of your discarded pieces of clothing.

Now Sally has started a movement [...]]]> This morning, contrary to my usual routine, I sat down in front of the TV to watch the news, something I rarely do. It was Channel 5 and a young woman name Sally Bjornsen was being interviewed. What she is doing intrigued me and prompted me to create this blog.

Now Sally has started a movement called The Great American Apparel Diet where members swear off buying any new clothes for a year, barring underwear, accessories and shoes. Sally’s idea stemmed from one day, looking in her closet and realizing that she wears the same clothes over and over and that she had far too many clothes.

At that point, boing! A lightbulb went off and I thought, we go one better than that.

We certainly haven’t stopped buying clothes – far from it! In fact, not a week goes by that we haven’t been shopping. But our shopping is completely guilt-free and is a win-win for everyone. You see, we shop at thrift stores. Goodwill, Salvation Army, you name the charity, we shop there.

When I say our and we, I mean me and my best friend Susan, and we are sometimes referred to as Dos Susanas or Susan Squared. A year or so ago, both of us were desperate to loose some weight, and found what we consider a miracle diet. Our results were almost instantaneous, leaving us flopping around in our now-oversized clothes. What to do? The weight kept falling off – and so did the clothes. A pound a day meant clothes that fit last week were now a size, or more, too big. This really is no exaggeration. And as we all know how expensive clothing is, it was a real dilemma! Susan decided it was time to hit the local Goodwill.

And what a treasure trove it has turned out to be. Designer labels for under $10, some still with labels intact. And the best part? If you don’t like it when you get home, or in our case, if we grew out of it in a week, we could donate it back to the store. The ultimate reduce, reuse, recycle. Our buying provides jobs, we help the environment, and we look good in the process.

So here’s our challenge. We think it will be a lot easier than Sally’s.

Spend a year buying only from thrift stores and consignment stores, recycling unwanted items back to them and look – and feel – good doing it. Let us know about the treasures you find, your experiences, and your insights into giving back. The only things to buy new would be underwear, because -eeeooow – nobody wants used undies!

In the next couple of days, we will give you some tips on how to find the best deals, how to shop in these stores and some of our favorite pieces of clothing.