Bibles For Missions SCORE

3 Pairs of Shoes.

1 Pair of Rubber Duck Boots

2 Change Pad Covers.

1 Play Pen Base Sheet.

1 Dress.

1 Onesie.

1 Sweater Vest.

1 Pink T-Shirt.

One Low, Low Price.

$3.15

Damn, I'm good.

Glow On, Little Worm, Glow On

Everytime we go to Wal-Mart, my daughter finds a glow worm in the toy isle and carries it around Wal-Mart pushing the button to make it glow and sing over, and over, and over again. It is sweet to watch, but with a price tag of $15.64, I just could never justify buying her one just because she liked it so much.

Yesterday, Bibles For Missions was having a 50% off sale on their toys. And...

Guess who scored a fully functional near mint condition glow worm for a buck?

That would be me.

The Queen of Thrift

I have seriously outdone myself this time. I have been trying to stockpile larger sizes for my daughter so that when the time comes we won't be in a panic about clothes for her.
I hit BFM (Bibles For Missions) this week and they were having a sale. I got 12 items of clothing for my daughter and 5 books.
Just ask.
How much did I spend.
Just ASK!!!!


$3.52

Oh, yeah.

Shoe Love

Alright, if I haven't confessed it yet to you, it must be known that I have a problem with shoes.

I can never get enough of them.

This month we are REALLY trying not to spend money on extras, so I have not spent any unnecessary money except for buying me and a friend coffee, permissible because the last two weeks combined I have spent $60 less on groceries than I normally would in one week (the pantry and fridge are starting to look bare). But last night I went second hand shopping with said friend, and did completely okay until we hit the shoes. 

Shimmery, mint green, peep toe flats. 

Cranberry leather & wood strappy clogs. 

Sweating, I called my husband. 

And for the first time in my married life, he told me to come home without the shoes. 

Luckily, after I had put both pairs back on the rack and was waiting at the till for my friend to purchase her items, I thought to look if I had any VV coupons. Which I did. 

Which was for the exact price of the green flats, if I put them on my friends bill.

Which she generously allowed. 

And WALLLA!

Free shoes!

Yay coupons!

PS - You get VV coupons by buying thier calendar in December each year. They have a monthly coupon that is usually pretty good: buy 4 items get the 5th free, spend $100 get $50 off, etc.

Kids Swap - The Big Red Barn

In Chilliwack as you head west there is a big red barn. Further out there is a big yellow barn. Believe it or not, these are actual terms of direction. As in, "You know, the exit by the big yellow barn." Please, no female driver jokes.
Anyways - yesterday was my first ever kids swap at the big red barn. I've heard about it MANY times from other mom's as the IT place to pick up hot stuff on the cheap - but I am either hopelessly out of touch with current events (actually, that's a fair accusation) or the organizers are crap at advertising. I was filling up with gas early Saturday morning, when a hand written sign on poster board let me know that I was at that very moment missing the kids swap.
So I popped in later when I had a few minutes. I was warned that all the good stuff goes quick, so I can't say what I missed - but I was very pleased and tempted beyond what I expected. However, I didn't loose control and only walked out with a few things that I had been wanting to buy anyways.
So, would you like to know the score?
For the grand total of $11, I got an outdoor swing (the kind you install from a tree branch or under your deck), one of those little four wheel trucks that toddlers can ride - Pooh theme with all of the musical buttons, etc. still in good working order, and (my favorite) one of those little popcorn 'vacuums'.
There were loads of clothes and toys and strollers that ranged from almost new prices to dirt cheap.
I will definitely attend next chance I get, and I highly recommend to the local girls that they do too!

More Secondhand Goodness

So we've already covered the basics of secondhand shopping, but here are some rather clever ways to save using the second hand principle:

Book Mooch http://bookmooch.com/

Do you like to read? Well, join this world wide trading site and for the cost of sending a book through the mail, have one sent to you. You get .1 points for each book you list to trade, and 1 point for each book you send. Trade in one point for each book you 'mooch'.

PRO'S: There's something so delicious about being connected to the whole world (even just through book trading). You can trade old books you aren't using anymore for second hand books - hello environmentally friendly options!

CON'S: The first thing I discovered is that sending a book through the mail is not as cheap as, say, buying a book at the bookman. And the site selection is limited to what people across the world are giving away (no crochet books for me...).

RATING: Two stars out of five for practicality and frugality, but Four stars for fun.

Free Cycle http://www.freecycle.org/

This community based program is simple. I have something I am not using, so instead of throwing it away, I will give it away. You can request an item, or list an item. Joining is free (and simple). I haven't found anything to give away or pick up yet so I can't list pro's and con's, but I know someone who has and she was over the moon about it. The only thing it appears to cost you is the gas to go pick your stuff up.

RATING: Four out of Five at this point. The only downside is that there's not a huge network in my local community yet, so there's only 5 pages of stuff to look through...

Clothing Swap

Okay, I don't have a particular site for this, but you can easily create your own on face book (if you just can't abide by doing it the old fashioned way) or set one up by talking to your friends and acquaintances. This is great especially for kids, but definitely for us as well. Have a bunch of people pack up what they aren't using (with the stipulation of no stains or rips) set a time, location and date and make a plate of brownies and a pot of coffee. I am planning one of these myself, so I will let you know how that goes and any pointers for making it easier.

Cheers, V.

PS - Just to let you know, today is day two of using the homemade laundry soap. No complaints yet. I haven't noticed any difference at all, actually.

Stinky Shopping: Get Your Thrift On

Okay. It was only a matter of time. You knew it was coming.

Second Hand shopping.

This is one of the best ways I save money.

A lot of my friends (the ones who didn't grow up poor) think that it's gross - it's stinky and dirty, they can't find anything, there's to much to look through. I am not going to argue against that. It does have a musty smell. And if your worried about dirt, pick up a travel size bottle of purell. And there IS a lot of stuff to look through.

But think of it like a treasure hunt. Grab a coffee, and go with an idea of what you want (ie- winter clothes for 12m baby, or size 14 blue jeans). If you find it overwhelming, I recommend heading straight to the section that you are interested in first (baby clothes, housewares, etc). Every single second hand store I have been to (and they are many) is arranged by department, size, and some by color. And for this little bit of extra work, here's the pay off: you will save so much stinking money that it will convert you forever.

I find amazing stuff - $150 dollar Aldo boots for $20, GAP jeans (long & lean) for $10, a brand new printer still in its box (who gives that away, I wonder. Still, we were grateful) - you name it, and I've seen it and probably bought it. And it's not all worn out and stained (although I recommend a thorough once over for tears and stains before making any purchases), often it looks as though it's barely worn. That's a blessing of living in a rich country that believes in fads - people toss their clothes after a few months. Even if they've spent a lot on them.

I am so committed to this that here is my proposal: If you are open to the idea of this, but find yourself battling reservations, I will do an introductory second hand shopping date with you (providing you live in this lush green valley), coffee on me, okay? I will teach you in the wh-ays of the frugal haus-frau, no?

Still unsure?

Here's the deal sealer: for those of you who know her, I turned Pammy. Yes. Not a word a lie. Just ask her. And if I can turn her, I can turn you.

RE-Cap:

1) Write List Of Needed Items

2) Make Coffee For Travel Mug

2.5) Grab Purell & Facemask if needed

3) Go To Nearest Thrift Store

4) Find PERTINENT Sections & Perform Search for needed items

5) Do Thorough Stain & Tear Check

6) Purchase

6.5) Use purell in parking lot if needed

7) Do I-cant-beleive-how-much-$$-I-saved-dance on hood of car

8) Return home

9) Repeat as often as needed