Goodwill and Target Clearance Finds {February Edition}

 On President's Day, most of the local Goodwills in this area do a 50% off sale.  I bundled up the kids bright and early and headed up there Monday morning!  Few things can motivate this night owl to wake up early like a Goodwill sale!  Or a yard sale...or a church sale...or an estate sale....you get the idea.  Haha!

I like this Goodwill better than the one nearer to my house because the prices are more reasonable. The one closer to me seems to forget that...oh, I don't know...everything there is DONATED and have been charging ridiculous prices the last few years!  (Like putting $12.99 on an out-dated shirt from Express circa 1997...wish I was kidding but they do stuff like that all the time!) 

This new (to me) store is overall much more reasonable.  I had both kids with me so I didn't get to look very well in the clothing sections like I wanted, because I had to still go grocery shopping afterward and I didn't want to test their patience.  Side note: I did bring two mini packs of M&Ms for them which definitely helped their motivation levels.  ;)  

I found a cute Starbucks mug, a sweet little ring dish with a bird on it,  a little ceramic bird, and a little pumpkin...all for 50 cents each! 

A glass jar (I have bigger versions of this and I love them), a mug that has become my new favorite in the last two days (lol), and a 2-cup Pyrex glass storage container - mug and jar were $1 each, and the Pyrex was only 50 cents! (Yay!) 

This Pyrex "fridgie" has seen waaaaay better days but for $3 I decided  to risk it and see if I could clean up the scratches and the damage.  I haven't tried yet but I'm going to see if I can!  If nothing else, the lids are hard to find and this one is in great shape with no chips or cracks...I'll use it on my other fridgies for sure! 

A clear locking container for Olivia's Peppa Pig toys, and a unopened package of rubber duckies (my kids are always thrilled with new bath toys!) - both $1 each.

I was sooo excited to find Crocs for Luke for only TWO DOLLARS, and rain boots for three dollars!!! The sneakers for Livi were only $1.50.  The rain boots and sneakers aren't my favorite patterns by any means, but they are just for play outside and they make my kids smile so it's a win-win. :)

And lastly, a few books for the kids - the "Look and Find" was $1, as was the collection of early readers, and the Olivia book  - because of course we collect Olivia books here!!! ;).

The last few pictures are a little dark because I forgot to re-take them all this morning when I took the other pics!  Haha!  

But I also found this pair of Gap "boyfriend" jeans for only $3.50 - when you have an apple shape like me it is nearly impossible to find a pair of jeans that fit your body - seriously, it's like a needle in a haystack.  So I was really excited to find some that can fit and for so cheap!! This picture is what I like to call "texting your sister in the middle of Goodwill to see if you can wear boyfriend jeans with flats because you have no idea how to style them..." Hahaha!

Yesterday I stopped at Target before visiting a friend because she has one 10 minutes from her that is sooo much nicer than the one closer to me! (Why are all the stores near me apparently so junky?? Haha!)  Anyway I had to pop in because I was dying to see what they had for Valentine's clearance and mostly hoping I could get my hands on one of the cute,cute Pyrex containers they released this year!  

And YAY they had a few!! So this pink one just HAD to come home with me for $2.50:

I also snagged some super cheap little Easter basket fillers!  The coloring packs and the little water bottle were only 50 cents each, and the rest varied from $1 - $1.99 for the Lego kit.  And yes this was taken on my bed because I was excitedly texting my friend Amber about the sale yesterday but I couldn't let the kids see what I was doing!  LOL!!

I also snagged this cute bucket, which is now in my laundry room, and this sweet little polka dot box for Olivia's room for her little jewelry collection (both for $1.50 as well!).  Again, sorry about the crooked, blurry picture! ;) 

Amber went today to see what she could find, and that same store was down to 70%!!  So I'm going to call in two days and see if they hit 90% and then I might take a ride back up. ;)

So yes, lots of fun little finds this week! :) 

P.S. I posted this on my Facebook page a few days ago (if you're not following me there, you're missing out! ;)) but my dear friend Amber started a blog recently and you should definitely pay her a visit!  She posts about her DIY projects, her grocery deals and menu plans, and life with a kiddo with Down Syndrome.  You should definitely pay her a visit! :) 

What I’m Loving Wednesday

{1} Electricity! 

