More Great Thrifting Tips

1. Keep your thrifting cash in its own envelope. This is something I recently implemented and I can't tell you how much it has cut down on impulse buying and buyers regret. I have a set amount to spend. If I see a big ticket item that i have been looking for, I call  Eric and discuss it first. Then, if we agree to buy it, I use the debit or paypal card. I have found some awesome handmade cash envelopes over on Etsy (KrinkleKut. CashEnvelopes , and daisylanedesign have some nice ones)!

   Everyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE to thrift shop. Its the thrill of seeing a treasure in a pile of otherwise mundane junk I think. I thrift for necessities. I thrift for treasures. I thrift for my Etsy shop. If I can squeeze a trip in here and there, I am happy.

   My last post on tips for successful thrift shopping was super fun to write, so here I am offering you some more tips and tools. Enjoy!


2. Bring an (empty) stroller or wheeled cart. You never know how much you are going to find. Instead of relying on the randomly available carts in thrift shops, instead dedicate a nice compact one to your shopping and just keep it in the back of your car.

3. Keep track of sales! Most thrift stores will have half-or more-off sales at least once a month. Try to hit the store at these times. Preferable in the morning when the sale starts.

4. Do a once over before you hit the checkout line. Go over everything in your cart or stroller. Check again for snags, rips, stains and decide if it is worth its price.

5. Have a system for hunting and stick to it. For example, I also look at the clothing first and the kitchen goods (i.e. breakables) last that way I can nestle glass things into the fabric and keep them from breaking. Actually, I have a pretty detailed system of what I look at when. It keeps my mine organized and I like the rhythm of it. Unless these categories are on completely opposite ends of the store I generally go from clothing to books to toys and games to household to kitchen stuff. Lastly I do holiday stuff.

How to be a Successful Thrifter....or, Seven Tips for Thrift Shopping

I grew up thrifting, thrift shopping, pawing through someone else's cast off junk....whatever you want to call it. When I was a kid, it wasn't so awesome. Almost all my clothes were thrifted, which I didn't really mind, except when I wanted something specific. Then my mom would say, "well, we'll keep a look out for it at the thrift shops." But the problem with most styles, is they only show up in the thrift shops when they are OUT OF STYLE. I'm not faulting my mom for being frugal and showing us how to be thrifty, but I'm just saying, it wasn't cool back then to thrift for all your needs.

Fast forward to now, I thrift for EVERYTHING. Literally. Well, not food. And not gas. Although once I scored about 30 jars of brand new organic peanut butter for 25 cents each at a thrift store. And I do mainline Amazon pretty regularly. Sigh. So what are my secrets? Here's the scoop......

1. make sure you have plenty of time to really peruse. If you don't decided exactly what sections you are going to look in BEFORE you enter the store. For example, yesterday I had about 7 minutes to zip into our favorite shop. I knew I needed to look for dresses for Rumer and also napkins in the linen section. Well, I didn't find either of those, but I did find a beautiful wool rug with purple flowers for $2 (I know, right? SCORE.)

2. Have a general idea in your mind what you would pay for something. For example, I never spend more than $3 on a kids shirt, pants or dress. Period. Its just my number.

3. If you are bringing the kids also, set parameters about what they can and can't do. If I know we are going to be in a thrift shop for the long haul, I let my kids read in the book section and each pick out a book to take home. Especially if books are a quarter or, at most, half-dollar, it is a good way to keep them out of my hair while I really peruse.
4. If the store has shopping carts, snag on on the way in, and if you even THINK you might want to get something, put it in the cart. Then, before you checkout, spend some time going through everything and make a final decision. In any given trip, I usually put back about 25% of what I initially put in my cart.

5. If you are going to resell something, use the 20% rule. Don't spend more than 20% of what you are going to get back for it. This percentage is more like 5-10% for me.

6. Think seasonally. One of the best ways to thrift shop is OUT OF SEASON. Why? Becasue people get rid of awesome things during the off season when they think they will never use them again. A few of the items I have gotten thrifting during the off season: sweaters, snow pants, rain boots, swim suits, and camping gear.
7. Bring hand sanitizer (I always feel dirty after a couple hours of thrifting.

8. Wear a cross-body purse. I couldn't live without my LeSportsac. Really.  I don't like to have to think about my purse when I am thrifting. The LeSportsac is a crossbody type purse and this helps me to keep my wallet safe, and also have all the things I need with me when I'm shopping.

And thats all I have! Do you have any great thrifting tips?

Fellow blogger Lady Cordelia has a great post on thrifting, check it out!

How to Have a Paris Honeymoon on a Budget

When My Better Half and I were in college eight years ago, we planned our wedding all throughout our senior year. After loosing a bet about the future president, we decided to move to Europe. We knew we wanted to get work and be able to stay for a long period. Well, more about that later.....

Paris was a place I had always wanted to go, and when My Better Half's parents graciously agreed to fly us there on frequent flyer miles, we were thrilled.

Except, we had less then no money.

We had to figure out a way to make the week in Paris fun and exciting, while also eating and transporting ourselves without spending all our money.

Here are the things we learned that really worked:

1. walk, walk, walk....it is cheap and free. When we had to get someone far, we bought single metro tickets.
2. go to all the free museums, and there are lots!
3. a bauguette, brie, and fruit juice can keep you going for a long time!
4. if you need a treat, the street vendors crepes are cheap and good. get one with lots of protein in it!
5. bike tours are far cheaper (and more fun) then the stodgy walking tours, and you see more for your money!
6. Macdonalds has the best free wifi, forget the internet cafe's which charge an arm and a leg.
7. the backs of cool, quiet churchs are a good place to get a little rest and even doze off in turns if your brave enough.
8. if you must go to a restaurant, get a salad! they are huge and will feed two easily.

There are my tips! Enjoy your trip!