Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Family Fun + Sweet Deals = Great Weekend!



Greetings! Hope this finds you well. I had hoped to have this posted yesterday, but didn't quite make it! We had an absolute blast with my nieces and nephews this past weekend. We were joined by Brennan’s sweetheart, Brianna and her Mom. (My nieces were absolutely thrilled because they adore Bri.) In between watching (not-so) spooky movies, we enjoyed fun party food, made oreo spiders, danced around like crazy, then later, decorated pumpkins (a bit too early in the month to carve them). It was awesome to hear such joy and laughter in our house (that has been far too quiet lately!)

These are my nieces, Blaire and Jordyn with Bri.
The oreo spiders we made were so cute. I especially got a kick out of Bri’s. She sent this picture to Brennan from her phone (so sweet!)

Blaire with her pumpkin…crazy and creative…just like her!

Josh, who’s all boy and who loves “scary stuff,” made his the Joker from Batman.

Girly-girl Jordyn made a Little Bo Peep pumpkin. With a little help from Bri’s Mom, Lisa, she even painted a little sheep on the back. Adorable!
Sweet, sweet guys…Blake & Josh

The only thing that could have made Saturday any better would have been having Brennan and Brooke (my other niece) there, too! It was a great time for all of us. Looking forward to having them over again...soon! ☺

Sunday was fun in a completely different way. After preparing lunch, I exercised my preferred method of "good stewardship" by taking a trip to my favorite thrift store! I first began shopping at thrift stores when Brennan was a baby. It’s positively crazy the kind of deals you can get. These were my finds for the day...So that you can fully appreciate what you see in this photo, here is a rundown:

Red corduroy button down (Eddie Bauer)
Charcoal gray (wool) cardigan sweater
Red cowl neck sweater (Coldwater Creek)
Black cardigan sweater
Ivory pullover sweater
Navy Blue (Naturalizer) Shoes (still with department store price tags)
Warren Kimble Americana Snowman Plate (ltd edition, still in box)
3 Assorted Flower Vases
You need to know I'm not really a label girl. I simply look for clothes I like, that fit and will work with what I already have. I do however, get especially excited when I realize I've chosen something that happens to be a really nice brand for a ridiculously low price. Wanna guess how much I spent?


$28.00!

Hard to believe, isn't it? With everyone tightening their belt economically, there is no better time to check out a thrift or consignment store in your area. You can cut your clothing cost in half, and sometimes even to a fourth! Who couldn't benefit from that kind of savings!?

Part of the fun (for me) is truly the hunt. My absolute favorite of all finds a few summers back was a London Fog trenchcoat (with zip-out winter lining) that looked like brand new...for $2.00!!! Not a thing was wrong with it, in fact I've worn it for three winters now! Amazing! Are you a thrift or consignment store shopper? I'd love to hear what treasures you've found.

Better run! Have a wonderful Tuesday!

15 comments:

Laurie Ann said...

Sounds like ya'll had a great time! I enjoyed the pictures. Both kids and pumpkins were cute! Awesome finds at the thrift store. Way to go!

Melanie said...

I can tell you all had so much fun, Tracy! The oreo spiders are too cute... my kids would love them!

Have a great day!

Natalie said...

First of all...I LOVE thrift stores! You got some good deals. Second...those oreo spiders are adorable! I am amazed at all the possibilities with food.

Paula V said...

I just lost my comment...here goes again.

Anyone who says they have a beef with thrift-store shopping doesn't know what they are missing. There are some great deals and great items to be found.

I haven't been shopping in awhile (guilt over too many clothes in my closet) so I can't share my finds.

I'm happy for you and a sweet $28 at that. You did good my friend...done, did, good. (I know it is you did well but sometimes it's more fun to be grammatically incorrect.)
Blessings,
Paula

Debra Kaye said...

Tracy,

You can see the joy! And well done on those clothes, my friend, well done, indeed!

Blessings to you today!

Kim@Seasons of My Heart said...

Oh...what fun you had. Everyone's pumpkins turned out great.

I LOVE the deals you found. I too, am a thrifty girl.....you go girl.

Hope you are having a great week?!

godlover said...

Tracy, I absolutely love thrift stores! 99% of my clothes come from thrift stores. Besides the great savings you get them already broken in. All the seams and pleats and tucks are already relaxed. It just feels good on, you know? And the fact that you paid next to nothing for it is all a bonus. I'm like you. I don't label shop either but I just love it when I find something from Coldwater Creek at affordable prices. I paid $2 for a skirt that was originally priced at $48! And I just LOVE the skirt!!

The pics of the kids were sweet and I thought your oreo spiders looked great. The pumpkins all looked good too. You could see the kids' personalities in their pumpkins.

Marj

Susannah said...

All that for $28??? Awesome. Yes, I've been shopping in thrift stores for years... not everything, but for a lot of the basics. I especially love the holiday sales, where you get everything half off. My husband always grins from ear to ear!

Kristi said...

What a blast you had! The pumpkins are so much fun. Each one is creative and fun. I know they loved the day as much as you did. Thanks for sharing the joy with all of us!

Julie said...

I love a good thrift store find.

Looks like you all had a blast...

Loved seeing the pumpkins.

Hugs,
Julie

Addicted to Beadz said...

It looks like you guys had a blast!

Those oreo spider cookies would be great to let 1st graders make.

I love your deals also. I always take my clothes to the consignment store.

I love to find great deals, too.

Love,
Cheryl

Tricia said...

Looks like you all had a great time! We are going to the pumpkin patch on Friday, maybe we will have to paint our pumpkins!

What great finds you got at the thrift store... I too like to check out those and consignment sales and shops for great deals!! It is so much fun!

Blessings!

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

Kids clothes, but not so much for myself. I rarely buy anything for me, but I love finding bargains for the kids, especially winter jackets and cute dresses for Miss Priss.

How is Brennan doing?

peace~elaine

Becky said...

Awww, what a fun tradition! Very cute, Bri sending that pic to Brennan, too.

I, too, LOOOVE a good thrift store find. My best ever was a $40 dollar piece of furniture that my mother-in-law bought on Senior day for $30. It was an old shelf used in a record shop once upon a time to hold records. It was SUPER sturdy and heavy duty, and just a big box. It sat in my garage for a couple of years holding power tools, but one day I bartered with a friend, and he did the work necessary to turn it into a beautiful large, blue armoire that I now keep in the house. In exchange I gave him a piece of furniture that we no longer needed in our home.

So, for the price of the 'box' and about $40 worth of materials I got a huge, $1,000 armoire for around $70 total. Total blessing.

Susan said...

Go Tracy!!

You got some great deals. I go to consignment shops many times.

Loved all the pumkins too, how precious.

Blessings♥