In my last post, I mentioned that we were in the midst of Hurricane Sandy here in CT.  Well, about 2 hours after typing that, we did lose power - from Monday to Friday.  The first few days weren’t so horrible, but then the temperatures dropped and I started to get really scared.  We were helped by so many generous friends with generators and made it through the dark week!  As I type this post, “Storm Athena” is swirling around outside but I’m not as scared of it {although honestly I still think we’ll lose power again}. Currently, though, my house is warm and cozy and lit and I am SO thankful for it while it lasts!

So today I’m baking and making sure all our laundry is caught up.  Last year my mom traded me this bread machine for a big basket I was selling at my yard sale.  This thing is literally about 20 years old {we used it when I was a kid} but it still works great!  Today I’m trying a new recipe – Cinnamon Raisin Bread – and I can’t wait to eat it!  Hoping I have power tomorrow so I can have cinnamon raisin toast for breakfast!  Yum. 

 

{2} Deals and Steals

Does anyone else get super excited about Target holiday clearances?  I LOVE them.  Stuff gets to 90% off just because it was branded for the holiday and you can get great deals on stuff if you look beyond the packaging!  I’ve been shopping these sales for years and don’t plan on stopping soon. ;)

For instance, these Butterfinger pumpkins {one of Chris’s faves} were only 10 cents a package, as were the M&M packs – which will be perfect for making pretzel kisses over the holidays.

I also found these items at a different Target for 30 cents each – cute little brown bags, adorable baker’s twine {for holiday wrapping!} and cute apple tissue paper to use for Luke’s teacher gifts.  Love!

 

{3} Apples

I normally like eating apples, but this pregnancy I just can’t get enough of them!  We have a local orchard about 10 minutes from the house and today I stopped into their store to pick up some so we’d have fruit to eat during the storm.  These were some of the last of the Macs they had for the season {my faves!}.  I love them plain or dipped in a little natural peanut butter.  Delish.  There is SUCH a difference in local, fresh fruit as compared to fruit from the supermarket!

 

{4} Paint decision- done!

I finally decided on a paint color for Livi’s room!  The color is called “London Fog” by Benjamin Moore.  It’s the one on the left in that super creepy photo below.  lol  It’s hard to describe – it’s a little beige, a little gray, with almost a faint hint of sparkle and purple mixed in (I sound crazy, I know). 

    

I was inspired to use it after seeing it used on the blog Dear Lillie.  I think it will be perfect for my girl’s neutral room – Chris is going to paint the weekend before Thanksgiving and I can’t wait to get in there and get decorating!! :)

There’s my scatterbrained list for this week!  Even though I’m not loving what happened last night – I really believed that Governor Romney would have been the perfect person to turn our country around fiscally – I’m loving that I serve a great God who is above all!

Have a wonderful rest of your week, everyone!

Linking up with Jamie today!

Target, Goodwill and Resale Finds

It has been a SUPER long time since I showed my thrifted finds on the blog!  Some of you may groan when people write posts like this, but I personally find it fascinating.  I loooove seeing what other people score at yard sales and thrift stores.  Don’t ask why; I just do. :)

Target has been having clearance off all of their Valentine’s décor.  I went one day and scored these magazine holders, some felt rick-rack, and the pink paper tray for 50 cents each (pink is my favorite color so I gotta incorporate it in small doses around the house when I can! lol). 

{sorry, I know it’s blurry}

 

Then I went back just a few days later and everything was 70% off!  I snagged three more holders and the magnetic letters for Luke for just 30 cents each!  The red frame was on clearance for $1.49 and originally had a Valentine’s matte; I just pulled it out and now it’s goes great in Luke’s big boy room.  The Dove dark chocolates were on sale for $1.99….and you better believe that package got ripped open in the parking lot – they’re just lucky I didn’t open it in the store.  :) I also scored some big chocolate-caramel chocolate bars for my husband but those never made it into the picture. :)

 

 

Our local Goodwill has 50% off on major holidays – I don’t know if President's Day qualifies as a major holiday, but they always have a sale and I’m not complaining!  I didn’t find much – but I’m happy with what I did find.  

