Fridays are quite the hodgepodge, here at Shoestring Austin. We love freebies, and enjoy highlighting the best of the best here—particularly if they’ve got an Austin connection. But we also know that, sometimes, free just means cheap.

And not in a good way.

So we set out on a fashion experiment, to see if we could locate some free or cheap (in a good way!) clothing and accessories that you fashionistas might actually WANT to incorporate into your wardrobe.

The bad news? It’s hard to find free stuff that doesn’t suck.

The good news? We found some AWESOME stuff that costs more than nothing, but a lot less than the stuff you’ll find at the average fashion blog or on the pages of Vogue. (Oh, and Vogue? If you’re reading this, let’s do a give-away!)

Here’s what we found:

Free Jewelry (Online)

If you like jewelry and change your accessories often, you’ve probably already heard of Silver Jewelry Club—a website that gives away free silver and gemstone jewelry.

Sample scores from Silver Jewelry Club

Yep, free jewelry. How crazy is that?

Okay, so it’s not entirely free, as you do have to pay for shipping ($6.99), but it’s pretty darn close. And the reason they’re giving away free jewelry is to get you interested in their full catalogue, located at Peora.com, which features a wider selection of gemstones and silver jewelry, at correspondingly higher prices.

We also tried a site called FreeJewelry.com, which offered a variety of “celebrity” styles and a lot more selection, whether you’re into beads, bangles, freshwater pearls, turquoise, or even Valentine’s Day jewelry for that special someone (hint hint!). This site orders items in bulk to pass the savings along to you, the consumer, again charging only for shipping (and even using the same fee of $6.99).

We poked around the site and found a great looking jade necklace, which we had delivered straight to our office in about a week we’re still waiting to appear, despite the fact that the USPS tracking number says it’s been delivered. Hmm. (Check back next week; we’ll let you know how it all pans out.)

Frugal Fashions (Around Town)

After our favorite online destination for pretty much everything (i.e. eBay), we asked locals to share some of their Austin secrets.

For those looking to recycle their duds while also purchasing new-to-you items, there are at least two high-quality options in town: Plato’s Closet and Buffalo Exchange.

Both shops will purchase gently-used clothing that’s trendy enough to be re-sold in their boutiques, so you can potentially make a bit of money from the stuff in your closet you don’t wear anymore. That is, if you can resist the temptation to spend it in the store!

THRIFT STORES

For those looking to go even cheaper, or who are looking for more vintage scores, there are LOTS of thrift stores here in Austin. Here’s a short list of the major players to help you find your way:

• Treasure City – “Austin’s cheapest thrift store” (2142 E. 7th Street)
• Salvation Army (various locations)
• Goodwill (various locations) and Goodwill Too! (their online store)
• Texas Thrift Store – mixed reviews on Yelp note price gouging, so watch out! (5319 N. IH-35)
• St. Vincent de Paul (with 2 locations; one on hip South Congress and one in Round Rock)
• Thrift Town (5726 Manchaca Road)
• Savers (South at 4001 S. Lamar or North at 5222 Burnet Road, #600)
• Top Drawer (4902 Burnet Road)

CONSIGNMENT STORES

Similar to shops like Buffalo Exchange or Plato’s Closet, you can sometimes get a good deal on your used duds by having a consignment store re-sell your gently used clothing for you—although they won’t give you the cash up front. In Austin, here are some consignment shops to check out if you’ve got specialty items you’re looking to buy or sell:

• 

  And don't miss the Vintage Around Town Guide for lots more!

  Baubles and Beads (4107 S Capital of Texas Hwy, #500; no website)

• Big Bertha’s Bargain Basement
• Blue Velvet
• Cheap Cheap – with “nothing over $20″ according to The Vintage Around Town Guide (2209 S. 1st Street in the back)
• Esther Bangs Vintage Threads and Coco Coquette (both located at 2109 E. Cesar Chavez)
• Feathers
• Lovely Austin
• New Bohemia (1606 South Congress; no website)
• Restyle
• Roadhouse Rags
• Room Service Vintage
• Venus Envy (plus-sized, formal wear and costumes)

In summary: the answer is YES, ladies and gents, you CAN buy great-looking clothes on a budget. Austin is full of discount and used clothing options, so get out there and scoot your boots ’til you find what suits ya!

P.S. Be sure to check back later today for our red-hot, under $20 Valentine’s Day gift list to find some surefire winners for your lady love!