Last month, the Thrifty Six brightened up January with some fabulously bold and brilliant styles in a beautiful array of rainbow hues. It was just what my soul needed in the middle of this long, gray winter and I quickly realized that I need to wear more bright colors this time of year for an instant mood boost. I think my Thrifty Six sisters would agree since Grace chose “Tickle Me Pink” as the theme for February…one of the main colors that I wore to brighten up January. It seems that pink is my favorite color these days. And now I cannot get the lyrics to Aerosmith’s “Pink” out of…

Here we are in the deepest, coldest, grayest part of winter in the North Country and I am scrambling to type this post at the last minute hoping I don’t lose internet connection. I can hear this giant ice and snow storm pelting my house. It sounds sort of like someone is throwing rock salt against the windows with an unwavering consistency. I took a peek out into the darkness of 4:30 a.m. and the snow was blowing so wildly at about 40 mph that it looks like there some sort of apocalyptic event going on out there. The weather people are predicting total snow accumulations of 8-12 inches before…

How did we get to the end of the year so quickly? With the New Year fast approaching, Grace has chosen New Year’s Eve outfits for our thrifty theme this month. Before I get to fashion talk, however, first I am going to share a story, a kind of sad story, about my own New Year’s Eve tradition and it came to be. When it comes to New Year’s Eve, I am very much a homebody. I have always been. I remember New Year’s Eve of 1990. I was 16 and it was the first year that I was invited to a party outside of my own home and I…

Here we are in coat season again and I don’t think I am quite ready for the cold. With only five weeks of autumn remaining on this year’s calendar, Jane has appropriately chosen jackets and coats as our thrifty theme this month. Coats are one of my very favorite things to shop for in secondhand stores. You really do get the most value for your money when purchasing preloved coats. I have found many beautiful coats in my thrifting adventures and like my wardrobe as a whole, I would guess that about 30% of my coat wardrobe has been acquired secondhand in one way or another. This is the time…

This month it was Nancy‘s turn to choose a theme for our thrifty group and she went for Fool’s Gold. The term fool’s gold originally referred to the mineral iron pyrite which has a metallic luster and a pale brassy yellowish hue often mistaken for actual gold. Eventually the term transitioned to an idiom that means a flashy but otherwise worthless investment. Kind of appropriate for a thrifty theme, I think. Not very many of my thrifted items have any value at all other than they are super cute additions to my very rich wardrobe! Perhaps a worthless investment but there is value in the way my new preloved clothing…