A new fitted green crib sheet for Luke ($1), a blue frame for Luke’s room (50 cents) and a nice wooden one for the living room (50 cents):

 

A small under-the-bed storage box (I’m always looking for more of these to store the clothes Luke grows out of!) for $2.50 and a little plastic organizer for 50 cents. 

 

But my MOST favorite, happy-dance find was this vintage chalkboard for TWO DOLLARS!  I am so in love with this thing.  It has two hooks to hang in the back and a little rail at the bottom for chalk.  When the weather warms up just a little bit more, I’m going to paint the wood a bright, happy yellow.  Perfect for the playroom!  I was so excited. :)

 

 

I’m also part of a local resale group on Facebook (I’ve mentioned it before here), and I found this adorable toddler sleigh bed for Luke!  She was originally asking $50 and I asked her if she would take $40 and she did.  I am so NOT a fan of the giant chunky racecar plastic beds for kids (nothing personal, just not my style).  This is going to be painted a happy bright red to pop against his light blue walls.  We haven’t even told him about it yet because right now he loves his crib and who are we to mess with a good thing? :)

 

 

So that’s just a few of the things that I’ve found lately!  Hopefully I didn’t bore you to tears!  lol

Linking up to:

 

Super Quick and Easy Ornament Garland

I promised a tutorial for my ornament garlands that I showed you in my Christmas tour – and I didn’t want to disappoint my millions of fans.

 

Just take a deep breath, because the materials needed might take your breath away. 

Are you ready for this?  You’ll need:

ornaments

and

ribbon

and {breathe!}

duck tape

Don’t you just love projects that only need three materials?!

  {By the way, is it duct tape or duck tape?  I think it’s duck.  Right? Kinda like anyways.  Are you supposed to write anyways or anyway? Anyone know these important adult things that I apparently didn’t get the memo on?}

 

Anyway(s?), thanks to my lovely sister for showing me this inspiration picture, which she originally found on Pinterest. 

                           Source: mintlovesocialclub.com via Jessica - thisblessedlife on Pinterest

 

 

I have been wanting to make an ornament wreath for years but I’ve read that they’re complicated and then I saw this ornament garland and I got so excited to make it.  And then I read the tutorial and saw all the different sized ornaments I was going to have to buy for it, and I got a little disappointed.  Until I decided that I was going to just wing it and go ahead with what I had. 

Because I don’t know about you guys, but when I get ready to start something – be it a recipe or a craft – I realllllllly hate having to stop.  I usually just try to figure out a way to make it work. 

Let’s just say that “She was a patient woman” will definitely NOT be inscribed on my tombstone someday. 

So basically all I did was grab ornaments that I got from Target on clearance for less than a dollar two years ago for the red and silver one:

And grab some champagne ornaments I got at the Dollar Tree two years ago for the one on my entryway/dresser/hutch thing:

 

I also grabbed some spare ribbon from my stash (I always save ribbon; you never know when you can use it!) and seriously just slid the ornaments down the ribbon. 

That is it. 

I didn’t worry about different sizes or different colors or anything like that, although I did try to alternate colors and/or patterns (the champagne ones are both matte and sparkly).

Then secure it with duck/duct tape to your desired surface and voila.

Don’t you just love an easy project???!!! Finally, right?

Quick, easy, simple, frugal, pretty, shiny ornament garland.  I love it when those words come together in a sentence. 

 

My one tip is to use ribbon that’s on the thicker side (like in my picture above).  Because if you go with thin ribbon, it may or may not be able to withstand the weight and it may or may not crash down at 3 in the morning and you may or may or lie in bed with a heart panting fast because you are sure someone broke into the house by throwing a rock in the window and you are waiting to see if they are going to try to crawl in before you wake your husband up frantically.   Until you realize it was all your fault and now you’re mad because you’re awake at 3 am and you know there are broken ornaments all over your carpet that will need to be cleaned up in the morning.

 

 

So please, trust me on this and go with the thick ribbon. :)

Have fun!

