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