It’s funny how things work sometimes. This month’s winner of our back-to-school contest is actually the daughter of a volunteer model we used to model maternity finds at Goodwill in May of 2012. I had never met Aimee before (and hadn’t seen her since) but I knew she was an “old pro” at thrifting as we shopped and found some fabulous finds. Of course once I realized Aimee was pregnant with her seventh child, yes I said seventh, I knew she had to be a pretty savvy shopper for everything she bought!
Anyway, Aimee has two teen daughters and she entered the contest and won. Since the girls wear the same size and have similar tastes, I had both of them come along. Our goal was to find a couple of cute outfits for $25…and of course we did!
Love this outfit on Madeline, who likes to be called Madi, and all the pieces can be worn with other items she already owns. The Cherokee pants she has on can be rolled up or down, giving them a totally different look. These were $3.99. Her top is Loft ($2.99) and her white Gloria Vanderbilt tank is $1.99. We found these bronze sandals for $3.99 which brings the total of this outfit to $12.96.
These are Gabriella’s (Gabi’s) shorts she wore to shop in. The XXI top, which would look cute with jeans, shorts of course, or capris was $2.99.
The Old Navy capris Madi’s wearing were marked $3.99 but on sale for 30% off which made them $2.79 and her Elle top (love the color!) was $2.99, which made this outfit cost $5.78. Not bad! If you add in the cost of her $3.99 sandals, the entire ensemble comes in at less than ten dollars.
I think it’s great the girls can wear the same size which doubles their wardrobe. Now Gabi has on the Elle top with her own shorts. The color looks beautiful on both of them.
Gabi is 14 and even though she’s excited about starting her first year in high school, said she’ll miss sleeping in. We know how you feel Gabi! Madi’s 13 and will be in the 8th grade. She too is excited about school starting but never wants summer to end. She loves swimming and playing outside.
Madi has on the Old Navy capris which we topped with a No Justice grey and white layered top ($2.99.) We liked the top and the capris but agreed the colors together were a little “bland.” The top would look really cute with a pair of skinny jeans, which she did try on, I just failed to get a picture.
Love this Sequence Hearts dress on Gabi! It was $4.99 and she can wear a little black sweater or bolero jacket with it to make it more “school appropriate.” A cropped denim jacket, black tights and boots will turn this cute summery dress into a colder weather outfit too. Love it! Gabi told me she enjoys crafty things and has fun looking for treasures at Goodwill to make things with.
Madi looks fabulous in bright colors and this outfit only cost $7.98. The white capris are Aeropostle, which along with her purple Uproar top looks perfect. Both pieces were $3.99 each. When I asked Madi what else she liked to do besides swimming and being outdoors, she said she likes doing crafts with her sister.
I have to say, shopping with Madi and Gabi was not only fun, but super easy. They shared a dressing room so they could both try on all the clothes and were so nice and pleasant to each other…were they really sisters? Seriously, two teen sisters who not only get along with each other but like each other. I think that also speaks volumes for their mom Aimee. I wondered what the girls thought about shopping at Goodwill and wearing thrift clothes to school and I loved both their answers…
Gabi said she “prefers thrifting because she can get name-brand clothing a whole lot cheaper than at retail stores.” Madi told me “thrift shopping can be so much fun. I love looking for good deals on nice clothing because you never know what you will find.”
Gabi looks great in bold colors too…heck, both the girls looked pretty in everything! The She’s School dress was priced at $3.99 (which she can also wear with tights and little flats or boots in the colder months,) and the belt was priced at 99 cents.
Aimee, it was a delight shopping with your daughters and they are both so sweet. Aimee said they help out a lot with their younger siblings. They seemed to be patient, kind and very intelligent, not to mention gorgeous! And they had no attitude. No arguing who was getting what, no asking for more, just easy-going, nice girls who were happy to be shopping at Goodwill and finding some really cool outfits.
We shopped at the Discover Goodwill location off Powers (on Waynoka) and as always, the staff was friendly and helpful, and I think the customers and staff around the dressing rooms enjoyed the fashion show!
Gabi has on the orange Elle top (this was a huge hit!) which cost $2.99. We paired it with American Eagle jeans ($3.99) and a $3.99 necklace and $1.99 tank bringing her outfit to a total of $12.96. Madi’s wearing skinny jeans ($3.99) with a purple Old Navy top that was priced at $3.99 but on sale for 30% off, making them $2.70. Along with her $1.99 tank, her outfit cost $8.77. Everything the girls have on came to $21.73 which is a pretty good price for two teenage outfits and they look fabulous.
I mean, how cute are they? And their outfits could have come from any high-end department store!
I loved what Gabi added, “It’s pretty fun sharing clothes with my sister. It’s like borrowing clothes from your best friend, except that she’s my built-in best friend.”
*We’ll have another Discover Goodwill back-to-school contest starting later today.