Archive for the Category »thrift stores «

02
Jul 2010

No More Clothes This Year

FrugalBabe

Don’t worry… I will still be wearing clothes!  They will just come from my closet rather than the thrift store.

Last week when I went to town, my husband asked me to see if I could find a pair of overalls and a flannel shirt at a thrift store to dress a scarecrow he’s welding.  I had to go to the thrift store anyway to drop off a few boxes of donations, but this was the first time in about two months that I had gone there to shop.

Now that I’ve done so much clutter-busting around here, I love the way our house feels.  I love how easy it is to keep clean.  The bedrooms pretty much clean themselves, since we don’t have so much stuff in them anymore.  And the living area just needs counters wiped and toys picked up at the end of the day.  I am never going back to having a bunch of stuff that we don’t need.  And that mindset made thrift store shopping a very different experience.  Rather than browsing around the store looking at all sorts of stuff, I headed straight for the jeans and flannel shirts.  I found overalls and a great scarecrow shirt for a total of five bucks.  I also happened to notice a very big, sturdy clothes drying rack that was in much better shape than the ones I had.  I have four of them, which get pretty heavy use during the winter when the outdoor clothesline doesn’t work as well (we don’t own a dryer).  I bought the new rack, but as soon as I got home I took two of my smaller, less-sturdy racks and put them in my car to donate next time I’m in town.  Other than that, I didn’t even look around the thrift store.  I bought my stuff and headed out, without browsing through clothes for myself or our son, or anything in the kitchen section (those areas used to be my weakness).

As far as clothes go, I’ve decided to commit to not buying any clothing for myself or our son until at least next year.  I got three great pairs of shoes for our son last month, and they should last him through the rest of the year (they have some room to grow).  He has plenty of clothes too, most of which also have room to grow.  I used to love shopping for clothes, but I’ve decided that I prefer having a closet with plenty of room between the clothes.  When I sorted through my clothes over the last several weeks, I got rid of a ton of stuff, and now the clothes that I love – that I wear all the time – are all that’s left.  And I truly don’t need any more.  It’s a great feeling, and I find that I have no desire at all to browse through clothes at the thrift store.  My car is no longer affected by the gravitational pull that the thrift store use to exert over it ;)  Well, I guess it is, because these days it seems like I always have stuff in my car to drop off as donations every time I go to town.  The donation box isn’t filling up as quickly as it was a few weeks ago, but I still much prefer to have stuff go out of the house than come in.

What’s the longest you’ve gone without buying clothes?  I know that there are some people who hate shopping for clothes, and they probably go long stretches all the time.  But if you really enjoy it (as I used to), it’s a bit tougher to give it up, especially if all your clothes come from a thrift store where the price isn’t much of a concern.  So I’m curious… any former clothes shoppers out there who have gone more than a year without buying any clothing?

Category: Our stuff, thrift stores  Tags: ,  21 Comments
12
Jun 2010

Smart Thrifting And A Good Harvest

FrugalBabe

I just got back from running a bunch of errands in town, and I’m feeling very good about my thrift store shopping excursion.  I had a whole carload of stuff to drop off, which I’ve been doing quite a lot lately.  This was the first time I had gone inside the store in about six weeks, and there hasn’t been anything we needed and I didn’t want to be tempted to buy more clutter.  But our son is quickly outgrowing his shoes, so I needed to find some new ones.  I got a 20% off coupon for donating stuff, and I headed into the store with my coupon in hand.  I went straight to the kids’ shoes, bypassing clothing, housewares, toys… all the stuff that I usually browse (and buy!)  I ended up spending six dollars to buy three pairs of shoes for our son.  Including these.  They were two bucks, and in perfect condition.  I also got a pair of Stride Rites and another pair that is in good shape but a less quality brand – I figure that pair will be perfect for playing in the mud in the backyard.  Between the shoes I got today and a pair of Nike sandals that I got for a dollar at another thrift store a while ago, he should be set for most of the rest of the year. 

