How about you? I go to the thrift store at least once a week, maybe three.... I did need to toss/give away 95 percent of my clothing....and now Im sure I have replaced that... but JUST have to check out that thrift store one more time...just in case there is something I have missed.

I have always liked cloths... have cultivated a style for myself...but when I was heavy (for most of 20years) I would feel like buying something else, because I never felt like I looked very good in anything. Clothing can only do so much for covering up the fact that you are fat. As I have lost weight, I feel like I do look good, better than before for sure. I can buy cloths that are not from the Womens dept. The thrift store is fine with me... we have a Goodwill close to work that carries fabulous things, designer, vintage and other... for a song. I don't make much money, and the thrift store prices are not breaking the bank... I just sort of hope I STOP the habit pretty soon or I will be drowning in cloths. I don't have great storage and do not want to live on a pile of cloths! I think part of what I am doing is finding my look.... I keep trying stuff on and looking in the mirror... to try and "see" myself... the new me. I am also scanning fashion blogs. I used to work in fashion display, and dressed windows and such, used to get paid for my fashion sense... after I got heavier and heavier, it was so hard for me to see myself in that context...very hard. What do you think? I do put some of the new cloths back in the recycle pile when I don't think I will end up wearing them... this helps...but I do feel a little frenzied.

...oh yes, I also am finding ways to "go out" more, see people I haven't seen in a while, hang out, and reintroduce my new self to the town again... Got to have something to do so I have an excuse to dress up! I even dress up to go to work, which does not care one way or the other... just part of the reinvention...

I got my husband addicted to the thrift store. We also don't make a lot of extra money and we both had surgery and had to replace our entire wardrobe. I went from a size 22/24W top to a size large or 14 and size 18/20W pants to size 8 or 10 depending on the style. He went from XXL to some L but now Med shirts and size 42 pants to size 32. I am buying him Nautica, Ralph Lauren Polo, and other designers clothes. I just picked up a pair of size 8 designer jeans for myself hat I saw at the department store for $70 for only $1.49. We are now down to only once a week stopping. I have made a list of wait I need to buy and try to keep it to what I need. Good Luck. Take inventory then try to keep to what you need. Other de cluttering says for every thing you bring in. If you buy something, remove one item and donate it to keep the closet from getting over crowded.

I have a lot of teacher clients that love to spend money. Short of going to shop-a-holics interventions, here are the suggestions I give to the teachers

1. Never take you credit card or debit cards with you.

2. Only take as much as you need to buy the one item you "NEED"

3. Now if you find other stuff you have choices - spend the limited cash you took on the item you "needed" or the item you saw and "wanted"

4. Now if you want the other stuff you have to go all the way home to get more money which is discouraging for shoppers.

5. When in doubt have someone else like spouse hold the money or at least call the spouse and get permission to go shopping.

Like dieting and losing weight have the will power to fight the spending.

Thanks guys! I think I need to go through the closet once again, organize and take a hard look at what I really want... and get those 3 bags of too large clothing out and to the thrift store! Its hard for me to see what I really even have on hand to wear... my closet is not very well designed. I think a weekly budget is a good idea. Once I spend it, then its over for the week... and if I dont spend it, perhaps it can go into a vacation fund or something else that is non clothing related. I write down everything I eat, perhaps I need to write down everything I spend for a while, to get in touch with what I am really doing.

Reading your post totally creeped me out! It was like it was my post but I was like.. I don't remember telling anyone this...lol I do the EXACT same thing.. I find the most awesome things at the thrift shop.. people at work ask me all the time where I get stuff and I laugh it off... "This top was 3 bucks" lol

If bargain shopping has replaced chips and dip I'll take it! I find I am also cleaning a lot more and organizing. These are all positive things as far as I'm concerned

How about you? I go to the thrift store at least once a week, maybe three.... I did need to toss/give away 95 percent of my clothing....and now Im sure I have replaced that... but JUST have to check out that thrift store one more time...just in case there is something I have missed.

I have always liked cloths... have cultivated a style for myself...but when I was heavy (for most of 20years) I would feel like buying something else, because I never felt like I looked very good in anything. Clothing can only do so much for covering up the fact that you are fat. As I have lost weight, I feel like I do look good, better than before for sure. I can buy cloths that are not from the Womens dept. The thrift store is fine with me... we have a Goodwill close to work that carries fabulous things, designer, vintage and other... for a song. I don't make much money, and the thrift store prices are not breaking the bank... I just sort of hope I STOP the habit pretty soon or I will be drowning in cloths. I don't have great storage and do not want to live on a pile of cloths! I think part of what I am doing is finding my look.... I keep trying stuff on and looking in the mirror... to try and "see" myself... the new me. I am also scanning fashion blogs. I used to work in fashion display, and dressed windows and such, used to get paid for my fashion sense... after I got heavier and heavier, it was so hard for me to see myself in that context...very hard. What do you think? I do put some of the new cloths back in the recycle pile when I don't think I will end up wearing them... this helps...but I do feel a little frenzied.

...oh yes, I also am finding ways to "go out" more, see people I haven't seen in a while, hang out, and reintroduce my new self to the town again... Got to have something to do so I have an excuse to dress up! I even dress up to go to work, which does not care one way or the other... just part of the reinvention...

