It was time!

I've been on the lookout for a new toaster oven. I think we are all in agreement that my old toaster oven was in need of replacement. I mean, it still worked, but the funk factor and the ability to clean said funk was the overwhelming (funk) factor in deciding to replace. So long toaster oven. You've been a good friend for the last 15 years. (Yes... 15 years!)

I was at Goodwill yesterday and spotted this KRUPS oven/toaster/convection combo and I promptly loaded it into my cart. It was spotless. It looked brand new. It was $12.00. It works perfectly.

Everyone is happy.

So long good friend.

Hello new friend.

Jackets and Coats

Goodwill has their coats out now and there's a great selection of light jackets, light coats, heavy coats, trenches, denim, leather, wool, exercise, etc. The list goes on and on...

I saw a beautiful dressy swing coat for little girls that was red and black with black flower embroidered on the collar. It was 100% wool and it was $10.00. I almost bought it, but we just aren't very "formal" people and I couldn't imagine my daughter getting much use out of it. I'd have to venture a guess and say that coat was probably $80.00 or more retail.

Anyway...

I love vests in the wintertime. I love how versatile they are. Plus, they are super comfortable to wear while driving... no bulky coat!

I had my eye on a white vest last year, but just couldn't pull the trigger, so when I saw this vest by Kenneth Cole Reaction, I knew I had to have it. It had some makeup around the collar (that easily washed off), but was otherwise in perfect condition! I paid $7.00.

(BTW, it's really hard to photograph anything white... but you get the idea!)

Patience is a virtue!

One of the unofficial rules of shopping at Goodwill is if you are looking for something in particular, then you need to be patient!

My youngest daughter has been needing a bible carrying case for the longest time and truthfully, I wasn't interested in buying a brand new case at the store. Several months ago, I told her that we'd begin our search for a bible case for her.

Each time we'd enter a Goodwill, she'd remind me to look for her a bible case. After months of looking for a bible case, we finally found one! And oh my... it's so cute!

I paid $5.00 for this bible case and my little girl is thrilled! It's such a great lesson for them (and me too!) that it's okay to wait for things we want and oftentimes, we'll be blessed by just waiting.

The other lesson is... you can find just about anything at Goodwill if you look hard enough!

Back to School Shopping for Jeans

There really are deals to be had at thrift stores when you are in the market for jeans.

Over the last few weeks, I've been stocking up on jeans, jean shorts and skirts for the girls for school this year.


What I like about shopping thrift stores for jeans is of course the price. Second, the brand names. Sorry people, but you will never find me paying full price for a pair of Gap jean shorts. But, I'll pay $1.50 everyday of the week for these Gap jean shorts! I found this pair of adjustable waist demin shorts by the GAP for Elisan at the Salvation Army. They were priced at $3.00 and were half off!

Of course, not every pair of jeans found at a thrift store are in excellent condition. Many have the knees worn out, faded in the bum or stained. So, you have to be careful in your picks. But, with the vast amount of denim that thrift stores carry, you're sure to find exactly what you are looking for. Seriously.

Here's a run down of my purchases:

• 2 pairs Old Navy girlfriend blue jeans (adjustable waist) size 7 - $4.00/each (Goodwill)
• 1 pair Old Navy black skinny jeans (adjustable waist) size 8 - $4.00 (Goodwill)
• 1 pair MUDD jeans (adjustable waist) size 8 - $1.50 (Salvation Army)
• 1 pair Old Navy capri roll cuff jeans (adjustable waist) size 8 - $4.00 (Goodwill)
• 1 pair GAP bermuda length jean shorts (adjustable waist) size 8 - $1.50 (Salvation Army)
• 1 pair Arizona bermuda length jean shorts (adjustable waist) size 7 - $2.00 (Goodwill)
• 1 skirt OP brand size 7 - $1.00 (Salvation Army)

$20.50 without tax! Not bad!

Good finds + Good friends = Awesomeness!

I have a friend who loves to thrift shop probably more than I do. On one of her trips to Goodwill she saw this awesome Athleta tank in the linens section and grabbed it for me.

She called to tell me I had a Goodwill find in the mail and to be on the look out for it! I was so excited when I opened my package and found this awesome tank.

Never a bad idea to keep your thrifting friends in the loop as to what you are looking for! You never know… your friend may have better luck than you!

Deal of the Year!

I'm so excited to blog about my best deal ever!

Today after my workout, I headed over to my favorite Goodwill. Look what I found for $9.00 dollars. That's right... N-I-N-E dollars!


Here's the price to prove it... although, I didn't realize you can hardly read the tag... but trust me, it was $9.00.


I wondered why it was at Goodwill, figuring something must be wrong with it. So, after double checking the return policy (full refund within 48 hours) I decided to buy it.

I made a quick stop by my local grocery store to buy the k-cup coffee cups that this machine uses and I headed home.

I cleaned it up and everything seemed to work fine. I put the k-cup coffee cup in the holder and hit "brew".

Ummm, something was not right...

After doing some research online, I discovered that the K-cup holder or "funnel" was missing. So, I did some more research and discovered that a Keurig replacement funnel was $40. Argh! My good deal was no longer a good deal.

So, I called up one of my friends who owns a Keurig machine and she said that she owns a "My K-Cup" reusable filter and that is should work for me if I wanted to just use my own ground coffee, etc. (Which is a heck of a lot cheaper than buying the k-cup coffee cups if you ask me!)

I made a bee-line to Walmart, purchased the "My K-Cup" reusable filter and what do you know? It works PERFECTLY! I can even use the k-cup coffee cups (if I punch a hole in the side of it - for you Keurig owners - you know what I mean...) To make the deal even sweeter, I used a $5.00 off coupon from Walmart on the purchase.


In total, for my new machine, etc., I paid approximately $25.00. This machine retails for $149.00 on Amazon. Whoohoo!

Total score for me, as I was just looking at these machines last weekend with Randy.

Goodwill Hunting shopping day - Recap!

I met my friend Heather on Saturday and we headed out for a day of Goodwill shopping.

Heather and I know each other from church and have many mutual friends, but we've never had the opportunity to hang out together. It was fun getting to know her a bit better and realize that we have A LOT in common. Aside from loving a good deal at any type of thrift or resale store, we both are stay at home moms with common values in how we raise our kids. She's also a type A personality which is always a good pairing for this type A personality!

We ended up stopping at two Goodwill stores and the Salvation Army. Heather had never been to the Salvation Army, so it was great to introduce her to the 1/2 price deals of SA.

Heather got some great deals on school uniforms for her daughter who will be starting Kindergarten this year. She also found several really cute outfits for her youngest daughter who is almost two. She also scored some really great clothing items for herself.

I found a variety of items and ended up spending less than $30 the entire day.

• Banana Republic tank
• 2 New Balance sport bras
• Nike skort and soccer shirt for soccer practice
• 5 books
  
• Littlest Pet Shop playhouse
• Ron Jon Surf Shop boogie board

It was a fun day and Heather and I agreed that we will need to set up another Goodwill Hunting shopping day soon.

Goodwill Hunting shopping day!

My friend (IRL) Heather has organized a Goodwill Hunting shopping day!

Here are the details:

Join the ladies for a day of Goodwill Hunting (shopping). We will be hitting as many Goodwills as possible, snatching up as many bargains as we can.

We will meet at the Starbucks at 1431/35 by Pei Wei at 9:30 and depart shortly after that so don't be late!

Come ready to shop!

Book update and other stuff

Sadly, I never received a response to the email I sent to Goodwill Industries of Central Texas, but in this case, actions speak louder than words!

While in Goodwill yesterday, I noticed the children's book have been re-tagged to $.59 - $.99 each! WHOOHOO! No more price gouging! I was so excited to see this change that we bought three books. I wonder now if I was the only person to complain...

In other news, I recently purchased two really cute items for the girls. The pink Bermuda length shorts are from the GAP. They have adjustable waist and are in excellent condition. I paid $1.99 for them.


The skirt is from The Children's Place and is fully lined and is also in excellent condition. (I took this picture right after I washed it, so the fabric is a little damp and the colors look darker than they really are.) I paid $3.99 for this skirt which is more than I would have normally paid, but because I had my little girl with me and she loved the skirt, I couldn't put it back.



