Two broke girls: the $20 Canberra op shop challenge

In honour of the week, and a cheeky bargain, The Canberra Times photographer Jamila Toderas and I set out on a quest to our local Salvos.

In 30 minutes we had to select as many "trendy" outfits as possible. Each outfit could not exceed $20.

Upon entering Fyshwick Salvos, it was go time. I immediately took to the floor in the form of a snake - but due to my body ache-inducing flu I moved more like a slug with a pinch of salt - slithering to scour the lower racks for material gems.

Jamila, a more graceful being than me, took to the sky space above the racks, flitting like a spring bird in search of designs from above.

Though we had considered ourselves human up until this point, we had to be strategic, primal and take on whatever physical form the time-limited, ad-hoc situation required. We had only a moment in one of the largest op shops in Canberra.

From the start, the pixie-like Jamila was plagued with ill-fitting outfits. Being on the short side myself, I too had trouble. Yet we persevered.

A pattern of Jamila selecting fancy dress costumes rather than actual daywear soon emerged. This included an off-mustard nurse's outfit and a flamboyant vintage dress that she swore I could pull off. I could not pull it off, metaphorically or even literally as my shoulders err on the broad side, you see.

At least you know where to come in pursuit of your next Halloween costume, or outfit to spice up your weary sex life.

We also tried to hunt down accessories. While we flirted with the thrifted footwear and bags, the shoes were reminiscent of our mums' when we were five, and the bags appeared to be a mass donation from a Year 12 girls' school formal syndicate.

I did locate a rack of brand new hats, which at $4 each were a steal. This caused Jamila crippling envy and regret. She had recently spent $40 on an identical hippy hat in Nimbin.

Interestingly, a few of the other items we found had been donated brand new, with tags.

Our word of the day was "denim jacket", a timeless piece to flatter any outfit we found in Salvos. Upon finding no such thing, we feared the worst: those corduroy-wearing bastards from hipster vintage outlets had clogged in and pinched them to turn a profit.

Our primal forms that day carried over to us mightily defending our "maybe" items on the fitting rack. A couple of other savvy shoppers were trying to pilfer our curated pile.

For midday on a weekday, the op shop was chock-a-block. The line for the three fitting rooms was so long that I had to shuffle my 50+ items into Jamila's, a move I am to this day certain she relished.

While we spent 30 minutes exploring the racks for thrifty pieces, we spent even longer in the change rooms styling the outfits.

In the end, I came away with three outfits. The first totalled $13, the second $14 and the third $19. Jamila ended up with two, the first being $14 and the second $7.

I'm happy with our challenge, but dare I say, having a pro photographer capture the results helped a little.

I was also surprised that this Salvos megastore, so close to our workplace, held so many treasures. The challenge was an exciting exercise in creativity.

And now I have three new outfits. My first outfit could work if I still went to the races, the second was honestly made for a dusk barbeque where they only serve fermented food and drink and the third is perfect for when I stroll the neighbourhoods with my baby nephew.

I also now have new images to post on Instagram, cheers Jamila.

And for bargains worth crossing the border: