Cross Country Phone Photos

I'm here, safe and sound in San Fran! Joe and I drove through nine states over the course of two days: Michigan - Indiana - Illinois - Iowa -Nebraska - Wyoming - Utah - Nevada - California. I thought western Wyoming was particularly beautiful.

Below are some of my favorite images from the trip. The quality leaves something to be desired, but this is what you get when shooting with your phone through a window at 70 + mph.





I should have some wrinkly posts coming up early next week. I just started to organize my closet yesterday, wore me out, ha. We downsized our living space, which means I will need to downsize my wardrobe. I'm going to make an appointment with a vintage shop down the street to see if they want to purchase anything. I'll let you know how that goes. The rest goes to Goodwill and possibly Buffalo Exchange.

At some point in the future I plan to share my explorations of nearby vintage / resale clothing shops with you all. Posts about efficiently decorating our studio apartment may also come into play.

Looking forward to it.

What Would the Colonel Wear?

Last weekend Joe and I went on a mini-vacation / road trip to Kentucky - just a little way to celebrate the completion of his MBA. We stopped in Louisville, Lexington and Corbin.

My favorite stop was Louisville, specifically Bardstown Road, which has a lot of cool shops, restaurants, bars, etc. We shopped vinyl at a couple record stores, had dinner, played some vintage arcade games and tasted Graeter's Ice Cream. All in all a great night.

Joe would probably choose Saturday as his favorite. We started the day out at a Toy Antique Mall and THEN drove a couple hours south to visit the birthplace of the 11 herbs and spices - the original Harland Sanders Café



We had some lunch and paid our respects to the Colonel.



My plan was to wear a white dress that day so I would match the Colonel, but the weather was very unpredictable. Instead I settled for a white skirt and this bright striped top I bought at Goodwill. I bought it on the first Saturday in April, which means it was 50% off.

Unfortunately, I had to pull it out of my laundry basket to take this photo.



So that was last weekend. This weekend has been fun as well. Yesterday morning we had breakfast at a Bloomington dive called Wee Willie's and then went to a community garage sale. I've been to quite a few joint garage sales in the past, but this one kept going and going and going...

We bought a few things. One is this collection of string that I got for $1. I'm excited to make some bright friendship bracelets.



This morning we checked out $.99 Sunday at Goodwill. I didn't buy anything, but I took a second to reflect on all the great purchases of the past since this will be my last $.99 Sunday! Not sure I mentioned it yet, but Joe and I will be saying our farewells to Bloomington at the end of this week. More on that to come.

Back with a $2.99 Outfit!

Hi guys. I kinda fell off the face of blog-earth over the last week. Everything is fine - just life getting in the way and since Real Life > Blog Life, I've been forced to neglect wrinkled dollar. I'm back now, although I may periodically duck out. I appreciate my readers very much and hope you will see me through this high stress time. I will be back full force once things cool down a little. With that said, I still plan to post, maybe just not as much as I have in the past.

So, let's get to it. Here's an outfit I wore last week when the weather still felt Spring-like. Miss you sun.



I purchased these white shorts on $.99 Goodwill Sunday. I'm pretty sure they were some little dude's tennis shorts in the 80's, but they fit well and are in great condition. I predict they will get some major wear this summer.



Do you <3 2 hate?

Here's the break down of this $2.99 outfit. The shorts, as mentioned above, are from Goodwill and the top is from the Disabled Veteran's Thrift Store.



The blouse is originally from New York & Co. It was 1/2 off at the DAV!



A very feminine outfit and one very vulnerable to stains. I'm quite clumsy. We'll see how long the shorts last. Even if I only get a few wears out of them I only paid $.99!

What items in your closet are you excited to wear this summer?
Do you have any luck keeping white clothing in good condition?

Have a great rest of the week!

EBEW: Floral, Inspiration Monday & My New Sandals

Before I get into today's post I want to tell you that wrinkled dollar is now on Twitter. I think it will be a good forum to share some of the little wrinkly things that don't necessarily warrant an entire post. The tweets will most likely consist of deals I encounter while shopping and other cool things I see, but don't necessarily buy. There is a button to the right if you would like to follow. I will be sure to follow back.

I don't know if it is coincidence or intentional, but I want to thank the ladies at Two Birds for choosing an outfit for Inspiration Monday that also works for tomorrow's Everybody, Everywear - Floral.


That is what I call killing two birds with one stone - via Two Birds, ha.

I don't have much floral, but I just so happen to have this dress I bought last summer at Cha Cha, a little boutique in Bloomington, IN.



