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Monday, January 2, 2023

My Favorite Gifts, pt. 3


I wear long-sleeved knit tops all winter. They move with me when I'm doing housework or working out and are easily laundered. Most of my current batch of around-the-house tops are 10 to 15 years old and wearing thin or developing multiple holes. I typically shop at Value Village for tops like these, because if the shirts are inexpensive, I won't worry about wearing them while I'm working in the home or the garden. 

What I don't like about getting new tops is the actual clothes shopping for myself.  So the best gift someone could get for me, with regards to clothes, is to do the shopping. And the best people to do this sort of shopping would be my daughters. 

I gave them a list of what I was looking for - long sleeves, t-shirt knits, slim fitting, tunic length, thrifted -- and asked for 1 shirt from Value Village or Goodwill. My daughters were beyond generous. They gave me a stack  of tops (5 to be exact) from Value Village and Goodwill. They did a good job finding shirts I would like. Some are 3/4 sleeves, so I'll be able to wear these in spring and fall too. And I love that my daughters bought these at thrift stores, both so I would be more likely to actually wear them (not "save" them) and that they saved money on my gift.


16 comments:

  1. What a lovely thing to do! I dislike shopping also especially with today's style of clothing. I have better luck at Goodwill type stores although sometimes it takes multiple visits since each day has different inventory. Having someone shop for me would be difficult so I'm glad no one does that for me but glad it worked for you
    Alice

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    1. Hi Alice,
      It was really nice to have someone do the shopping for me. I agree, I can find more of what I think looks nice, is good quality, while still affordable at thrift stores as opposed to stores in the mall. But it can take several visits, as you've pointed out.

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  2. You've taught them well! Great job, girls! And how fun to receive five new-to-you shirts!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Cat. Yep, I'm a happy camper with my 5 new shirts.

      Delete
  3. You've received some wonderful gifts that were easy on the pocketbooks, yet very practical and appreciated. I think telling your children what you want is such a good idea.

    Recently I've noticed the sad condition of my clothes. I've been wearing the same clothing year to year without noticing how worn it was. My husband would often ask me if I wanted something new. I think it bothered him more than me. We had a discussion a few nights ago, and realized that I don't care what I wear because I've bought clothes because they were cheap, not because I liked and wanted to wear it. I decided to change that. Every year in January I'm going to weed through my closet and take down clothes that are worn and buy ones that I like. I'm not going to buy based on price, but based on preference. I bought two new to me tops from Savers that were more than I would normally pay. I'm going to the mall today, because I want some inspiration and ideas how to alter a few pieces from my bin of clearanced clothes. My husband said he wants me to buy myself something from the mall that I like. I haven't done that in over 40 years.

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    1. Forgot to sign off, it's me lol

      Laura

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    2. I dont know where my comment went, it was pretty long. Sorry for messing this up. Just wanted to say you had some wonderful and practical gifts that didn't break any pocketbooks. And for once in 40 years, recently I've finally decided to pay more attention to my clothes.

      Laura

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    3. How fun! And how sweet that your husband is on board! I hope you enjoy your wardrobe refresh!

      Cat

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    4. Thanks Cat for your sweet comment!!

      Hmm, don't know why I didn't see that the comment was published. My eyes are playing tricks on me or I was impatient.

      Laura

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    5. Hi Laura,
      Wishing you luck in your trip to the mall to find a new item of clothing. And I agree with Cat, that's so sweet that your husband wants you to find and buy something for yourself without focus on price or savings.

      Your eyes are not playing tricks on you. I had to drop my daughter at her work this morning, followed by taking my husband to the bus stop to get downtown for his work, leaving me with only enough time to read comments then check the comment folder and moving your comment back where it belonged. I've noticed that sometimes this blogging platform puts comments that should be published into the spam folder for no apparent reason. That happened with yours this morning. I caught it around 7 AM PST and put it where it belonged. Just now getting time to go online and write responses to comments. The odd thing is I can read your original comment in my email even when it went to the spam folder. There was no indication that the comment wasn't published at that time. Go figure. Just an occasional glitch. Anyway, enjoy yourself at the mall today.

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  4. Kudos to those savvy daughters of yours! Shows they know you and listen to you! Enjoy something new to wear. That can lift your spirits to put on something new to you! Plus, another up side is that they kept those nice tops out of the trash. Can't believe people actually trash useable clothing.

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    1. Hi Linda,
      They did a great job shopping for me. I know -- why would someone throw something into the trash that still looks good.

      My daughters recently went to the Goodwill Outlet near us. This is where Goodwill items go when they don't sell in the stores. The two of them found several very nice clothing items for themselves. Goodwill Outlets sell everything by the pound. So instead of ticketing each item, the cashier weighs it all and you pay according to the weight. I bought a Calvin Klein dress there in 2019 for about 75 cents and a hand mixer for about 94 cents. Bargains, bargains, bargains, and less goes into a landfill.

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    2. Sure wish we had a Goodwill Outlet near us...that sounds great! Our Goodwill has even gotten quite pricey. Yet, I'm with you...I can often find something there that is cut more to my liking and fit than current fashion. So many retail items are cut for the younger ladies bodies, arms and height. Plus, if it survived some wear and washing...it will hold up as opposed to some brand new items.

      Delete
  5. That's just the kind of shirt I live in, too. How nice to have 5 new-to-you ones. I'm afraid the males around here will be not be clothes shopping for me. While I think they would do fine, they are not confident in the women's clothing realm.

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    1. Hi Live and Learn,
      I chuckled at your comment about the men in your family likely not doing your clothes shopping. It's a tough area for my husband, too. My daughters, on the other hand, love to clothes shop. So in some ways, asking for them to shop for me wasn't such a big ask.

      Delete
  6. Well done, daughters! I like it that they got you 5 new-to-you shirts. You'll feel like a whole new woman in your extended wardrobe!

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