My Thanksgiving Table Décor {Better Late than Never, Right?!}

First, let me say thank you so much for all of the offers of prayer and support (and some helpful resources, as well!) in regard to my son’s issues that I talked about in my last post.  We have still not heard any word on the referral, but his doctor did warn me that it could take up to a month, especially with the holidays.  I am trying to stay patient.  :)

My son did, however, touch pizza dough last night as I was rolling it out!  I know that sounds absolutely crazy but for us it is HUGE and I wanted to write it down here so I would remember.  He was very hesitant and only touched it with one finger at first, but he eventually touched it with more fingers at the same time.  And he was actually smiling!  He didn’t want to touch it for long, but I’ll take what I can get! :)

Anyway, – big subject change here!  lol - onto the Thanksgiving tablescape.  You might remember that I mentioned we hosted Thanksgiving this year.  I absolutely LOVE this holiday and was so excited to host it for my family.  Thankfully, it was a really small gathering (we missed my sister and brother-in-law SO much!), so that took a lot of pressure off of me, mentally.  The turkey didn’t dry out and nobody keeled over from food poisoning!  Success!!! :)

I wanted to go for peaceful and rustic….not too cluttered.  I hope it doesn’t sound snotty to say that I was really happy with how the look of the table turned out! (The reason you don’t see any chairs on the one side is because we have a bench there – it came with the table.)

I found that cylinder at Goodwill and filled it with white beans and an orange candle – both of which I already had.  The branches are from the backyard, the mini pods are from Michael’s (you can see them in this post, as well), and the walnuts are part of the centerpiece from my cousin’s wedding last year. 

 

 

I have my mom to thank for the napkins; they are from Hobby Lobby and she got them when she went to visit my sister in Nashville this fall.  We are going to visit my sister in April and I swear I want to bring a completely empty suitcase so I can fill it up with all the stuff from the stores we don’t have up here, like Hobby Lobby and World Market!

 

I took some oak-tag and used a punch I found at a yard sale a few years ago to make the place tags.  Then I used some stamps that I found at the Dollar Spot in Target years ago and used brown ink to make everyone’s name.  I wrote “2011” on the back and had everyone write one thing they were thankful for.  “Luke” was a popular answer.  :)  I plan on adding these to our “Thankful Tree” next year! (Oh and for Luke’s I wrote “milk” for him.  haha)

 

 

This picture (above) is a little blurry, but it shows the chargers.  I really wanted something other than the typical shiny gold or red ones you find in a lot of stores.  These were pretty brown with embossed acorns and leaves all over them.  They were from the Better Homes and Gardens line at Wal-Mart.  It cost me $20 for 8 of them (on clearance!), and normally I would have flinched at that price, but I love Thanksgiving and hope to host for many years to come.  I think we will certainly get our money’s worth out of them!

 

A view from the other direction…

 

And a last one from above. 

I already had all my white dishes…I picked up the largest serving platter at Goodwill just a few days before Thanksgiving to finish out what I needed and it was great for holding the turkey!  That’s the great thing about white plates….you can use them over and over and over!

Tomorrow is DECEMBER FIRST, people!!! I’m kinda understanding what people in the South must feel like at Christmas right now.  It is (relatively) warm and sunny here and not a drop of snow to be found.  It doesn’t feel like December at all! I am only a fan of snow before January 1st…after that, I’m totally over it!  haha

One last thing: Elf on a Shelf is on sale for $29.95 this week at Target, with a $5 gift card back upon purchase.  This is the best retail price I have ever seen for this! (I haven’t looked on ebay or anything like that.) I bought it yesterday and Luke keeps staring at it because it is sitting on our window pane!  lol Chris and I were getting a big kick out of watching him last night.  I think tomorrow he will start making his daily appearances around the house….. ;)

CVS & Target Deals to Try This Week {3-6-11}

Before I start, I wanted to say thanks for all of the encouragement that was offered in my last post.  We are still playing the waiting game, but that definitely doesn’t mean I haven’t been thrifting and hitting up the drugstores!  I mean, shopping the drugstores for deals is one of my life’s greatest joys.  haha!  {You think I’m kidding…}