As soon as I had the shoes, I checked out and left the store – no random thrifting for entertainment these days, as I’m trying so hard to reduce the amount of stuff we have in our house.  I know that if I had wandered around the store I’d have found more stuff that I liked, but since I don’t need anything, there was no point in doing that.  My new clutter-elimination mindset is serving me well!

I wanted to share a picture of yesterday’s garden harvest, which made up a good bit of our dinner last night:

100_8393

The colander is full of spinach, which became a great salad.  The spring onions also went in the salad.  The swiss chard and the radishes (greens and all) went into a green smoothie that included some other produce from the store.  It’s great to be harvesting stuff from our garden, and it will just keep getting better as the summer goes on and more things are ready to pick.  Zucchini should be next, and I’m sure we’ll have to work to keep up with them, as I have nine zucchini plants…

Hope you’re all having a great weekend!

Category: garden, thrift stores  12 Comments
10
May 2010

My Six Favorite Ways To Keep Expenses To A Minimum

FrugalBabe

I believe that for most people, cutting expenses is the most important key to reaching financial goals as quickly as possible.  Basically, the idea is to make the difference between what you earn and what you spend as large as possible in order to put the difference towards your goals (paying off debt, buying a house, saving for retirement, whatever floats your boat…)  There are two ways to do that:  you can either increase the amount you earn, or you can decrease the amount you spend.  Both will have the same effect in terms of increasing the amount you have to put towards your goals.  But I believe that decreasing expenses is easier and can be done faster (immediate gratification is always nice).

If you’re looking to cut expenses, here are my favorite ideas – things that have worked for us:

  • Drive an old car. (or take this a step further and ride a bike instead of having a car)  My car is 19 years old, my husband’s is 20.  They are both going strong.  We bought my car from the original owner in 2003, and paid $2300.  We have only had to do a couple of minor repairs on it over the years.  BONUS:  driving an old car means that you can just purchase liability auto insurance.  The savings we get from not having comp/collision on our cars allows us to purchase far more than the state minimums in terms of liability insurance.  I’d rather be well covered in that regard.
  • Find the least expensive housing that meets your needs, rather than the best/most expensive house that will fit into your budget.  If your house payment is 40 or 50% of your income, it doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room for other things.
  • Don’t shop as a form of entertainment.  Anytime that spending money is involved, make sure it’s with a clear purpose.
  • Cook from scratch.  There are millions of recipes out there in cyberspace.  Anyone can cook, it just takes a little faith in yourself and a few google searches.
  • Challenge yourself to find everything you need secondhand.  The list of things that we buy new is extremely short (underwear, socks, consumables… that’s pretty much it)  Thrift stores, yard sales, and Craigs List are great resources.  Use them!  But only if you actually need something.  The rule about shopping as a form of entertainment applies here too.
  • If you have kids, don’t believe all the hype about everything that you “must have” for them.  They really don’t need much.  Provide food, health insurance, shelter, discipline, exercise, and love, and things will work out just fine.

I’ve been reading several websites lately that are devoted to the idea of living with as little “stuff” as possible, and focusing on experiences rather than things.  Obviously I have no desire to live with only what will fit in a backpack, since we’re focused right now on our goal of growing most of our own food (shovels don’t fit in backpacks).  But I have found myself very inspired to get rid of stuff, not purchase anything else (which helps to keep expenses down), and generally lead a clutter-free, simple life.  Check out these sites and see if you find any inspiration:

Far Beyond The Stars (and I love the name of his site!)

Becoming Minimalist

The Simpler Life

I have always been a pretty frugal person.  But I’m finding myself drawn towards the ideal of having only what we need and the things that truly bring us joy.  I find that the tenets of minimalism go along nicely with my own efforts at keeping our expenses as low as possible in order to reach our financial goals as quickly as possible.  Hopefully you’ll find some inspiration here too.

Category: just my life, other bloggers, the simple life, thrift stores  21 Comments
16
Mar 2010

A Great Thrift Store Find

FrugalBabe

On Sunday, I headed to a couple of my favorite thrift stores.  I was looking for a carpet steamer, which I didn’t find (there’s always next time – I know I’ll find one soon).  But I did find one of these.  For six dollars.  We had been on the lookout for a new keyboard for our son, although I had never seen anything quite like this one.  I didn’t know what the pipes sticking up the back were, and the whole thing looks like it’s made of PVC pipes (turns out that’s a bit part of the Blue Man Group’s show, which I didn’t know until my husband showed me YouTube videos of them performing).  In the store, I didn’t know if it was broken or if the batteries were dead, but I figured for six dollars it was worth a chance.

