How to Overcome a Clothes Rut + Enter to Win a $250 Shopping Spree with thredUP!

This post is sponsored by thredUP.

Do you ever get in a clothing rut? I tend to fall into one at least once (if not twice) a year. What happens is I slowly lose interest in anything in my closet. Instead of quickly being able to pick out an outfit, I will literally stare at my closet (sometimes for up to 30 minute) trying to figure what the hell I’m going to wear for the day. Sometimes there are tears, other times there are piles of discarded clothes everywhere, and almost always I am late for work wearing something I only feel so-so about. It’s a vicious cycle that usually leads to a closet purge, followed closely by new pieces of “inspiration.”

Enter: thredUP. My current go-to for a little closet inspiration.  thredUP is the largest online store that buys and sells high-quality secondhand fashion for women and kids. They specialize in on trend like-new fashion from top name brands and designers for up to 90% off.

Psst…. thredUP is offering Meals and Miles readers a special discount! The first 100 people to use my code MEALS40 will get an extra 40% off their first order! (Applies to new US customers only. Discount up to $50)

Not only is there a discount, but thredUP would like to give one lucky Meals and Miles reader their own shopping spree!See below for more details.

I love it because, as a full time working mom, online shopping is my jam. Their website is easy to navigate and I can easily search for secondhand pieces by style, size, and designer in my underwear (I hate digging through sales racks to find what I’m looking for. Also, I hate pants). Plus, shopping secondhand is better for the planet and your wallet. If 1 out of 100 American households shopped secondhand, they would collectively save 1.6 BILLION every year. That’s enough for each of those households to pay for 2 years of college.

Check-it out. I saved a total of $763.08 on my last order. That’s basically three weeks of daycare!

To help with my style rut, I needed some work-appropriate versatile pieces that I could mix-and-match with items already in my current closet. I was also looking for a hot dress for a night out on the town and something bright and fun for Easter next month. I was giddy with excitement when I spotted the polka dotted box on my doorstep less than a week later.

There’s nothing like a big box full of new clothes to help break a clothing rut.

thredUP triple inspects each item by hand to ensure all clothes are like-new, many are even brand new with tags! Every product has a detailed description so you get an idea of what to expect and, to add some personalization to the process, thredUP tags each piece of clothing with a thredUP tag.

So let’s take a look at what outfits I created using my new thredUP pieces for inspiration.

Outfit #1: Business Casual

• From thredUP:
  • J. Crew Sleeveless Blouse Originally $88, thredUP price: $23.99
  • Sociology Wedge Originally $37, thredUP price: $10.99 (purchased last October)

I love this J. Crew top. It’s bright, flattering, and perfect for spring. I can wear it with jeans to the office or with navy shorts to the zoo.

Outfit #2: Network Event

• From thredUP:
  • J. Crew Short Sleeve Top, Originally $110, thredUP price: $28.99
  • White House Black Market Casual Skirt, Originally $88, thredUP price: $25.99

I had a network event I headed to straight from the office one evening and thought these pieces made the perfect ensemble to go from day-to-night. All I had to do was switch out the black sandals for the red heels above and I was ready to network.

Outfit #3: Business Appropriate

• From thredUP:
  • J. Crew Casual Skirt, Originally $98, thredUP price: $22.99

My office is pretty casual, but some days I need to dress up a little more if I’m meeting a client. The yellow skirt gives the outfit a great pop of color, which pairs nicely with the Florida sunshine. Also, do you see a trend here with J. Crew? I really enjoy thredUP’s feature of narrowing down which labels you want to review. Clearly J. Crew was on the top of my list.

Outfit #4: Night Out On the Town

• From thredUP:
  • White House Black Market Cocktail Dress, Originally $200, thredUP price: $25.99

Derek and I went out not to long ago and I realized my closet was desperately missing anything that would be appropriate for the super-fancy restaurant we had reservations at. I ended up throwing something together, but I wasn’t happy about it. Not wanting to run into the situation again, “hot dress for night out with husband” was on top of my shopping list. Of course, now I have the dress and no immediate plans to go out. We’ll just have to change that. I mean having an awesome dress is the best excuse for a night out, right?

Outfit #5: Easter

• From thredUP:
  • J. Crew Casual Dress, Originally $158, thredUP price: $22.99
  • Janie and Jack Dress, Originally $59, thredUP price: $8.99

Easter is a little more than a month away and I wanted something bright and springy to wear. The yellow J. Crew dress was a win, as was the Janie and Jack dress I got for Annalynn. I love Janie and Jack clothes, but they are usually too far out of my price range. Thank you thredUP for making the adorable brand affordable.

Oh, one last item! The J. Crew dress below ended up being my favorite of the order. In fact, I was wearing it when I took all the outfit photos, so I missed getting an outfit photo for it. It’s light, comfortable, and it has pockets! I’ve already worn it to the office and to brunch last weekend. It was an amazing find.

Don’t Forget!

 Discount

thredUP is offering Meals and Miles readers a special discount! The first 100 people to use my code MEALS40 will get an extra 40% off their first order! (Applies to new US customers only. Discount up to $50)

 Giveaway

thredUP would like to give one lucky Meals and Miles reader their own shopping spree! Click here to browse thredUP, and leave a comment with a link to your favorite item from thredUP to win $250 shopping credit.

The contest ends Monday, 3/20/17. Winner will be contacted 3/21/17.

Good luck!