Anyway, yesterday was fun for me because I took my sister along to see the deals I did.  I promised her that I would teach her everything I know about coupons this summer after she graduates from college since she’s getting married in September and will need to know all about this stuff.  She was very impressed – I have to admit, part of me felt like a total dork and part of me was having a blast showing her how to shop frugally.  :)

Anyway, blah blah blah….on to the deals! :)

Here’s what I purchased yesterday at CVS:

- 2 bottles of Wisk (2 for $10 – my target price for laundry detergent is $2 or less, which is what this worked out to after coupons)
- Head and Shoulders for Chris ($1.47 on clearance)
- gummy worms for Chris ($1.50)
- travel baby wipes ($1.99 – these are not at all a good deal but I’ve been buying my wipes from Amazon lately and they only come in refill packages – it’s nice to have a travel pack for the diaper bag)

Here’s the coupons I used:

- 2 $2/1 Wisk coupons from the Sunday paper (3-6-11)
- $1/1 Head and Shoulders coupon (from the P&G coupon insert, I believe?)
- $1/1 CVS-brand baby wipes (printed from the red coupon scanner at CVS)
- $2/1 candy or beverage item (simply “Like” CVS on Facebook and you will see on the sidebar a link for the free item.  They send it to your e-mail to print out.  The great thing about this coupon is that it automatically takes $2 off your order, so I got 50 cents free! And since I had a $1 off coupon for my shampoo, I basically was able to get a free bag of gummy worms and a free bottle of shampoo!)

I also used $6.98 in ECB from last week’s purchase of Crest toothpaste. 

I paid 40 cents out of pocket and was given $2 ECB back from buying the Wisk!  Whoo hoo!

 

I also shopped at Target yesterday and found some good deals, but my favorite was this:

 

Target-brand ibuprofen (might also be acetaminophen as well but I didn’t check) is on sale this week for $1.07.  If you go the coupon tab on the bottom of Target’s website, there is a coupon for $1 off any Target-brand pain relief.  It let me print out a limit of 2.  So 2 bottles for 14 cents!  Loving it! 

I also got some things at Rite Aid,  but I forgot to take a picture and I’m feeling way too lazy to get my camera out and download more pictures.  But hopefully these tips will help some of you!

Happy shopping! :)

Thrifty Finds: Target, VOA, and Yard Sales

Just wanted to show you all some of the fun things I’ve found recently!

Target:

You might remember that I’ve been moving all my dishes from black to white, and I’ve been trying to wait patiently for good deals on them.

Well, Target (God bless Target!) had these beautiful, heavy-duty white porcelain dishes for 75% off last week so you better believe I snatched them right up!

I got 7 big plates for $1.25 each and 4 salad plates for $.98 each. I would have gotten 8 big ones but that’s all they had and I only needed 4 small because I already had 4 Crate and Barrel white porcelain salad plates that I got last year on Black Friday at Goodwill for $.40 each! (Wow, that was a run-on.) I will be stalking the clearance aisle to see if one more big plate shows up – if not, I will *gasp* pay retail for it. :)

I love that porcelain doesn’t scratch, like stoneware, and that white goes with every holiday, tablecloth, napkin, you name it!

Volunteers of America:

I still go with Lindsay to the monthly 50% off sale at VOA. Last month I found this cute little greenhouse/dome thingy for $.60. (Tag on the bottom says Jo Ann’s for $19.99.) I put moss in the bottom and added it to my summer mantle (which you will see either this week or next):

I also found a cute reversible Gymboree hat for Luke for $1. I would like to add that the hat is a size 2T-5T. And it’s snug. On my 10 month old. Sometimes I think it really was a good thing that my baby didn’t come the regular way. ;)

I found a cute pair of Gap crops for $3 and this breezy white shirt for $.50 that I picked up to wear to the beach.

Little did I realize when I brought it home that other shirts by this designer, James Perse, sell for $65-135! Score! :)

Thrifted Finds:

A few weeks ago Lindsay and I had a yard sale at my house. My neighbor had a yard sale with her friends, as well, and I purchased this table from one of the women. I originally thought it was just a cool piece of art on a stand, but it’s actually a folding table and the date on the back reads Nov. 29, 1939. It’s unlike anything in my house but for $5 I had to have it!

