Frugal Friday - Finding Affordable Clothing

Finding affordable clothing on a limited budget can be tricky. Its especially difficult to find CUTE clothing on a budget - but in recent years, I've been introduced to a method that does just that. Cute clothes for less! The answer is in Thrift Stores and Consignment Shops. Thrift Stores and Consignment Shops are an excellent resource for any savvy, frugal-minded person. They are generally are filled to the brim with excellent bargains, especially when it comes to clothes.

Of course bargain is in the eye of the beholder. Two years ago, I found a gorgeous pair of high heels at a local consignment shop for $30. To me, this was a great deal - the shoes originally came from BeBe, a super trendy, high end clothing store that I had always avoided like the plague due to the "cha-ching" involved. So when I found a pair of cute shoes that I could afford. that came from there, I jumped on it! But, if I were faced with the same situation now, I'd be forced to relunctantly pass.

You can still find GREAT deals at these shops though. Not too long ago I found a pair brand new Express Khaki Cords for only $10. They had never been washed, and the original price was around $60. And check out this adorable outfit Debbie J. found at a thrift store for 50 cents:

What a Bargain!

So try the thrifts and the consignment shops next time you go shopping. You might be pleasantly surprised at the quality of the garments and, of course, the price!

UPDATE: Debbie J. posted a similar topic today with a better picture of the above outfit, click to check it out!

Christmas Television

Is it just me or are all the Christmas Cartoons I used to LOVE as a kid, completely different now? Last night, How the Grinch Stole Christmas was on and the night before that A Charlie Brown Christmas. When I was little, I remember being so excited for these shows to come on television. I remember being glued to the t.v. with Sugar Plums dancing in my ears and Christmas merriment bopping around in my brain.

On Tuesday and Wednesday nights when these Christmas specials aired, I got that old twinge of elated anticipation. I tuned in right on time. I muted the dog and the cat, and turned the baby volume to low. Then to my disspointment, I realized that both of these shows are not very interesting anymore and on top of that have incredibly short running times. How the Grinch stole Christmas is only 26 minutes long according to Wikipedia. So I'm not sure, but I think I was tricked into watching 34 minutes of commercials!! Because you KNOW a national television affiliate would never run a 26 minute program in a 30 minute slot and have only FOUR minutes of commercials. Sheesh.

Regardless though, I still enjoyed just the fact that it was on. It brought back happy memories. And even though now I'd rather be blogging or watching Grey's Anatomy, I still feel that the Christmas season has begun when those old school programs begin to run. And I can't wait for our children to get to know Charlie Brown and the Who's down in Whoville. I have a feeling they will renew those old feelings of excitement and possibly even get the sugar plums stuck back in my ears (along with draining all the Christmas cheer from my bank account!)

Tree Decision '07

Kacie at Sense to Save, posted an interesting question the other day - Real Tree or Artificial? It was interesting to me because I had just been considering that same question in terms of what our family should do this year.

I have only had a real tree a few times in my life. I "think" I remember having a real tree a couple of times when I very small. Then when I was living in Boston that first year, my roommates insisted upon a real tree. They dragged it up 5 flights of stairs and had it decorated before I even got home from work. I don't really remember it that much except that it was sitting beside the television for about a month.

This year I thought it would be kind of nice to celebrate our first Christmas with Goose by going out and doing the whole "picking out a live tree" thing. Like how they do on Christmas shows! But then Hubby and I thought about it a little more and figured Goose won't remember it anyway, so lets get another year or two out of our artificial tree and save a little cash.

I think artificial trees are pretty great though - they never wilt or die. Some of are pre-lit. Many of them look better-than real. And you don't have to water them. But I do think it would be a fun tradition to go as a family and pick out the tree - or maybe we can go to Debbie J.'s house and chop one down or something! (Just kidding)

Hair Phenomenon Part II

Yesterday I posted about Goose's spikey hair and how it looks just like his Uncle Tator's hair. (Click for Part I) My dear mama, Debbie J., has sent me some additional evidence:

Uncle Tator: Approximate Age: 6 months

WFMW - Newspaper Window Cleaner

A few years ago when my Aunt asked me to help her wash her windows, I was surprised to see a huge stack of newspaper sitting beside the Windex. I was even more surprised when she started wadding it up and using it, instead of paper towels, to dry the Windex she had sprayed on the glass. Of course I followed suit and was again surprised to find that the newspaper not only worked - it worked BETTER. No streaks, No wet spots, No dirt left behind.

So if you have some newspaper lying around, give it a try! Works for me! For more great tips visit Shannon's Blog.

Hair Phenomenon

When my brother was little, his hair would stand straight up. I'm not exaggerating the straight up part. All over his head until his hair was probably 2 inches long it stuck straight out on all sides. I still remember being in Wal-Mart one Sunday with him and my mom (and I think my grandma too) and someone said to their friend that he looked like we had stuck him in a microwave!! They said this where we could hear it too! Shame... Anyway, I think that Goose has inherited his Uncle Tater's hair!!!!!!!

Here's the preliminary evidence:

Cute and Frugal Christmas Gifts

I have decided to make a lot of my Christmas Gifts this year. There are a ton of people that I always buy a little something for and that "little something" could range anywhere from 5-10 dollars in price. Since we are on a shoestring budget this year, I decided to make Christmas Candy Jars out of Mason Canning Jars. I have only made 6 so far, but they turned out pretty cute. The beauty of this project is two-fold. Number one is the price. Each jar cost approximately $1.50 to make. Number two is the thought behind each one. They may not have cost a lot, but they take a while to make. I really put a lot of care into them, trying to make them cute and attempting to make the bows look right. I hope the recipients of these gifts like them as much as I do!



I like them so much that I was thinking of selling them in an Etsy shop for 3 or 4 dollars a piece. I don't know, we'll see. Here are some pics: