Are You Really Going to Wear That?

I recently spoke to one of my friends about decluttering our closets.

I do a pretty good job of asking myself if I've worn something in the last two years and giving it the heave-ho if not. I keep a bin in my closet and one in my mudroom of clothes to donate to a local charity. This keeps me from becoming a clutter-bug.

My friend had recently tried Marie Kondo's brand of de-cluttering, that takes it much further than that. Have you heard of her book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up?




It is a #1 NYT Bestseller and has sold about a zillion more copies than mine has.



Although I haven't read it yet myself, I have heard about how it challenges you to think about the purpose of each item and also consider whether it brings you joy. It is ruthless and NO ITEM escapes judgment.

When I looked in my closet last week and saw a bunch of clothes that did not "spark joy," I decided to take action. This is what I found:

• I have a lot of disjointed pieces that don't flatter my figure since I've gained a little weight. 
• I have items that look great but do not feel great, such as fitted dress shirts that nip me in at the waist but leave me tugging them down a lot, and shoes that I've only worn once because-- ouch. 
• I have many "bargains" from the thrift store that I bought because of their great prices more than for whether they were good colors or cuts for me. When I bought a shirt last week that was identical to one I'd recently donated, I had to ask myself whether my bargain shopping was really that effective. 

I gave myself a rubbermaid tub to store sentimental favorites and moved the rest of the discards to garbage bags in the guest room. It seems that JOY might be too strong a criterion, because if I only kept items that "spark joy" my closet would be empty except for the "P is for POOP" t-shirt that Margaret and Tim inexplicably bought for me our first Christmas without Jack and my well-loved pjs and bathrobes. 

I changed the criteria to clothes that don't annoy me or perhaps even spark mild contentment. This left me with a few items in each category. 

I remember two particular roommates I had, Katie and Beverly. Each had a very tidy closet with a few well-made pieces of clothing in it, while my other roommates and I had closets jammed with clothes for every occasion and eventuality. Floral dresses? Business suits? Workout Wear? Ripped Jeans? Costumes for parties? We had it all. I admired Katie and Beverly's restraint and noted they always looked put together. 

I would like to be more like that, even if it means wearing just a few items on repeat. Of course, it will also mean I have finally turned into my mother. She wore the same clothes a lot, but looked good doing it. Turns out she was pretty cutting edge because a lot of female professionals are now toying with the idea of adopting a uniform of sorts.

I'm not sure how my experiment will go. 

I felt wasteful taking out so many unworn items, but at least if I donate them, someone else can use them. In my closet they sat unworn. I want to learn from my mistakes and question why I buy clothes that don't look great or that I don't really like. Is it boredom? Is it a desire for something new? I also want to think more about what colors flatter me (burgundy, pink, blue, green) and try to  come up with a few good summer looks that can withstand the VA heat and humidity. 

I also want to continue to enjoy my local thrift shop, a place that does spark joy for me, without bringing home more duds. Especially ones that I've just donated.

What about you? Is your closet cluttered or stream-lined?

Thrifty Summer Styling

Blame it on the nightly ice cream or the 2 (still) injured shoulders, but late spring/early summer found me with 3+ social events looming on my calendar and a closet full of clothes that were too small. We have a major family vacation coming up, and I knew any new clothes would have to be of the "twice-loved" variety. Let's see how it all turned out:

Wedding #1
Elegant country club setting in Bethesda, MD. Stunning young bride and groom. We will not discuss the epic argument that transpired by the three people pictured below on the way to the wedding.

Strapless dark blue Target dress purchased for $5 at the thrift store. When I got it home, however, I realized I'd over-estimated my cup size, so there was a lot of gaping fabric. A quick trip to the tailor to have it taken in put the dress up into the $45 dollar range. And, it was now so tight in the ribcage,  it was hard to breathe, and laughing was out of the question. New at Target, the dress would  probably would have been about $25.

Win? Not so sure.

P.S. I forgot to get my roots dyed before the wedding.
P.P.S. Yes, Margaret is wearing a brand spanking new dress. No one said life was fair.

Wedding #2:
Outdoor wedding at a national park on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Perfect weather! Service under the trees, then reception with live music in a big, breezy barn. Gray cotton J. Crew dress from thrift shop $6.50. Cool and comfy, plus pockets for my cell phone. Definite win.

Wedding # 3:
Took place at our annual camping trip in West Virginia. Read more about those trips here, here, and here. Ceremony in meadow surrounded by mountains. Vows under an arbor made by my brother, the groom.

I ran out of time to buy a "new" dress and pulled out dress # 2 again. It was cool and comfy, and this got the price per wear down to just $3.25. Win-Win!

 (Margaret helping bride and groom put flowers on arbor a few hours before the ceremony)

 

 

 

(My big brother the groom)


More thrifty finds to follow!

Today on "I Shop, So You Don't Have To"

Although I didn't find any used Gyno tables, today was a doozy at the thrift store! I thought I'd share some of the merchandise I found. How anyone was able to part with it is beyond me.

My iPhone pictures are blurry, but that might not be a bad thing.

For some reason there was an abundant supply of creepy dolls and figurines today. They may have all come from the same person.

Here's Piano Gal:

Not to be outdone by 4, new-in-box, Girl Crocodile Hunter animatronic dolls:

And this flirty, buxom wine jug:

Next to her creepy cohort Mr. Bear:

My fave was Bubble Baby:
Not to be confused with Bubble Boy:

And while I was sorely tempted to buy this hodgepodge of Coin Bank/Teddy Bear in a Cannon/Parrot/Pirate (????)
I was even more alarmed at its ridiculous $19.91 price tag than its assault on my good taste.

Speaking of tastelessness, check out this shoe that will NEVER grace the delicate foot of my 9 year old daughter:

So now you have seen the dark underbelly of my favorite thrift store. Gotta separate the chaff from the grain, baby.

Tomorrow I will share with you some of my ideas to look beyond the craptastic-ness to find something for you and your home.

But before I leave, I want to share with you why you will never see a unicorn roaming the earth:

Widespread Unicorn Asphyxiation.

I Shop, So You Don't Have To

Now that I finally have a phone with a camera on it, we can, as they say on The Bachelor, take our relationship to the NEXT LEVEL.

I'll let you know what treasures I find during my thrifting excursions, and you can tell me if you want me to pick them up for you!

Today's Haul:

World's Largest Lampshade. To grasp the enormity of this item, please use the man's head, the wheelbarrow, and the brass chandelier as reference points.

3 inch Tall College Cash Crock. Yeah, believing that 2 fistfuls of change will offset any college expenses IS a crock.

The One-Use Wonder: If you are driven to distraction when your tacos topple, I'm sure you could use a chili-pepper-shaped taco holder:

Cutesy Air Force Sign, 3 iterations available: Also known as, "The Air Force keeps moving us and I refuse to pack up this crap one more time."
Old Hair Dye: Why buy new when you can pay the same price at your thrift store and help some old lady downsize all in one fell swoop?

...And last but not least, everything you'll need for those fun At-Home Gynecological exams:

2 Exam tables, stirrups included, felt bunny extra:

Let me know what you would like. I ship C.O.D.

A Tisket, A Tasket, Check Out My Great Big Basket!

So, I had a little lapse in my "no thrift store shopping summer" on Monday. I managed to spend $60, mostly on clothes. My new theory is that if I go MORE OFTEN, perhaps I won't spend as much. Thoughts?

The bargain of the day was this gorgeous basket. Please don't ask if I needed a basket, or if I had recently gotten rid of a ton of baskets at our charity yard sale. This is an entirely different basket, you see. It looks a little orange-y next to our oak front door, but it's really a nice, weathered color.

Couldn't you just picture it in my (non-existent) mudroom full of shoes or beach towels, or backpacks?

At 25% off of $2.92 (that's $2.19 people!) it was a steal.

Problem is, I've told Tom I'll sell it on Craigslist if I can't find a place for it.
So far-- too big for the kitchen, hallway, office. Please help me find a use for it so I can keep it.

Here are some visuals, and a 9 year old girl, to help you with scale:





My favorite is the one where Shadow tried to get in on the action and knock the basket over.
Linking to Second Time Around Tuesday.

P.S. I know it's Wednesday.

Frugal Friday

I’ve written several posts about my penchant for dumpster diving and thrift shopping. These are two things I enjoy doing, but if they don’t float your boat, I understand completely. Personally, I don’t like going to yard sales (too early in the morning; I don’t like seeing the people associated with the stuff), and I’m not a coupon clipper (they fester in my purse until I realize they are expired and throw them out), so I realize we all have different shopping habits.