Our local Christian radio station had a yard sale yesterday morning. I got this tray table (top is removable) for $2 (apparently I have a thing for tray tables?!):

(I’m thinking about spray painting it a fun summery color but I can’t decide yet.)

I also picked up a pair of Steve Madden sunglasses, $.50, and this set of weather-resistant mini Chinese lanterns for $1 that came with lights included. I think they will be perfect for Luke’s party!

And there you have it! :)

Linking to:

Today’s Thrifty Treasures @ Southern Hospitality
Thrifty Thursday @ Tales from Bloggeritaville
Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous
Garage Salen’ Partay @ Debbie Doo’s

$1 Target Shopping Trip

We were at Target the other day to pick up some formula, and as we rounded the corner toward the Christmas section my heart stopped beating for a minute when I saw the sign:

90% off!

Of course, it had reaaaally been picked over at that point, but I was able to snag 3 ornament packages for a quarter each! That's right people! Perfect for filling glass jars with next year.

Then I went through the food clearance section and on my way over noticed that the Select Harvest soup was $1.25 each. Using a $1/1 coupon I had, the price was brought to only a quarter as well.

{I just want to say that I never was all that crazy about veggie soups before, but now that I've been on Weight Watchers for a while I eat them several times a week. They are usually really low in calories, and the Select Harvest soups use all natural ingredients. The one I picked up was Southwestern Vegetable and if you top it with a little reduced-fat sour cream and some reduced-fat cheese, it's only 3 points and it is SO good! I told you I'm a mexiholic! lol}

Anyway, you know you've done well when even your male cashier comments that "You can't beat these prices!"

Nope, you really can't. :)

Happy weekend!

{Linked to Money Saving Mom for Super Savings Saturday.}

Target - Super Savings Saturday

I mentioned on Thursday that I would post about Target on Frugal Friday - well, I forgot to do it yesterday, so I decided to link up to Super Savings Saturday instead!

I purchased all of this.....

4 cans Campbell's cream of mushroom

2 cans Campbell's tomato

2 boxes Betty Crocker potatoes

5 cans green beans

1 can corn

2 Twix bars (for my husband, unfortunately not for me!)

1 box Pepperidge Farms pretzel crisps

1 travel-sized Tide

1 Reach floss

and

1 package Rayovac batteries.

Before coupons and sales, I would have paid $20.19. After: $5.07 - just over 75% savings. (Detergent, batteries, floss, and one candy bar were free after coupons.)

As I posted in Why I Love Target, Part One, check on the weekly grocery sales, plus the websites I have listed, to help you find great deals at Target.

You can still go tonight! :)

This post is linked to Crystal's blog for Super Savings Saturday.

Why I Love Target (Part Two)

I posted yesterday about how I'm loving Target for the great grocery and household deals, but today is all about Target's house decor. Honestly, I usually love most of the stuff they put out, but we're on a yard-sale budget here, so when I shop Target's decor I shop the endcaps. And sometimes they have the cutest things at dollar-store prices!

I think I literally almost squealed when I found these three hooks just laying together on one of the bottom shelves.....for NINETY-EIGHT CENTS each! How perfect are these for a kid's room? They look totally Pottery Barn Kids to me.

They were originally $3.99 each, so I got them 75% off. I've been looking for something cute to hang Luke's bath towels on. Now I just need to get Chris to hang them for me. :)

Target's fall/Halloween decor was also 75% off. I shared yesterday about how I found my niece two cute girly costumes for dress-up, but I also about died when I saw these pumpkins:

If you read 320 Sycamore, you were probably salivating like I was over her adorable metallic pumpkins that she made! (Truth be told, I still like hers better, but these were cheaper than a can of spray paint!) The big one was $2.24 and the little one was $1.99.

I also found this cute little leaf candle holder for $1.24.

They had a bunch of Halloween items - we don't do Halloween but if you do there are tons of deals to be found!

Target is also setting out their Christmas stuff already, and I think I could have bought one of everything, but I don't want my husband to leave me. :)

I'm sure the store near you has all the fall stuff 75% off too, so hurry and find some super cute fall decorations for rock-bottom prices!

Check out Jane's site today for other fabulous finds!