Thrifty Shopper Looks Like a Million for Far Less

RIO GRANDE – When someone tells Annette Lewis she looks like a “million bucks,” she knows she’s done a good job putting together an outfit that cost far less. In fact, her knack for shopping for bargains is just one of several activities she enjoys for herself, family members who still live in Jamaica, and for her family living here.
“I love shopping at thrift stores,” the certified nursing assistant (CNA) said. “Over the years, I’ve learned tips on colors to wear and how to put together an outfit. I’ve developed a real knack for it.”
“She always looks like a million dollars,” said Marilyn Lewis, no relation, an 84-year-old who has Parkinson’s disease and is cared for by Lewis seven nights a week, “but she only spends from $3 to $15, and that’s ($15) really going overboard. She has a heart of gold and devotes a lot of her time to helping others.”
Lewis came to the United States. from Jamaica when she was a teenager, living with her mom, four siblings and stepfather in Whitesboro. She was able to go back to high school and graduate two years later from Wildwood, something she said she knows she would not have been able to complete if she continued to live in her native country.
“Within two days, I was working at McDonald’s,” she recalled, “and I realized I could get a job and work here. I worked two or three jobs over the years, and had a chance to go back to high school.”
After graduation, she went to New York City and tried her hand at cosmetology, but found it wasn’t her calling. “I like taking care of people,” the 44-year-old Rio Grande resident said. “I ended up coming back to New Jersey and becoming a caretaker. I really enjoy taking care of people, especially seniors. They are so appreciative and grateful for your help.”
She became a CNA in 2000, six years after becoming a U.S. citizen.
“When I work with seniors, I really try to help them hang on to their independence and dignity,” she noted. “I build a strong bond with them, and we become family. So when I come to their house, it’s like a friend coming to visit. We will go shopping, dinner, attend concerts, do all sorts of things.”
Lewis, from Avalon, described her caretaker as “passionate about America, and very grateful for the opportunity she has been given since coming here. She has a heart of gold, and devotes a lot of her time to helping others. She supports a school and the children by sending clothes, food, money and anything she can get her hands on, as the children have nothing. She does this on a regular basis.”
Besides caring for Lewis the past two years, the CNA shops and sends items home to Jamaica for her family which continues to live there.
“They can’t afford book bags, shoes, clothing, so I try to help by shopping for items here and sending them to my family and others. I’m blessed to be living here, and while I am not a rich woman, I have learned how to make a dollar stretch.”
Her tips for shopping include getting to know one’s neighborhood thrift store. There are two thrift shops Lewis credits for most of her outfits: the Et Cetera Shop run by the Cape Regional Medical Center Auxiliary in Court House and the Seashore Thrift Store, which is operated by The Church of the Nazarene on Seashore Road, Erma.
“Sign up for emails so you are notified when there are sales,” she suggested. “Shop the clearance racks or look for the sales. A lot of times, department stores partner with a thrift store so at the end of the season, they’ll donate clothing, and you’ll find them with the tags on still. You can often put together a brand name outfit for very little.”
Not only does Lewis shop for clothing, but she also shops for items to furnish her home. “It looks like we have money when you come in and see our home,” she said, “but we just have an eye for things that go together.”
Lewis has a 6-year-old granddaughter who “loves” to shop. “It’s priceless to be able to shop with my granddaughter and spend time with her,” Lewis said, “because I wasn’t able to do that with my daughter at this age.”
Those shopping memories give a whole new meaning to a credit card company’s former “priceless” commercials, which emphasized that the credit card was the best way to pay for “everything that matters.” Shopping at area thrift shops, Lewis doesn’t need a credit card to look like a million dollars.
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.