I thought it would be fun, however, to compile a short guide for those of you who may not have much experience in the dumpster diving/ thrift shopping arena. If this isn’t your thing, I’ll see you next time!

There are certain items you never have to buy new, because they pop up regularly at thrift shops and curbside. These are items that someone feels the need to Get.Rid.Of.Immediately. because they can’t stand having them in the house one minute longer.

Think: Seasonal, Bulky, Short span of use.

Many items fit in all three categories.

Here of some of the things I see frequently:


Seasonal:

Artificial Christmas trees, Christmas tree stands, lawn decorations (such as reindeer covered w/ white lights), ping pong tables, those seed/fertilizer spreader things for the lawn, hose handlers (plastic boxes that you wrap your hose up in), turkey roasting pans and croquet sets. Croquet sets? I guess they seem like a quaint idea at the time of purchase but they must not get much use. I am convinced the sets I’ve seen curbside around town are all the same one, passed from family to family.

With seasonal items, when the season is over, people don’t seem to want to store them. Oh, and if the idea of buying an artificial tree doesn’t thrill you, particularly one that might seem a little Charlie Brown-ish, you can do what I do: real downstairs, fake in an upstairs hallway to hold all of the kids’ treasures and the Disney and professional baseball related items from the in-laws.

Baby Items:

If you are a first time mom, you might cringe at the thought of using someone else’s cast-offs. You’ve done the research, registered for presents, and are probably all set. I myself had a $40 nursing stool to position my feet at the exact right angle while nursing my firstborn.

But let’s say you find yourself pregnant with number 3, you’re pushing 40 and you gave away your baby stuff a few years ago; there is no need to purchase anything new.

Baby items fit the bulky and short span of use criteria and include: exersaucers, bouncy seats, high chairs, strollers, baby gates and big, bulky plastic toys such as doll houses, work benches, and slides. Baby bathtubs? I saw 23 the last time I went to the thrift shop. Baby stuff lasts forever, and glad is the mom who gets rid of it and sees her house grow larger instantly. You may want to avoid thrifting cribs and car seats b/c of safety concerns, but they are widely available if you are interested.


Pet Items:

Aquariums, hamster cages and Habitrails pop up curbside and in thrift shops all the time! Sure, you may have to wash them, but free is free. With the small pet deathwatch finally over, eager moms get rid of these items as fast as they can, both to ease their children’s pain and sadness, and to ensure the family is not properly equipped to take in any new rodents in the near future. Empty promises of “I’ll clean the cage every week!” hold no more value in in these households. Sometimes moms will bundle together aquarium rocks, fish food, and pet toys so you’ll be set.

Generally Bulky:

You’ll find a lot of kitchen items in this category, particularly small appliances that only have one use. Bread machines, crock pots, ice cream makers, turkey roasting pans, crab pots, George Foreman grills, coffee machines, iced tea machines (my favorite!), and toaster ovens. The shelves of my thrift store are LINED with these items every day.

The nice thing about free or cheap is that you don’t have to feel guilty when you, too, decide after a few uses that something is taking up too much space in your kitchen and you donate it to the next person. Other items that aren’t big but present storage issues are ice buckets, wine glasses, pitchers and serving platters.

Well, this list is by no means exhaustive, but I’m now exhausted. This will either make you want to check out a thrift store or dumpster today, or in my case, go clean the basement and see what you can purge.

Not Such A Bargain?

My friend Cynthia wanted an update on the table and chairs I got at the thrift shop last Monday. Their auspicious beginning has not turned out to be so wonderful. When I borrowed a pick-up truck to go get the table, the thrift shop guys had taken it apart down to the smallest piece and it was a heap of wood and screws on the ground. Although this would have been easier for me to transport and get inside the house, I had them put it back together to make sure it would, indeed, go back together. When I got it home, it sat in the carport for 4 days.

A monsoon blew through on Friday night and the table got soaked. I was so mad that we let the table get trashed in the rain! When Tom and I brought it in on Saturday, it smelled disgusting. With the rain, a simple musty odor had morphed into the pungent smell of cigarettes, cat pee and as Tom said, “nasty taxi cab.” This is right about when my stomach flu symptoms showed up.

