a wrap dress for less

Believe it or not, there's a downside to second hand shopping and bargain buys. Often, I end up with a plethora of random shirts, dresses and scarves that I will only wear once (my mother, boyfriend, and old roommates can attest). Piles of clothing later, its easy to forget about different items.

Yet during this bout of beautiful summer weather, I came across this printed wrap-dress from some random boutique store. A little short for work, I will definitely wear this out sometime soon.It's hard to tell, but the material is this fabulous spandex/polyester material. Stretches in all the right places, and feels great on the skin. This is starting to sound like a lotion commercial.

Anyways, I wanted to share with you a great way to recycle clothing that may fall into the "I haven't worn it in over a year/doesn't exactly fit/weird color" category.

Three choices:

1) Donate - a local Salvation Army, Goodwill, church or non-profit in your area are a great way to make sure your clothing goes to a good cause.

2) Consign - consignment shops will buy your clothes from you (usually in cash on the spot or with store credit, your choice). Don't expect the price you bought it for, usually you will receive around 20-30 percent of the original price. These items are usually name brands, depending on the type of consignment store. The best thing about consigning? Sometimes I'll earn more than I spend on new second hand pieces, making myself a nice little profit.

3) Trade - looking for something different to do with your friends? Try hosting a clothing swap. Super easy to do, and you would be surprised at what your friends are willing to give up. One [wo]man's trash is a another [wo]man's treasure!

So get going! Check out your closet and try to weed out pieces you no longer need. Don't be too hasty - that over-sized sweater or black skirt may come in handy down the road. Denim mini's and Abercrombie and Fitch can go. And if anyone is trying to do a clothing swap, you know how to reach me.

-J