As soon as we replaced the batteries, it came to life.  And it is an amazing toy.  Those pipes sticking up behind the keyboard are sensors, and all you have to do is wave your hand over them and they play amazing music – about 100 different kinds of music, depending on what setting you have it on.  You can make fantastic combinations of sounds, just by waving your hands in a certain order.  There’s even a place to plug an MP3 player into the keyboard.

Just another example of how you never know what you’ll find when you step into a thrift store.  I didn’t find what I was looking for, but I stumbled across an amazing keyboard, and it was a fraction of what it would have cost new.

In other great thrift store news, my mother found a Rainbow vacuum last month for $20.  It works perfectly, and she loves it.  That is definitely up there in the top thrift store finds of all time!

And now that spring is coming to the northern hemisphere, yard sale season is on its way.  I’m planning to shop at yard sales this year for clothes for our son.  The thrift stores where I shop sell baby clothes for 99 cents, but they increase the price into the $2 – $4 range for clothes in toddler and kid sizes, and I know I can get better deals at yard sales.  Looking forward to some good scavenger hunt Saturday mornings!

Category: thrift stores  8 Comments
12
Mar 2010

Mini Living Room Makeover

FrugalBabe

A couple months ago, my husband’s aunt got new living room furniture and offered us her old stuff.  It was 10 or 15 years old, but we liked it better than our own mis-matched pieces, so we happily accepted.  We now have a couch, chair, loveseat, and footrest – all matching!

What didn’t match was our throw pillows.  Our old couches were tan, and our pillows were shades of brown and red.  The new furniture is shades of grey and blue, so there was a lot of clashing going on:

100_8148

Last fall, I bought a king size blue sheet at a thrift store to make curtains for our son’s room.  I had a lot of leftover fabric, so yesterday I spent less than an hour to whip up covers for our pillows:

100_8149

Much better, I think!  The covers are as simple as can be – no zippers or buttons, I just made the back out of two overlapping pieces of fabric.  Here’s a picture that shows the back of one of them:

100_8150

The best part is that they are easy to take off and wash.  And our living room looks a lot better.  Not bad for leftover fabric… I spent $6 on that sheet, and ended up with curtains and three pillow covers.

Category: hobbies, just my life, thrift stores, ways we save money  11 Comments
04
Feb 2010

My Latest Goodwill Finds

FrugalBabe

Last month, I decided to see how long I could go without grocery shopping, just by using up the stuff I already had on hand in our cupboards and freezer.  I hadn’t been stockpiling anything and we didn’t have a huge amount of food stored, but it was 15 days between shopping trips, as opposed to my normal 7.  And when I did go back to the grocery store, our bill was only about $40 higher than it usually is, so it was definitely worth some kitchen creativity to use up some of what we had on hand before buying more groceries.

There’s a great Goodwill just around the corner from the grocery store, so I decided to treat myself to a little thrifting that afternoon.  I spend a total of $42 at Goodwill…

We are going to a wedding in June, and I went looking for a new dress to wear.  I found this, plus shoes that are a perfect match and were still tied together with the little string that retailers use to keep pairs together:

100_7975

I got a great stainless steel bowl that I’m planning to use as a planter, and a black pan that I can use to sun dry tomatoes this summer.  I also got a cute little wooden step stool for our son to use in the bathroom – and it folds into a chair too!  In the pan you can also see some Melissa & Doug wooden stensils:

100_7972

A friend of mine is expecting a baby girl this spring, and I got this adorable little dress/bloomers set, along with about four yards of super cute fabric that I will use to make something for the baby.  I haven’t decided what I’m making yet, but I’m sure inspiration will strike:

100_7973

I also got a complete croquet set for out backyard:

100_7976

And even though I know that I don’t need any more clothes, I did buy two tops for myself.  The brown one is LOLE, and I could tell it was a well made shirt as soon as I saw it.  After I got home, I looked up their website, and all of their basic long sleeved shirts sell for about $45 – $60:

100_7974

All of that for $42.

