Our 2012 Thrift Store Models and Contest Winners…..And Their Fab Finds!

These thrift store makeovers have been one of my very favorite things we’ve done on our site! We have shown how; no matter your age, body shape or profession, you can find fabulous outfits for next to nothing. Some of the women are “models” who bought their own outfits we found, and some are our contest winners. All of our contest winning shopping was done at Goodwill, except for one, which was done at Hangers in Monument. Most of our model’s clothes came from Goodwill also but some of the items came from arc and Salvation Army. ANY thrift store you shop at can help others, save you money, and help our planet by recycling.

Every single person I met was beautiful inside and out and I feel very lucky to have met so many new and wonderful women (and girls) this past year! We’ll have a new contest starting later this month….

Megan was our very first Goodwill contest winner. This outfit consists of a $7.99 Vera Wang dress, $1.99 belt, and $2.99 turquoise necklace for a total of $12.97 (before tax). This went so well that I was determined we’d have a contest every month (which we have). Look how beautiful Megan looks AND she had just had a baby 8 weeks before this…

Sarah’s one of my best friends and started shopping thrift stores when she became pregnant and saw how expensive maternity clothes are. She works in a corporate office so we found her some business attire but also some comfy and cute outfits. Motherhood jeans from Goodwill for $3.00 and a Motherhood top for $2.50 from arc….total cost $5.50

Christine’s a teacher (and my sister-in-law). We found this All That Jazz dress for $7.99, which looked fabulous with these $4.99 shoes (all from Goodwill). This was still in the beginning of me doing these so I didn’t always get enough pictures (now I takes hundreds!)….So while we loved this combination, we ended up buying a different pair of shoes she thought more comfortable (but at the same price). Christine wanted something she could wear on a date night….the dress, shoes and necklace cost $15.97 (and her husband loved this outfit too!)

Michele was our second Goodwill winner and mom of four. This outfit we found for her has been one of our “best deals” found! The entire outfit (for everything) cost only $13.06! Ann Taylor pants $2.79, Chaps cardigan $2.50, Karen Scott top $2.99, necklace $1.99 and Life Stride pumps $2.79….what a deal! Michele was accompanied by her husband and kids and the entire family was super nice…and they were all excited for mom!

Charlotte is a friend of mine and you might have seen her in our Goodwill Hunting Video. Charlotte is a professional photographer and likes to wear comfy clothes (she does dress up for wedding shots!) when working. We found these Covington jeans for $3.99, The Limited top for $2.09 and one of my favorite finds….these $7.99 Jessica Simpson pumps….total cost of this outfit was $14.04!

I had never visited Hangers before and now that I’ve been, I wish it were closer to where I live! I had met Haley Chapin, executive director at Tri-Lakes Cares when we did a radio program together, and when I heard about this great program and the thrift store they ran, I wanted to check it out. I called Haley and asked if she could help me find someone in the area who needed/deserved a “new” outfit. I had planned on paying but they picked up the tab, which was super nice of them. Anyway, Ester was our winner and we found her some great outfits to wear while job searching. Not only is Ester a single mom of two, which one of her children has special needs, she had also just finished up chemo for liver cancer. Wow….and she has such an upbeat attitude! The skirt is Fleur de Peche and cost $4.00, the shoes are $6.00 and the Express top was $4.00 for a grand total of $14.00…. http://www.tri-lakescares.org/programs-a-services/hangers-thrift-shop.html The store is set up super cute and the staff is wonderful!

Teresa was one of our volunteer models we shopped with at Goodwill. Teresa attends a yearly formal attire event and always finds fabulous dresses for dirt cheap. This beautiful Bari Jay dress only cost ……$9.09! Seriously. Besides her “day job”, Teresa is a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant and helped me with one of our future contest winners, donating her time and services to help make someone else’s dream come true….I swear, all of these women have huge hearts and great personalities!

Aimee was nother volunteer model we shopped with at Goodwill. And if you can believe this….she was pregnant with her SEVENTH child! She looks radiant in this Bellina maternity dress ($3.99) paired with these shoes, in perfect condition, ($3.99) for an inexpensive but beautiful outfit that only cost $7.98.

Ashley helps me with as many of our Goodwill makeovers as she can (she also works full-time). She has a style sense that’s different from mine (maybe it’s because she’s young enough to be my daughter?), which makes it fun and easier to pull looks together for others. American Eagle chambray shirt $2.99, purple tank $3.99, J Crew color denim jeans $5.99, $1.99 belt, and fabulous Banana Republic shoes $6.00….all from Goodwill for a total of $20.96!