And here is the inspiration image:



I don't own a romper and for some reason I don't have a jean jacket, so taking from this image I based my outfit on two things - 1. Something floral (a one pieces if possible) and 2. some type of jacket.

I figured now is as good a time as any to wear my new white blazer again.



The real feature today though are these sandals I bought at Goodwill for $4.29. I am very picky about sandals and have been looking for a good pair since the beginning of Spring. I was thrilled to find this pair, which pretty much fulfill all of my sandal guidelines. They are in near mint condition! My guess is they were never worn by their original owner. Thanks original owner for never wearing and donating.



Now that the weather is looking up I can actually feature some of the springy/summery items that have been shelved during rainy April - stay tuned!

Baby Wrinkled Dollars

I will have a new (little) man in my life soon. My best girl is due to have a baby boy in late August. Ever since the day she found out the gender I have being going nuts shopping. Knowing the sex ahead of time makes shopping so much easier and in my opinion more fun!

I asked Catherine (best girl) ahead of time if she is opposed to second-hand clothing for her new baby. While I'm totally cool with used clothing I know it is not for everyone and that's cool - I respect that. Luckily she was totally on board, which means I added a whole new level to my thrifting adventures.



Most of the onesies above are from Goodwill. $.99 is the regular marked price, but I waited until they were 50% off. I also got some at the Goodwill Outlet, which means they were priced by weight and around $.10 or less.

Babies grow so fast that they barely get to wear their clothing. That means that a lot of used baby clothes are in great condition or in some cases never even worn. I was very selective when choosing items, careful to check for flaws.



Some of the clothing (like the doggie shirt & dino shorts above) are Goodwill Target donations, so they are brand new! Either way, I washed everything before giving to Catherine.

I made a rule that I wouldn't spend over $1.00 for any one item. There are so many baby clothes at thrift stores that I figured I could find a lot without spending much, so I stuck to my price cap...except for a few things.

I fell in love with this striped outfit below. I broke my rule and spent $1.99. The little shoes were just $.99.


So far I have purchased approximately 30 items and only spent around $17! The key - as usual - is to wait for the items to be marked down (.99 cent Sunday, 50% off Saturday, Color of the Week, etc).

If you or someone you know is expecting a little one, I recommend checking out your local thrift store. You can gather quite a wardrobe in 9 months! Now I just have to wait patiently for the little man to come!

Double Dose #4 - Birthday, Braid and Brother

Today is my brother's 30th birthday (officially). Happy Birthday, David.

On the first "Double Dose" post I wrote last week I got a great comment from Judy C. She said:

"As an only child, I am telling you that you are truly blessed to have a brother and especially one you can enjoy being with. I'm happy for you".

Thanks Judy! You are so right; I am so lucky and so very thankful! David and I had a LOT of fun last weekend, but unfortunately he flew back to Los Angeles this morning. I'm bumming. Luckily I have another set of "Double Dose" photos to share!


It is fun to take photos with David, because he is like Austin Powers - Yes, Yes, Yes, NO NO NO, and...I'm Spent. We have a lot of funny outtakes, because we make a lot of ridiculous faces/poses.

This minnie mouse shirt is one of the many retro tees I've stolen from my mom/dad over the years. The tee is broken in and reminds me of family - how can I not love that?!



I am hair-impaired so I take advantage of my time at home by begging my mom to braid my hair. If only I could pull off this cute braid by myself. I'm so impressed by those who french braid their own hair!



Doing our best to find interesting locations in Livonia (MI).





David being back in CA means that he will be back at work soon, which also means that he will be updating his blog with some new faces and stories. If you missed it before, you can check it out here.



David's shirt is from Goodwill and was 50% off the original price - Color of the Week!


My sweater is from a Church Rummage Sale that David and I found on Saturday morning. It is one of only two items that I purchased, even though you could fill a paper bag for just $3! Wish I could have found more...



I was awake until about 2:30am last night and then got up this morning at 6:30am for work. I'm tired. I'm going to relax and maybe stream something on Netflix. See y'all later.

Double Does # 3 - Costumes Revealed

Happy Monday everyone! I don't have much time to write today because I spent too much time creating these photos of our costumes from David's 30th Birthday Bash on Saturday.

So here's the big reveal.



I decided to go as Rosie the Riveter, because it was easy and inexpensive! In total I spent less than $5 for the entire costume.

1. Shirt (borrowed from Joe) - Free
2. Pants (purchased at Goodwill) - $2.15
3. Scarf (Cut from a blouse purchased at Value World) - $2.00
4. Tool Belt (borrowed from Joe's dad) - Free
5. Old Power Drill (borrowed from my parents) - Free

David (my brother, the birthday boy) went as...THE David.