Reading your post totally creeped me out! It was like it was my post but I was like.. I don't remember telling anyone this...lol I do the EXACT same thing.. I find the most awesome things at the thrift shop.. people at work ask me all the time where I get stuff and I laugh it off... "This top was 3 bucks" lol

If bargain shopping has replaced chips and dip I'll take it! I find I am also cleaning a lot more and organizing. These are all positive things as far as I'm concerned

I have to say I do really enjoy it, and so far its not getting in the way of anything else thats important to me...finances, or relationships... I think really, I just need a GIANT makeover... and prefer recycling and vintage as style accents. Im ready to go and cut off my (thinning) waist length hair this week too... that will cost me more than a week at the thrift store for sure...I would prefer to leave it long, but the thinning is really making it look not so nice, and I have short little new hair growing all over my head... that looks weird. I do get a thrill out of change too... and now that the weight loss is slowing way down, I may be filling up my desire for thrills with some other thrilling activities!

Thanks for letting me know I am not alone in the thrift store!

I am LOVING shopping! I have also discovered that EBay is a great way to get rid of nice clothing that's too big--some of which I just bought at the beginning of the summer that is now way too big!!

I think the key is that the activity doesn't get in the way of any other part of your life. If it got embarrassing to me, caused guilt, messed up my finances, or brought stress to my relationships, then it would be something I would definitely examine. Meanwhile, I am really enjoying wearing cute, fashionable clothes and CUTE SHOES! There are many worse ways to be occupied.

I am a bit worried that I buy far too much, I get loads off eBay and from Charity (Thrift) shops. I don't seem to be able to stop, and I can't wear it all! Must get self in hand, I think I am a bit bored at the moment but work is dull. I do have a series of stonking outfits if I have to do more on client site stuff but it's pointless when I am working from home :-(

I am a bit worried that I buy far too much, I get loads off eBay and from Charity (Thrift) shops. I don't seem to be able to stop, and I can't wear it all! Must get self in hand, I think I am a bit bored at the moment but work is dull. I do have a series of stonking outfits if I have to do more on client site stuff but it's pointless when I am working from home :-(

I am trying to get out of the house more... just to wear the new cloths! Just having my own personal fashion shows in the mirror is not enough. I cut my hair yesterday, and love it too... but just getting out of the house to hang out with some nice gals that appreciate fashion was a perk too! I think the museum or some galleries is next. (Galleries are FREE...so they may have to come first)

I go to the thrift stores too, I actually prefer them, I don't want to look like I am wearing new clothes. I like the look of a older weathered shirt and jeans, makes it look like I have been a Medium for a long time when it has only been a month.

I go to the thrift stores too, I actually prefer them, I don't want to look like I am wearing new clothes. I like the look of a older weathered shirt and jeans, makes it look like I have been a Medium for a long time when it has only been a month.

Good thinking there manxy! I like the unusualness of thrift shop clothes, the high streets all look the same to me these days, the same shops with the same styles, so these odd shops allow individualism.

I go to the thrift stores too, I actually prefer them, I don't want to look like I am wearing new clothes. I like the look of a older weathered shirt and jeans, makes it look like I have been a Medium for a long time when it has only been a month.

OK an illustration of the way I think now, which may resonate with how I was about food. Today I went back to our local Charity (Thrift) shop and found a Karen Millen silver dress I had tried on previously, and not bought, had been reduced from £30 to £15. It did look nice before so I bought it. There was a dress on eBay for around £40 I liked so on the back of saving all that money on a new and tagged Karen Millen dress (RRP £160) I felt I could justify a further £40 on the other dress. This is warped logic and I don't seem to be able to stop myself. Also it's impossible to just stop spending money as you cannot go cold turkey unless you get someone else to be in charge of your finances which would be humiliating. Aaaargggh!!

OK an illustration of the way I think now, which may resonate with how I was about food. Today I went back to our local Charity (Thrift) shop and found a Karen Millen silver dress I had tried on previously, and not bought, had been reduced from £30 to £15. It did look nice before so I bought it. There was a dress on eBay for around £40 I liked so on the back of saving all that money on a new and tagged Karen Millen dress (RRP £160) I felt I could justify a further £40 on the other dress. This is warped logic and I don't seem to be able to stop myself. Also it's impossible to just stop spending money as you cannot go cold turkey unless you get someone else to be in charge of your finances which would be humiliating. Aaaargggh!!

I think if I wrote down EVERYTHING I spent, just like I do everything I eat, I might think twice about at least a few of my purchases.

Hiya: I can sooo relate...I started off just using thrift stores to save money as I was losing weight so quickly. Now I am losing more slowly (158 lbs. from top 249lbs) and I am so pumped with being able to buy smalls that I keep going back and spending a few hundred every couple of months...now starting to sneek clothes into the house. I have also started buying shoes like crazy because my feet are smaller and slimmer...I am having fun, though but husband and teen girls are scolding me constantly and I feel guilty. I cannot fit another thing into my closet (probably two 5 feet lengths of rail). I guess it would be worse if I switched to drinking or gambling..lol.

Thankfully I am not having to go to the Thrift shops yet. I am still shopping from my closet. Keeping those 4 sizes smaller has been a real positive for once.