We had a back to school contest for the kiddos and here were our three darling winners…..You know, I had been a bit “worried” about this contest because shopping thrift stores can require a bit of patience. But these three were patient, appreciative, and fun! Each trip was great!

Hannah, age 8, met me at Goodwill with her three sisters and mom Renee. What I loved about this experience, besides finding some cute clothes, was meeting this family. The girls were all about finding something for Hannah, not asking for things for themselves, and dad showed up so that Hannah could model her outfits for him. The entire family was so nice….mom and dad call the girls “The Blessings”! We found this dress for $1.99 and the denim jacket was also $1.99….the enite cost of this adorable outfit was only $3.98!

Maddie, age 11, was one of our winners, entered in the contest by a friend of her mom. (It was Teresa, one of our earlier models). This Goodwill shopping trip touched me too. Maddie’s mom is a single mom, working and going to school. Her friend Teresa wanted to do something nice so she entered Maddie in our contest….Maddie’s brother joined us too. And while we bought Maddie’s clothes, Teresa purchased a couple of things for Maddie’s brother….just to help out a friend! The Almost Famous jeans cost $3.99 and the super cute Faded Glory checkered top was $2.99 for an outfit costing only $6.98!

Gia, age 10, is my beautiful granddaughter. And not shy! She loved this pair of Harry Potter pants ($1.99), which we first paired with the white Gap top ($2.09). We then added the brown top ($2.09), which added color and made the whole outfit look totally different. The total cost of this outfit was $6.17…..of course, we did buy a WHOLE LOT more while we were there! (At Goodwill).

Jen is the host of KKTV’s Moms Everyday segment and also an actress. She’s on TV every day so she needs clothes she can mix and match to stretch out her wardrobe. We found these AB Studio pants for $3.99, the top was $4.99 and the BRAND NEW (with the tags still on) Calvin Klein cardigan for $5.99! The entire ensemble was $14.97 and all pieces she can pair with other items in her closet. http://www.facebook.com/pages/KKTV-Moms-Everyday/435450239815466 (Jen has been nice enough to have us on her show and she’s done some cooking with me!

Shannon was our Goodwill Military Contest Winner….she’s been a military wife for 19 years! This was a fun contest because it included hair, clothes, makeup, jewelry and lunch! (We’ll do a couple of similar contests this year). Shannon has on a great pair of Sag Harbor pants ($3.99) with an Old Navy top for $2.99 and our deal of the day….a brand new, tags still on, Newport News jacket for $7.99….great look and versatile pieces for only $14.97…..Shannon and I literally spent an entire day together, which could be strange when you don’t know someone, but we had a blast and I was so happy she had a day of pampering!

Sarah, another Goodwill winner, works and goes to school. She typically wears sweats in black and grey but wanted to find something with color, and more feminine, but still comfortable. Well, we found it in this outfit! The Caliche dress was only $5.59, the necklace $4.99 and this great Sonoma sweater, which looks wonderful with her coloring, was $4.99 for a total of $15.57. Sarah got engaged soon after this shopping trip….now I’m not taking credit for the proposal, just saying…..(Congrats!)

Carrie was a Goodwill winner, who also happened to be a friend of mine. (We randomly choose the winners). She works full time as a medical center manager and takes culinary classes (with her husband!) When Carrie and I spotted this Hillard and Hanson jacket, we were both hoping it was in our size….(she won). The jacket was $7.99 and the Mossimo skirt only…..ONE DOLLAR! Entire cost of the outfit was $8.99 and she can wear both pieces with tons of other items.

Jennifer is our most current Goodwill winner and like a lot of the other women, wanted to incorporate some color into her wardrobe. We found this fabulous Volume 1 dress for $5.59 which looks great with the $4.99 Chaps jacket and $1.39 black scarf.  This outfit cost a whopping $11.97! Jennifer had fun experimenting with clothes she wouldn’t normally try on and we had a blast shopping.

So, as you can see…..anyone and everyone can find something fabulous at thrift stores! I’ve heard people say they can’t find anything when they shop at thrift stores or that it takes too long. Well, I’ve shopped at the mall for an entire day and walked out empty-handed and so far, we have found all these outfits in only one shopping trip. I am so happy doing this, meeting lovely ladies, and helping them find clothes that look great but don’t cost a lot. Thanks to everyone for participating! And while we encourage shopping at any thrift store in your area, Goodwill is my “go to” store….the staff is wonderful and there’s a lot of locations to choose from, which makes it more convenient to meet up with our winners.

I’m looking forward to our new contests this year!