His costumes are always impressive, but he may have outdone himself this time. What do you guys think, amazing huh?

We had a great time with family and friends.



That's my mom in the photo with us above. I think her costume deserves a mention. She went as "Mommy Dearest" - note the wire hanger. By the way, my brother and I found her dress at Value World for $3.00.


I have so many more photos, but I will refrain from posting a million.
BUT, here are (just) two more.

I also participated in Two Birds Inspiration Monday today, but only had a second to snap one photo.

Below is the inspiration image, miss Joey Potter (as I choose to remember her).


And below is my take. I don't have any high waisted Jeans so I just wore some flares. The rest was fairly simple, which I appreciated, because I didn't have much time this morning to think about my outfit. Thanks again Inspiration Monday for helping me get dressed.



Have a great week everyone!

MI, Face Paint and Double Dose #1

Hi, I'm in Michigan again. So far, fun times.

My brother is here too. We got into town on Thursday and started the trip out right with some Karaoke. We love Karaoke. We also love singing duets from High School Musical in a dive bar.

Today I took off work and hung out with the family. We did a little shopping, had dinner, played euchre and enjoyed some face painting.



My brother is a super talented face artist at Universal Studios. He does face painting and airbrush tattooing. He writes a blog about it called Structured Faces. Check it out. Don't I look like the witch doctor from the end of Beetlejuice?



For the next 3-4 days while I'm hanging with my bro you will be getting a double dose of wrinkled dollar; two outfits, 1 male AND 1 female.



I got my watch back!



Tuxedo Blouse: I purchased this top the last time I was in MI from the DAV Thrift Store. It was marked down to $.99! One more week and it would have been only $.25, but I was going back to IN so I snatched it up. I really like the detail (which you can see much better in the face painting photos above).



And now David's debut.



Button Up: This men's cotton button up is a Target donation from Goodwill. It was purchased on $.99 Sunday!



Tomorrow is David's 30th Birthday bash! I look forward to sharing photos of our costumes!



Time for bed. Have a great weekend everyone!

Blue Pants & Rain Love

Due to crappy weather, unshaven legs and work being nutso, I'm postponing my Inspiration Monday participation. My plan is to work it out sometime before next week's challenge. This saddens me greatly, because I have a perfect pair of white shorts that I got at Goodwill for $.99 cents.

Instead I will show you these pants that I also got at Goodwill for $.99 cents.



Blue Pants: I found these pants at Goodwill on $.99 cent Sunday. Target donated multiple pairs so there were options in several sizes. I like them as a jeans-alternative. They are full length, but I folded them up to a cropped length so I could show off my favorite boots.



I wore this outfit on Friday. I have been wearing pretty much an identical outfit (pants + sweater/shirt + blazer +boots) since then because the craptastic weather hasn't changed. Have I mentioned the weather sucks yet?



You may (or may not) remember this red striped top. It too was purchased for $.99 cents, which means this pants top combo equals a total of $1.98!



Sorry to complain. In an effort to channel my (new) love for rain I will focus on these movies with happy rain scenes:

1. Singing in the Rain (too obvious)?
2. The Notebook (guilty pleasure).
3. Dirty Dancing (When Swayze breaks the car window..."You're Wild")
4. Garden State (When they yell in the big pit)

Can you think of any others?

Say Anything About My Blue Tights

Ever seen "Say Anything"? One of my faves. Do you remember that part where Lloyd Dobbler (John Cusack) says to his sister (Joan Cusack),

"Why can't you be in a good mood? How hard is it to decide to be in a good mood and be in a good mood once in a while?"

I don't have the answer (neither did Joan Cusack).

If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm feeling a little blah today. No reason in particular, just feeling a little stir crazy. In my experience working from home can make you a little batty. At the end of the day I crave a new environment, which is why I'm writing this post from a coffee shop.

I wore this outfit yesterday. I took a photo with my car, because it matched my tights.



The original plan was to feature my cardigan, but since I forgot to take a photo of it, I will feature these tights instead.



Footless Tights: These are Target tights that were clearanced out and then donated to Goodwill. I Got them for $1.99. There are so many Target donations at the Bloomington Goodwill stores!

That's all I've got for today.

I leave you with more Lloyd Dobler logic.

[on choosing a career]
How many of them really know what they want, though? I mean, a lot of them think they have to know, right? But inside they don't really know, so... I don't know, but I know that I don't know.

and

I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that.