Thanks Goodwill, for making it possible for us to have nice stuff and still fund our retirement accounts!

Category: Our stuff, gifts, thrift stores  7 Comments
28
Jan 2010

Opposing Views On Frugality

FrugalBabe

Apparently I’m a bit behind on reading personal finance blogs, because I just came across a couple of articles from February of last year.  They’re old, but make some great points and are very interesting reads.  Trent at The Simple Dollar wrote an article about how a media interviewer called him a cheapskate.  And then Him from Make Love Not Debt wrote about his thoughts on the topic.  I found both articles very interesting, along with the comments from readers.  It seems like everyone has an opinion, and two people can see another person’s frugality in very different ways.  My personal opinion – and we’re all entitled to one – is that I’d much rather hang out with Trent than Him.  I think Trent’s values are a lot more in line with my own, and from the articles I’ve read on his blog, he seems very happy with his life and choices.

But the articles brought up a deeper point than just the choices we make in our own lives and whom we choose as friends.  There was a lot of talk about judging others and self-righteousness – from both sides of the frugal – spendy spectrum.  I think that it’s somewhat natural to tend to think highly of others who are most like ourselves.  Most people tend to choose friends with whom they have a lot in common.   I would say that I’m probably the most frugal of my friends, but they’re all pretty focused on saving for a rainy day and for retirement, and none of them think less of me for shopping in thrift stores and driving an old car.

I do think of myself as frugal.  And I am happy almost 100% of the time.  For me, the connection between those two things is strong, and I believe that the simple life my husband and I have created for our family plays a large role in our happiness.  But I don’t think less of people who make different choices in terms of how they spend their money.  As long as those choices don’t impact the rest of us.  If a person chooses to spend all of their income each month (and I’m not talking about someone working for minimum wage who barely has enough for rent and food), that is none of my business.  But when I started hearing about mortgage bailouts after ARMs began to reset a couple years ago, I’ll admit to being irritated – especially when I read article after article about people who purchased houses that they could barely afford, even at the low introductory interest rate.  Bankruptcy is another example of something that drives up costs for everyone else, and it’s frustrataing when the bankruptcy is caused because a person consistently made choices to spend instead of save.  Yes, there are lots of cases where bankruptcy is caused because a person became too ill to work or suffered some sort of catastrophic circumstances, but there are also plenty of people who live paycheck to paycheck (despite having a good income) and are thus putting themselves in a situation where they have no ability to weather even the slightest financial storm.

What do you think?  Do you agree more with Trent or with Him?  Do you care about how other people choose to spend their money?  Are you more or less frugal than your friends?  Do you friends care?

Category: Debt, just my life, thrift stores  10 Comments
20
Nov 2009

Thrifted Christmas Inspiration

FrugalBabe

Pretty much everything in our house was used when we got it – even our dog and cat.  But I haven’t ever taken the time to photograph and catalog most of the great deals we’ve gotten over the years.  So I’m quite impressed with the Thrifty Chicks for their latest project – an album of 201 photos of awesome thrifted stuff.  It’s like a Christmas catalog of unique stuff.  You can’t order from the pages, but you can be inspired to go out an find your own awesome stuff, for far less than you’d spend at the mall.

I’ve already mentioned that we’re planning a super low-key Christmas around here.  Our son is only a year and half old, and could care less whether it’s Christmas or the 4th of July or November 20th.   As long as we spend our evenings playing with him, and take him to the playground during the day, he’s a happy camper.  But there are a few people for whom I enjoy getting presents.  I’ve been pondering various homemade options this year, and I’m also going to go to the thrift stores a little more often for the next few weeks and see if I spot anything that reminds me of those people.  I’m making a commitment that all of the gifts my family gives this year will be either homemade, secondhand, or donations to a charity that is close to the recipient’s heart.  No mall stuff, no online shopping, nothing mass-produced unless I’m giving it a second life.

