How I got chique shoes, pants, and a purse absolutely FREE!

I love passing on good deals, especially when they are something that I feel good about and make the world a better place. And what is better than FREE STUFF?!

It's a little something I'd like to call gratitude shopping. 

Gratitude shopping is simply searching through your closet to find a hidden treasure, something you'd forgotten you had, or that needed some TLC before you could actually use it. It's being grateful for what we already have-- and remembering why we loved something in the first place.

And everyone can afford it!

In fact, it even makes us richer.

If I could find some hidden treasures in this bare-bones closet, I think anyone can!

My haul:

Purse:

I only got this purse a few months ago, but I managed to get the handle stuck in the car between my seat and the center console. Obviously next step was just to yank really hard, which I did and ripped a gash the handle.

Awesome.

So I still use it every day, but look kind of like a hobo.

The rip is obvious,
but it wasn't until I took this picture that I noticed how DIRTY it had gotten!

 I hot-glued the rip and then scrubbed the whole thing down with rubbing alcohol.

It magically grew pockets too!

Tadah! Good as new!

Jeans:

I've had these Old Navy jeans for a few years, but I hardly wore them because they're not the right shape! If my body continued to widen like an ice cream cone, these would be perfect, but I think I'm not alone in needing the waistband to actually hold my pants up.
Imagine that!
So I tailored them. It didn't take long for my Old Navy jeans to become Oldavy, and now they stay up!

And no, I'm not holding my pants up.
They stay where they belong!
Hallelujah!

Shoes:

Okay, so I didn't do anything to these shoes. I just found them, dusted them off, and decided to wear them with pants. Apparently dress shoes with pants is a thing now.
I should know these things.

They also make fun dress-up shoes for my kids.

I'm not out to grace the cover of a magazine, but it's great to have some great everyday clothes for only the cost of a little TLC and gratitude.

I'm grateful for the things I already have. With all the problems in the fashion industry, the most immediate change I can make is simply to value my possessions. Businesses would push us to buy more, faster, impulsively, as if having more things will make our lives better.
But it doesn't.
Gratitude does.