But, here's tip for shopping at Goodwill. The cashiers ring up the items based on the category that the item falls in to. The guy at the register rang the GAP shorts up in the "shorts" category, but failed to place it in "children shorts" category. Adult shorts are $5.99 and children shorts are $1.99. Quite a difference! When he corrected his error, I also questioned him about the price of the skirt. I felt certain the price wasn't $3.99, but rather $1.99, since skirts and shorts are closely related in category, but he insisted it was indeed $3.99. I didn't argue with him about it since my little one really wanted the skirt. However, had I been alone, I would have put it aside.

This is where the magic happens!

My "desk" set up at home is in my kitchen. This is where the magic happens!

I love having my computer in my kitchen because I can do all I need to do on the computer while I cook, clean up and watch my kids eat breakfast. It's also great because when my girls are playing on the computer, I'm usually in the kitchen and can quickly oversee what they are doing.

I have been in the market for a new stool. My previous stool squeaked every time I sat down or stood up and was quite literally falling apart.

I found this stool at Goodwill and it was priced at $6.99. Sold!

I love that it is a bit higher than my last stool and that it also has a back. Another cool thing about it is that it folds for easy storage! AND, it doesn't squeak every time I sit down!

In other news... I've recently noticed that the prices of children paperback books at one of my favorite Goodwill locations have increased from $1.29 each to $1.99 each! I couldn't believe my eyes! More importantly, I know that my book buying will drastically decrease with those kind of prices. It's really sad because there are a lot of great titles that I would typically buy for my kids, but now that the price has increased, I can't see myself spending that kind of money on used children paperback books.

So, last week, I wrote an email to the Goodwill Industries of Central Texas. Here's what it said:

"Dear Sir or Madame:

I shop at the Round Rock location at least once per week. I especially shop for books, not only for myself, but for my two daughters who are both avid readers. There have been times when I've left Goodwill with in excess of 10 or more books because of the great selection and low price.


However, I've recently noticed that children's paperback books have increased in price substantially. Those books are now priced at $1.99/each. While I understand, paying $1.99 for a book is still a good deal, it seems a bit exorbitant for a used book at Goodwill. I have visited other Goodwill stores in the area and I've purchased books from those stores priced anywhere from $.59 - $1.29/each. In my opinion, those prices seem to be a bit more in line with what one would expect from Goodwill. I'm not quite sure why the Round Rock location would increase the book prices across the board as they have.


I'm under the impression that pricing is set by the store/store manager, not Goodwill Industries corporate, but I wanted to pass along the fact that I can no longer afford to buy books from Goodwill in Round Rock if the prices remain as high as they currently are.


Thanks so much for your time."

I'll let you know if I get a response...

My New Favorite Store

I have a new favorite store! I've talked about the Salvation Army in the past, but I've had really good luck there over the last month. In fact, it's quickly becoming my new favorite place to shop.

Over the last month, I've purchased about 15 pairs of shorts/capris for my family. (The picture below is from the second trip I made last week.)

Each pair of shorts was 1/2 off the ticketed price which was anywhere from $1.99 for kids and $3.99 up to $4.99 for adults. This particular shopping trip to the Salvation Army cost me roughly $17.00. Can you believe it? And the brand are great brands - J Crew, REI, Express, Old Navy and Nike.

I was particularly excited to find the REI cycling shorts with the padded bottom. They are brand new. I plan to turn them around and sell them on Craigslist for profit. I paid $2.50 for them. Good cycling shorts run anywhere from $40 and up.

This Week's Finds

I had a good week of thrifting!

Oh yes, people, another pair of cargos! I told you I was in love with them! This pair is by Express and they fit so great. I got this pair of cargo shorts for $5.99, which is still a bit high, in my opinion. Goodwill unfortunately, sells all of their shorts for this price (or higher, depending on brand.) I think they would sell many more shorts if they lowered the price by one dollar. You listening Goodwill?


I popped into the Salvation Army for a few minutes yesterday and I found this beauty! And, every yellow tag in the store was an additional 50% off. So, this dress was $2.00. Once I washed it, the wrinkles fell out and it is beautiful. I think it will be a perfect "princess" dress for the "Breakfast With The Princesses" at Disneyworld in a few weeks.



