Nifty Thrifty

A few weeks ago, I was asked to talk in our church Young Women's group (ages 12-18) about money management. As it's a subject I feel particularly passionate about, I jumped at the chance. Since today was the big day, I wore my shwankiest discount/thrifted outfit, brought in items that I'd gotten for free or nearly so thanks to coupons, displayed my favorite finance book, and we discussed principles that hopefully will set them on a path to financial security. The girls were kind enough not to act bored to death, but who knows? I had a great time and could have gone on for hours.

This week I also needed to get some winter gear for Lucy and Ben: Coat, gloves, hat, shoes, boots, the works. It's the first time that we haven't had hand-me-downs or gifts to rely on. So in the spirit of my upcoming presentation, I headed to my go-to location for childrens' items: Le Goodwill. You better believe it. A few months ago, I found three practically new pairs of shoes for Lucy at $2 apiece, so I crossed my fingers that we could recreate the magic and get lucky again. Well, no dice on the shoes and clothes, but I did hit the jackpot on some holiday decor and other crazy items that I couldn't pass up.

Fall garland and pumpkins on our entryway

I struggle with seasonal/holiday decorating, so these pumpkins and garland were just the ticket. Price: 39 cents apiece.

Close-up of the entry table



The finds

Our Goodwill is awesome and stocks brand-new, unsold clothing and household items from Target and other retailers. So for a grand total of $16, I got the following items in mint condition:

• Cute Paula Deen party banners and matching placecards (to be given as early holiday gifts). The best part: They say, "Happy Holidays Y'all"
• Purple and silver hanging foil snowflakes to put around my kitchen light fixture as a sort-of Christmas chandelier decoration.
• Metal utility cup that sticks to my fridge to corral writing utensils.
• Cozy thick wool socks in Ben's size for his winter sledding adventures.
• Another pair of kid safety scissors so Lucy and Ben don't have to tussle over our one other pair.
• Fun gold "Naughty or nice" cocktail napkins, perfect for a holiday party.

All in all, not a bad day. We were there for almost an hour as I sifted through things, but Lucy was a good sport, smelling all the random candles, playing with the toys, and only asking to go to the bathroom twice. She's a fun little shopping buddy. Except when I'm trying to get her to try on winter hats in Target and she runs away, tearing between the displays and hiding under the clothes racks. I ended up just going to Once Upon a Child by myself to get the winter gear. Having never shopped there before, I was amazed at all the adorable, good-quality used kids' stuff. A thrifty gal's dream.