Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Thrifting

Dear Elliot,
You should be proud to know you come from a long line of thrift store extraordinaires. Your grandpa (my dad) is the Master of Deals, the King of Bargains. I've never understood if he has some sort of magical deal-finding powers, or if it's just that he goes to thrift stores that often, but he is the best there is. From $6 old bikes he cleans up and sells on Craigslist for $200, to $2 golf clubs he turns around and gets $150 for on Ebay, to the 13 pairs (yes, 13!) of Doc Martins he found for me in middle school (when Docs were obviously the coolest thing a 12-year old girl could own!), your grandpa definitely has the magic touch. There was even one time in college when we walked into the thrift store and he said to me, "okay, what are we hoping to find today?" I said, "how about a pair of leather Birkenstock sandals, size 7." No joke, he somehow found a pair that had never been worn for $5.99.

Anyway, now that I'm both broke and bored, I've been practicing my own thrifting skills this week. It seems like the deal-finding talent may just be genetic, because I've scored some pretty awesome bargains!

First, I found these cute maternity jeans for $4.99. You read that right--I said "cute" and "maternity" in the same sentence! My biggest problem with most maternity pants is that they fit in the belly, but are frumpy and baggy in other places, namely the butt. Maternity jeans makers do realize babies grow in the belly, not the butt, right?? Well these jeans are nice and snug in the legs and actually make my butt look quite nice, if I do say so myself (ha). I can't believe I finally found a pair of maternity pants I like, and for under five bucks!


Then, at the same store, I found a pair of adorable Cole Haan leather flats for $5.99. They seriously look like they've never been worn! For anyone who doesn't know what Cole Hanns are (don't worry, I probably wouldn't either if I hadn't sold shoes at Nordstrom in college!), these probably retailed for around $150. When I called my dad to brag about my find, he said, "oh good, because you really need more shoes!"But whatever, I could totally hear the jealously in his voice :)


I can't totally take credit for this next find, because it was technically your dad that found them for me, but either way, I got these super comfy Sierra Designs down booties/slippers for $4.99. Again, pretty much brand-new. I've been saying I really want a pair of slippers since Dad insists on keeping the house at a frigid 66 degrees, and now I not only have slippers, but slippers that literally feel like I am wearing sleeping bags on my feet. Awesome.


And of course I had to pick up some deals for you while we were out and about, too. I got all these cute little boy pieces for $.99 each! My favorite is the baby blue United Colors of Benetton wool sweater. I also found out that Goodwill has all their baby/toddler clothes and toys 50% off on Thursdays, so I think I may have found my new Thursday activity! 


I also picked up a brand-new Crate and Barrel pumpkin candle for under $2, and a few glass vases/candle holder thingys that I'm going to decorate with lace. Dad found a couple cookbooks, and a really nice flannel shirt that actually fits him (2X tall), too!

I can't wait until you're here and can start learning your own thrifting skills, straight from the Master himself.

Love you lots, Elliot!

XOXO,
Mom

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Some people (ahem, myself!) grow babies in their butts too! I have proof - my 38 week belly *profile* shot shows buns that are almost as big as the belly.

CourtneyAnna said...

Awesome finds! I am all about the deals. You should see if there is a Munchkin Market coming your way. I know they have them in Anoka sometimes.
I went to the one in Duluth and got a giant garbage bag full of baby clothes for $52! Like 30 or 40 outfits! It is a thriftster's dream! :-)

Harlowe said...

Where do you go thrifting at? I'm in super need of some cheap maternity threads and I'm at a total loss!

Elizabeth Edwards said...

ok, i need a shopping tutorial because i sure could use some help finding some great deals like that. looks like such fun. guess i need more patience. love the shoes. (:

Caroline said...

Great finds , I love shopping like that. I enjoy going when I have the time to really dig & find great things.

Leanne said...

Wow! Awesome deals!

HeidiG said...

Nice work on the deals. I'm jealous of the shoes! I also by all my babies clothes second hand because why pay $30 for Rileyroos when you can pay $5? I just bought a Tommy Hilfiger vest for baby h for .99c - I can't wait for him to wear it!

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