Or maybe I'll just rip out both shoulder pads, that might give it a more modern look. Taking shoulder pads out doesn't always work, sometimes it gives the item a funny shape, but in this case I think it will be ok.

I know I've got a few neat accessories lying around that I haven't worn in years so today they might seem like brand new if I give them a spin in the washer, dust them off, sew a hem, or polish them with a little jewelry cleaner.

An old piece of costume jewelry or a scarf, until now pushed to the back of the drawer, might perk up that black blazer of mine.

So give it a try and take a little stroll to the great, little thrift store in your closet. Look at your old clothes and accessories with not so much a critical eye, but more of a creative eye, and think about new possibilities that might enliven and modernize, or even perhaps play up the vintage aspect of, your potential castoffs.

You're saving money, you're recycling, you're flexing you're creative muscle--what's better than that? Maybe only eventually saving or spending your extra money in a smarter or more beneficial way.

Think about the possibilities of that while you sip on a little homebrewed java, you creative, Budgetista, you!