Not sure if the hulking, smelly table in my living room is making me sick, or whether my illness is making the table smell more disgusting. Okay, I need to stop writing about this or I’ll have to run out of the room. Let’s just say that a complete dining room set for $44.00 was looking awesome, but now I would be willing to pay to get it out of here to breathe in peace while I wallow on the couch. The buy of the century? Maybe next time.

One Man's Trash...

Having spent $1200 in the last 2 days on car repairs, I feel pretty bummed. So, in an effort to make myself feel better, I'd like to share a few of my recent thrifty finds with you. I don't think they add up to $1200 in savings, but who knows? Humor me!

Here's a cute little side table/plant stand I snagged out of a neighbor's trash. In broad daylight.

...And a $1.99 vintage bamboo magazine rack from the thrift store. The red spray paint cost $3.00. I'm thinking of painting it another color to match the tan family room.

Here's an old sideboard I thrifted for $24.00. I think it looks great painted white against my new "mocha" walls. What do you think?







Also, this $4.99 mirror from the 1940's was painted gold. I fixed some broken spots with putty. Spray painting it white cost $3.00. I'm hoping it adds some light to my now dark room.

This mirror was a fun find, also at the thrift store. I had been looking at star burst mirrors for $100 and up for above the bed. It may be a tad small, but at $1.28, who cares? It really completes our room.



The newly painted family room needed an entertainment center. I found this in the trash. Very ugly, very dark, very heavy. One coat of off-white spray paint, and I think it looks pretty good. It's just waiting for a flat panel tv, don't you think?I'll probably sell our $900 armoire on Craigslist to justify keeping this little freebie.



And last, but not least, I snagged these film canisters curbside WITH THE KIDS IN THE CAR. I thought they'd be fun. One says "Warner Brothers, 1968" on it. Okay, so I have absolutely no background in film production, but I thought they were cool. The kids did, too.


Soooo, with that, I think I'll call it a day. To those of you who leave stuff by the curb, or donate it to thrift shops rather than just carting it off to the dump, I thank you!

It's All in My Head

At my favorite thrift store this week I saw yet another personalized wedding gift languishing on the shelves. I doubt another John and Amber, who just happened to get married on June 20, 1994, will be searching the knick-knack aisles for just such an item.

As a result, on my weekly shopping forays I’ll be subjected to their personalized vase and my mind will weave a story about its unfortunate landing on this dusty shelf. Sure, it may have just not fit in with the decor of the happy couple, but my good sense tells me that John and Amber are now in Splitsville: broken dreams, broken promises, broken home.

I think of the future they once had, dashed. I wonder about the children, the mortgage, the house with the 2-car garage. I am protective and feel like buying it, just to get it off of the shelves and away from prying eyes.

My thrift store habit already borders on the obsessive, so if I start bringing home other people’s personalized stuff, I’ll be certifiable. But what about the plain plastic frame over there with a middle-aged couple walking down the aisle—probably a second wedding? Couldn’t whoever donated it have taken the photo out first so I wouldn’t have to wonder, all day, how neither party, no matter how badly burned by love the 2nd time around, would want to keep the picture?

I have a friend who recently bought a vintage scrapbook from a junk shop. It is probably about 60 or so years old. After extensive Internet research, she managed to track down the daughter of the family in the scrapbook. She wants to reunite her with the family album and has placed a phone call, yet unanswered, to the daughter. This friend, like me, savors the story, and sees stuff as more than stuff.

Savoring (or, in my case, imagining) the story can be a burden. It makes me think of John and Amber when I should be thinking of great thrift shop deals I can score for my family. It makes me wonder which photos, dishes and furniture I should save since I serve as my family’s unofficial historian. I want my kids to be interested in, but not bogged down by, memories of the past. Our kitchen wall is decorated with the words, “The best things in life aren’t things,”and I want to exemplify that to them.

So instead of worrying about John and Amber, and the winners of countless sports trophies and tacky business awards (“Bob Parker—January’s Top Salesman!”) that line the thrift store shelves, I will try to move on. I’ll try to remember the relief these people most likely felt from cleaning up and clearing out—and that sometimes stuff is just stuff. And, when I do finally donate some of the more sentimental “treasures” I have, I’ll try not to imagine a phone call reuniting me with my stuff a few years later.