I picked up this beautiful black Polo Ralph Lauren belt for just $3.99 at Goodwill today. Belts are often times over looked at thrift stores, I think. I am not sure why. I think guys just have other items on their minds. You look at the belts and you see a bunch of junk and maybe you forget (or don't realize) that many belts will have the makers name on the inside and so you pass by them. You are not sure how you can tell which is decent and have sport coats on your mind.
Maybe this describes the process you go through, or maybe not. Either way, I don't hear too much about guys finding belts, though they are there. Sometimes they are beat to hell, that is true. Those are not worth your time. But, sometimes there is something nice among the junk. This belt is a a beauty that I found among the junkers. There were probably 50 belts there, this was the only good one. Shockingly in my correct size as well. The only thing "wrong" with this belt was some serious tarnish on the silver buckle. This is a "before" picture.
I obviously don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised if this was given up because of the tarnishing. Maybe (bizarrely) the previous owner didn't know you can polish silver. I have no idea. Either way, I bought it for $3.99, brought it home, worked on it for about 15 minutes with some silver polish and a magic eraser and now it is 99% good as new. This is an "after" picture.
I put this post together because I am sure I am not the only one here who doesn't have an endless supply of money flowing from a bubbling spring into my wallet. It is so possible to dress well and with a sense of dignity on a reasonable budget. It just takes some time and patience. This belt was $3.99, you really cannot get more affordable than that. You just can't. Next time you are at the thrift store, I suggest heading over to the belts. Just start flipping them around and looking on the inside. I found an Allen Edmonds belt this same way just a while ago. Just start looking and you may be surprised what you find.