What about you?  Anyone else out there who is willing to get off of the crazy retail train that somehow manages to take over a good chunk of the country for the last month of the year?  If you have Black Friday off work, perhaps you can spend it thrifting for wonderful unique gifts, or sorting through things you already have on hand that can be turned into homemade gifts.  I’m thinking about making wooden blocks for a friend’s toddler by cutting up a 2×4.  Or I might felt an old wool sweater and use it to make a her a little purse.  Lots of possibilities, all more fun than spending the day at the mall racking up credit card debt.

So head over to the Thrifty Chicks site for some inspiration, and then challenge yourself to see how much of your Christmas shopping you can do without buying new stuff.  And whatever you do, promise yourself that you won’t go into debt for Christmas, since that takes all the fun out of it.

Category: other bloggers, thrift stores  11 Comments
19
Nov 2009

No Impact Man

FrugalBabe

For a couple years now, I’ve had Colin Beavan’s blog – No Impact Man – on my blogroll.  His site is both interesting and inspiring, and I’ve always enjoyed it.  I  just finished reading his new book (also titled No Impact Man), and highly recommend it.  The focus of the book is on Colin and his wife and daughter as they work to eliminate as much as possible of their carbon footprint for a year.  No transportation except their feet and bikes, no food that isn’t local, no electricity in their apartment, no elevators… it’s quite an impressive feat.  Especially since they live in a 9th floor apartment in NYC.

The book is inspiring from an environmental perspective, but my frugal side was inspired too.  Colin and his family transform themselves from a typical TV-watching, Prada-buying (well, maybe that part isn’t typical…), taxi-riding, Starbucks-drinking family to something much more simple, and much more pleasant.  In the process, they stop buying new things (thrift stores are fair game, as used merchandise is always a green option), start riding bikes and walking everywhere, give up their TV and hang out playing games in the evening, and gather around the kitchen to prepare fresh local food rather than order take out.  All told, it seems that nearly all of the changes they made would have a dual effect of both lessening their environmental impact, and also reducing their spending.

The book is far more interesting than just a simple journal of their progress or a how-to list for environmental action.  Colin does an excellent job of weaving introspective musings in between the details of his life, and the result is a more thought-provoking read than many of the environmentally-focused books I’ve read.  If you’re looking for a book that will give you some ideas and inspiration for living a life that is a bit more gentle – on yourself, your wallet, and the planet – I definitely recommend No Impact Man.

Category: other bloggers, the simple life, thrift stores  3 Comments
27
Oct 2009

What Would We Do Without Second Hand Stuff?

FrugalBabe

I noticed a couple weeks ago that our son was starting to ourgrow most of his hand-me-down shoes.  His toes have gotten to the end of his size 5s, so I knew it was time for a trip to the thrift store.  I decided to get him two pairs of size 6 shoes, as I figured that would last him until he needs a bigger size. 

It only took me a few minutes to find exactly what I needed.  I found a pair of Stride Rite shoes (super cool, with little surf boards all over them – my husband said he’d like a pair in his size) and a pair of Lands End shoes, both size 6, and both with almost no wear at all (no toe imprints inside, no wear showing on the soles).  I also found a pair of size 6 winter boots – just in time, since we’re supposed to get a foot of snow over the next two days. 

As a bonus, I came across a miniature catcher’s mitt, which my husband thought was my best score of the day.  He got out his own glove and started playing a toddler version of catch with our son as soon as I got home.

100_7529

All together, I spent $12.  For two pairs of shoes, boots, and a mitt.  I knew that Lands End and Stride Rite are good brands, but just out of curiosity I checked their websites to see what sort of a deal I got.  Most of the shoes on the Stride Rite site were in the $40 – $55 range, and the Lands End shoes were about $30.

In keeping with my mission to declutter our house, I dropped off a carload of donations at the thrift store.  The catcher’s mitt wasn’t on my list, but it was just too awesome to pass up.

If you’re not already shopping in thrift stores, you gotta start!

Category: Our stuff, baby, thrift stores  7 Comments
« Previous Entries