I also found a great pair of Nike shorts at the Salvation Army. They were tagged $2.99 and I got them for 1/2 price as well. I forgot to take a picture of them, but they are black boardshorts and will look great over a swimsuit or with a tank top and flip flops.

And finally, another book! I found "Sophie's World" by Nancy Rue for a $1.00. Nancy Rue is a Christian author who writes young girl series books. I've been buying her books every time I see them and as of now, we have 6 of her books.

That's all for now!

I {heart} Cargo Pants!

I love, love, love cargo pants. Maybe because they are reminiscent of parachute pants from the 80's? Not sure...but, I can't get enough of cargo pants!

And, because cargo pants were probably popular the last two years, there is a surplus of cargo pants at thrift/resale stores right now. If I'm lying... well, sorry.

In fact, I tried on a very cute pair of cargos by Aeropostale today, but they were white and I'm just not ready to commit to white pants. Cargo or not.

But, I did commit to these! These are GAP cargos and I love them. They are so comfy and the best part? They are already broken in. I bought these at the Salvation Army and it was my lucky day because every green tag in the store was an additional 50% off. Yep! $2.50. Score.

The Good Rules

If you want to be successful in your thrift store shopping, you gotta know the rules!


Here's the truth... Some thrift stores, Goodwill included, will over-price some items that realistically, should not be. Sometimes it is due to a lack of knowledge or just plan laziness. I recall several years back when "Crocs" were a hot selling item and stores like Walmart and Target jumped on the Croc bandwagon and began making their own version of mock Crocs. I recall seeing a pair of Walmart brand mock Crocs on the shoe rack and Goodwill had them priced at $19.99. Yep. That's right. Goodwill was trying to price gouge. I've seen it time and time again, so beware. Just because it's a thrift store, doesn't mean it's a bargain!


Oh, yes, indeed! Brand does matter. I see a lot of Target (Mossimo), Walmart (Faded Glory) and Kohl's (Sonoma) brands, et. al, at Goodwill and thrift stores. If you love the way Gap jeans fit you, then look for the brand Gap. I've seen brands like Prada, Coach, Ann Taylor, Express, Banana Republic, J. Crew and the list goes on and on. Stick to the brands you know and love.


Simply put... if you can't wash it, hose it down or throw it in the dishwasher, you are probably better off not buying it. Why? Well, for obvious reason, I suppose! I like to wash all clothing items I buy from GW in hot water to kill any lingering cooties from it's previous owner. That's just me!


There is an exception to Rule #3, and that is if the item is a real steal... or, it is something you have been searching for. Case in point... I found a beautiful long black blazer. It was Express brand, fully lined, well made and in excellent condition. But, it was dry clean only. I have always put it in my mind that I would never buy 'dry cleaning only' items at GW, but I put that rule aside for this awesome blazer. The blazer was only $10 bucks! I thought it was a real steal!


Okay, listen up... just because something is priced low, doesn't mean you have to buy it. Goodness knows that I would have a house full of stuff if I bought every item that was a good buy. Last week, I saw a really great bag for $6.00. It was fabulous. But, for the life of me, I couldn't justify the purchase. Sure, I would have found a reason to put it to use, but eventually I would put it away with all of the zillion other bags I have in my closet.


This is a very important rule. Why? Because of cigarette smoke. Nothing infiltrates an item quite like cigarette smoke. Found that book you've always wanted to read and it smells like smoke? Don't buy it! You will regret it. Check out your local library instead!

This rule, of course, only applies if you are a non-smoker. I was selling an item on Craigslist that I bought from another individual on Craigslist who was a smoker. I didn't know it at the time and I came home with an item that reeked of smoke. I turned right around and re-sold it on Craigslist, but mentioned in the ad that is smelled of smoke. The guy who bought it... was a smoker.


You will not find a deal every time you walk into a thrift store. In contrast, you will sometimes find deals around every corner.


Use your imagination! You may find something that is just not quite perfect, but it MAY still work. Paint can be your best friend. I bought a two-tiered wire basket and I really liked it. But, it needed a fresh coat of paint. So, I bought a $3.00 can of black lacquer spray paint and now, it looks as good as new!


