Jamie is our newest Discover Goodwill makeover contest winner and as always, Ashley and I made a new friend and had a blast shopping and visiting with Jamie. This is my favorite part of our site…the Goodwill makeovers, showing women that no matter your age, size, profession, or bank account…you can find great deals and clothes at your local thrift store.
Jamie worked at Cheyenne Mountain Charter Academy for four years, teaching junior high history. As you can see, Jamie has a beautiful smile and she just exudes an upbeat, happy attitude. When she was talking about her years of teaching, she beamed. She shared that junior high was her favorite age to teach because the kids have such great curiosity and excitement about the world around them. Jamie said she loved watching her students light up and get impassioned about events in history that happened years ago and seeing them make application to their lives today. I’m thinking Jamie was one of those teachers we all hope and pray our children get!
An example of one of the many cute tops Jamie tried on….$3.99. If you shop thrift, you know that some trips can be more fruitful than others, depending on what’s available and the sizes. Jamie actually thought she was a size bigger than she is, so at first everything she tried on was just hanging on her and not showcasing her fabulous figure. On our particular shopping trip, we were a bit challenged finding something small enough for her, which just happens sometimes.
Even though Jamie loved the students, staff, and teaching at Cheyenne Mountain Charter Academy, she happily left after having her daughter Danielle, soon to turn one. Jamie said it had always been a dream of hers to be a mom and it was important to her and her husband for her to be home with their daughter during the early pivotal years.
Another cute top for $3.99. We saw tons of cute tops anywhere from $1.99 to $5.99 in pretty spring colors and prints. On this particular day, there were more large sizes than mediums or smalls. So if you’re looking to update your closet, you easily can without breaking the bank. (And if you have a day you can’t find much in your size, make sure you go back because the merchandise changes all the time…just depending on what’s getting donated.)
Quitting her job meant going down to (almost) one income, so they tightened the budget and have learned to do with less. (Jamie does work a few hours each week from home writing child bios for a child sponsorship program called One Child Matters www.onechildmatters.org ). Jamie actually heard about our website and contests from her friend (and our February winner), Megan, and Megan and Jamie know each other because both their husbands work at One Child Matters. Funny how that works sometimes. https://www.719woman.com/fashion/meet-megan-february-discover-goodwill-contest-winner/ Jamie said since quitting, she buys groceries based on sales and coupons, buys their clothes at thrift stores or store clearance racks and they eat out less, using groupon deals when the do. Now they enjoy having friends over for dinner and games, which happens to be my favorite thing to do! Cheap but great fun.
We all loved how this INC dress looked and fit on Jamie. The colors look great and the dress shows her figure off while still being comfortable. And she can wear this year-round, changing it up with accessories. This looks pretty with bare legs and flats or sandals for spring and fall and then come cold weather, tights and boots will work perfect. The dress was $7.99 and the necklace we added was $3.99.
Jamie enjoys reading, spending time with friends, cooking new foods, and the outdoors. Jamie and her husband enjoy hiking and camping and Jamie’s a runner who has completed two half-marathons and a full marathon, with plans to enter more.
This denim APT 9 dress ($7.99) was another winning outfit we all liked. And it’s another dress that can be worn year-round and the look can easily be changed up with heels and jewelry for a date with the hubby or flats for errands and chasing after Danielle.
Something as simple as a belt can change-up a look….both of these belts were $1.99 each.
This belt was 99 cents, the Antonio Melani flats were $4.99 and in perfect condition, and the bracelet was $2.99 or $3.99 (I forgot to write it down!)
Jamie said, “Not for one moment do I regret the decision to stay home with Danielle or the financial sacrifices that it has required. I love seeing her happy smiles when she wakes up from her naps, laughing over her little antics, and getting the opportunity to be there for all the important milestones…hearing her first words, watching her learn how to crawl, etc. She is such a joy to me, and I am so blessed to be able to stay home to take care of her.” And if I thought she beamed when talking about teaching, she was absolutely radiant, talking about her daughter.
It was a great day, we found two dresses and accessories for $25, and got to spend some time with a warm, friendly, and beautiful woman we most like would never have met! Thanks Jamie for entering the contest and you look gorgeous.
As usual, we thank Discover Goodwill for letting us use the dressing room for our photo shoots and all the help they offer while we’re shopping. We visited the Kelly Johnson location for this makeover and their mannequins looked so great, I kept taking them apart so Jamie could try on the outfits….by the time we came out of the dressing room, there were new outfits on the mannequins we had stripped, which I then proceeded to take apart for more fittings!
Our next makeover contest will start sometime early in April….