I may have mentioned here once or twice that I like shopping at Goodwill. I save a ton of money by going there first when I need something.
Once I was planning a Girl Scout event for my troop, and needed t shirt paints. They're available at the craft store for about two dollars apiece, but I stopped by Goodwill and found a bag with 14 different bottles of 'Scribbles' (which, for the uninitiated, are t shirt paints) and it was $1.99.
I have purchased exercise equipment (if only owning it were enough to help me get into shape, but alas, one must actually use the equipment) toys, craft supplies, kitchen items, towels, rugs, blankets, duffel bags, suitcases, coats, sporting goods, books, CDs, art supplies, seasonal items for Halloween, Christmas and assorted other holidays, aquarium supplies, jewelry and furniture. I even purchased a computer there once. It lasted about four months, so it wasn't a great one, but I think we got our $15.00 worth of use out of it.
I buy most of our clothing at Goodwill, too. I like spending 10 bucks on a pair of jeans instead of 40 or more. While my parents were here last week, we did a little shopping there and I found a $14.99 pair of jeans for Lyssa that still had a store tag on them. They carried a 'Daisy Fuentes' label, and the original store tag was $54.00.
And speaking of jeans. About a year ago, I bought a pair of Gloria Vanderbilt jeans. They were practically new, and I was happy to pay a little more than usual for them. ($12.99)
Inside the waistband was a little iron-on label, reminiscent of summer camp. It said Amanda.
A couple months later, at a different Goodwill store, I found an identical pair. Since I liked the way they fit, I bought them. And found that this pair had also belonged to Amanda!
During the summer, I also found a shirt and a jacket with Amanda's private label inside. :) Didn't buy them, but noted it in passing.
On Wednesday, Eric and I went Goodwill hunting. I found a pair of the same pants a size larger... with 'Amanda' inside the waistband.
Now I'm sending Amanda good wishes, because the pants I found this week were larger than her other ones. I hope she's not gaining weight.
And I could add a gratuitous remark here about how easy it is to get into Amanda's pants, but will exercise restraint and leave it at that.
ha,ha Kind of the X rated version of the sisterhood! Happy Pants traveling Amanda..
ReplyDeleteWe have a store here called "Hard Off" (yep that is the REAL name).. It is Japan's version of goodwill! One day soon I will take my camera and do a blog post. They are interesting stores..
Way back when I had one of those clothes fairies who donated perfectly good clothing in my exact size at the resale shop I went to. Sigh. I miss her, and wonder where she is today. And also, does she regret getting rid of that red wool jacket that was in perfect condition?
ReplyDeleteWow, thank goodness for Amanda's pants or what on earth would you wear?
ReplyDeleteAnd why does she put her name in her pants? She's a grown up, so she's not losing them. Well, she is, but she's losing them on purpose. Who puts iron on labels on their pants once their past heading off to camp age?
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree that Goodwill is the place to shop - especially for kids! I use to get all my son's summer clothes there...what he ruined I would toss * and didn't care cuz tshirt were a dollar * and what he didn't wear at all I took back and re-donated and added that to the tax write off. It was like dressing him for free! But you sure can find some treasures if you frequent.
ReplyDeleteJane : )
I have nothing against Goodwill, but whenever I go in there, I can't find the good deals everyone talks about. Most of the stuff is N.A.S.T.Y. Maybe it's the location? Or timing? I have found shoes for the kids there.
ReplyDeleteHow nice of Amanda to have kept you clothed over the years.
Nice thayt Amanda is passing on her good deals to you! Happy New Year
ReplyDeleteWonderful post and so cool to keep running into Amanda's clothes. I use to frequent Goodwill and similar stores when the kids were younger. T was quite young and took an aversion to the stores (didn't like the smell). A skinny 8 year old and he didn't like elastic in the back of jeans either so I rarely found any for him. That's when I gave him a clothes allowance and the option to buy $3.00 jeans and keep the change or buy new at a cheap store and use the whole amount. There was a dress code too. He did very well with his money despite never entering another used store and continues to manage and save money despite buying a few designer items and good electronics. I tried to teach him the value of money one way but he still learnt it his own way.
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