I'm really speaking about myself here. It's so easy to get pulled into the Goodwill game...to find the next great deal, etc. I usually only shop at Goodwill once a week. It really can be addictive!


If you've never set foot in a Goodwill store or local thrift shop, then get over yourself! Thrifting is fun and rewarding. Resale shopping is also a great way to support local charities and small businesses. I know there is still a stigma associated with shopping at thrift stores, but there shouldn't be. We are called to be good stewards of our money and these days it doesn't hurt to save as much money as you can, when you can.

Specialty Shoes

Seems like every soccer season, be it Spring or Fall, I'm in the market for a new size in soccer shoes for at least one of my girls. Luckily, Kyla has been able to wear her sister's hand-me-down soccer shoes for the past couple of seasons, but this year, Kyla's feet have caught up with her big sister's feet.

Since I began shopping at Goodwill, I noticed a huge collection of specialty shoes for kids, like cleats and tap shoes. So, if you are in the market for kids' specialty shoes, check out Goodwill first!

I bought the pink Nike soccer cleats for Kyla this week. They were $5.00. In fact, all of the shoes shown in this picture were $5.00 or less.

Great Shopping Week

I am so excited about this week's finds!

Since we're going to Disney World in May, I have been looking for lightweight backpacks or fanny packs for the girls to carry. I'll be honest here... I've not been looking THAT hard, but I decided this week, I need to get busy in my search.

Today, I totally scored on this convertible backpack/purse for Elisan.
Remember when I found this exact purse in baby blue in December?

Now, we'll be carrying the same purses at Disney. I love Kipling because it is lightweight and durable. Perfect for a trip. And at $3.99... you cannot beat that price!

I also found this for Kyla. Since she's six, I knew a fanny pack would be more suitable for her. Here's what I found for her today. It's not my favorite, but I know she loves "The Little Mermaid" and since we'll be at Disney, I thought it was very appropriate.


And finally, I found this great workout tank and shorts by Adidas. The guy at the GW didn't know how to price the tank top, since it was not considered a "blouse" so he said, "Will you take $.99 for it?" I said, "Um, YES... and can I go back and get the other three I decided NOT to buy?"

Haha, I was joking... sort've.

Anyway, I got the tank, running shorts and another "Faith Girlz" book for Elisan all for $8.50. Not bad!

Books!

I love to go book shopping at Goodwill. There is a untold wealth of books at every single Goodwill I have ever been in.

A good rule of thumb for book shopping at Goodwill is to go in with an idea of the types of books you want to find, rather than go to Goodwill on a mission to find a particular book.

Case in point:
I have been looking at "Young Women of Faith" series books for quite some time. A girlfriend mentioned them to me a while back. I've looked on Amazon (for used books) and on eBay, but was still finding the cost to be a bit more than what I wanted to spend at this time. So, I tucked it away in the recesses of my mind for a later date. Then, on Thursday, I found these at one of my favorite Goodwills!

Three books from the "Lily" series by Nancy Rue! Each book was $1.29.

What a great find. I'm excited to have found these. It pays to wait sometimes!

I'm back in action!

Okay, so February is here and I'm back posting about my cool Goodwill finds!



I bought these super cute Keds "Teagan" style for $3.99. Aren't they adorable? I just threw them in the washing machine and they came out perfect! My youngest daughter loves them!

Piperlime has a similiar style regularly priced at $40.00.

No shopping until February!

Hi All!

I'm popping in to say that I haven't forgotten about this blog! I'm also here to say that I'm participating in a 21 day fast and in addition to giving up meat for 21 days, I'm also giving up something I enjoy - which is shopping! Well, non-essential shopping, that is. (If you want to read more about the fast that 100's of churches nationwide are participating in, here's the link.)

I have to admit, giving up meat in my carnivorous household is hard, but giving up shopping... well, I'm here to say, that it has been very hard. See, the thing is... I will often look, but not buy... which fits my pocketbook pretty well. But, while I'm out shopping, I'm wasting time. And, when I'm wasting time, I'm wasting time that could be otherwise spent in prayer or God's word.

So, I'll be back in February. And when I do, I'll be on the lookout for great deals to prepare for our trip to Disneyworld in May!

Love ya!
Erica