Thirty Days of Thrifting

I've been temping at Goodwill this week, which is a story in and of itself, but I came up with an introduction to this post while I was there. You see, there was this doll and, well, it inspired me to think this:

CuteCreepy



Super-cute



Super-creepy

And here, in this spot, I had planned to post a picture of a doll looking strikingly like this one, only not as cute. Seriously. More creepy than this.



I was planning to go to my car, get my phone, snap a pic and have this big long post about the crazy things you can find at thrift stores. How you have to search through the junk, such as creepy baby dolls dressed up in bunny costumes, to find the stuff you'd really want to buy. And there were entire sentences pondering why thrift stores had crazy stuff that nobody would want to buy. And maybe a little poetic musing about what it is that makes baby dolls so creepy. I had it all planned and then, in the slow mechanical blink of a creepy baby doll eye, my entire post was ruined.

Because somebody bought the creepy bunny baby. Bought it. With cash money.

I'm still in shock. So you'll excuse me if the transition to the next part of my post isn't as elegant as I'd like.

I'm starting a new challenge. A couple of years ago -- I can't believe it has been that long! -- we participated in The Great Grocery Challenge, which was a self-imposed challenge to see how long we could go spending a mere $25/week on groceries.

This summer, I'm going to see what happens if I stop in at a thrift store every day for thirty days. According to The Nester, the secret to good thrift store shopping is persistence. She claims to find something worthy of purchase half the times she shops at a thrift store and find something truly great once every 20 times.

Therefore, I figure that, in 30 days, I will find one truly great find and 15 "worthy of purchase items." The Nester and I might have different ideas about what's worthy of purchase and what's a good price, however, as she has been known to spend twenty-five whole dollars on a whim because she "loved it."

I'm not at that stage of the budget right now.

I'm giving myself some guidelines. I don't want to go into a thrift store and start stocking up on junk or mere whims. I'll only buy something if I need it and have budgeted for it.

I already know that the Arroyo Grande Goodwill has set sale days and that teachers get 10% off on Tuesdays. They're planning a book sale on July 31 -- paperbacks 3/$1 and hardbacks $1. I'll be doing my book shopping on that day. I'll have to check on the other thrift stores in town to see what specials they've got going on in the next month.

So here are my guidelines:

BOOKS

I already know there are specific titles I'm looking for, so unless the book is one of these titles, I won't buy it except at a book sale. However, at those book sales, I'll be loading up on young adult fiction and picture books for my classroom.

Dear and Glorious Physician by Taylor Caldwell - because I loaned out my copy and it appears to be gone for good
The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller - because I've renewed it at the library already and would like to keep renewing it all school year
Cheap. Fast. Good. by Beverley Mills - same as above, except change "school year" to "forever"
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan - because I haven't been able to get it at the library yet
Dick Francis paperbacks - because Dick Francis is like the mac'n'cheese and hot cocoa of reading for me. It's good, solid, comfort reading.
Susan Howatch's Starbridge series - because I loved every title in the series, and I've been holding on to my mom's copy of the last book in the series a little too long

CLOTHES

My newly minted philosophy of thrift store clothing is that you should keep an eye out for quality (which generally means name brand or designer clothes) and skip the discount brands. My theory is that clothes have a certain number of wears in them before they start to fall apart. Higher quality items have more wears, and higher quality items tend to have been taken care of better by their original owners. A Ralph Lauren skirt for $4 is a better deal than an Old Navy skirt for $4 because my cost per wear is much lower. Not to mention, you could probably get that ON skirt for $8 on sale brand new, and you're more likely to find classier, more classic items in the high end brands and trendier, so last year items in the discount brands.

I also discovered in my time at Goodwill that you cannot browse a thrift store for clothing, which has long been my method (and has long resulted in not a single find). You need to take the time to consciously look at every item on the rack. That jewel of a wool peacoat for $7 is going to be squished between the purple fuzzy vest and the pleather overcoat. It's not going to jump out at you.

This means that clothing shopping will be reserved for those days when I can give at least half an hour to look through at least one complete rack. I will also go through my closet and look for what items I really do need. Off the top of my head, I know I need a decent-fitting pair of jeans and a straight black skirt.

HOUSEHOLD GOODS

I want to do this to my living room wall.


It's from Melissa at A Time for Everything and is way too expensive for me to consider going out and buying each letter. So I'll be keeping an eye out for funky cool letters that I love or that I could paint or decoupage into something I love.

Next, I want to replace my current cookware with cast iron. I've fallen in love with a cast iron skillet that I discovered in our garage (a leftover from a former boarder? a hand-me-down from my mother-in-law? we're not really sure), and I don't think I want to cook with anything else ever again. I was even willing to spend real money to buy new cookware. In my research, however, I discovered that 1)new, quality cast iron is seriously expensive and 2) new, quality cast iron is an oxymoron according to the aficionados. You have to keep an eye out at garage sales and thrift stores for original Wagner's (not the new, made in China ones) or Griswold. So I'll be keeping an eye out.

I also really want storage containers. Glass jars for storing things like flour, beans, sugar, and other staples. I have some that I received as a gift for our wedding, and I love them. I'd like to try to match them. I also want glass because, frankly, the whole idea of thrift store shopping - in the teeny tiny recesses of my snobby, germophobic heart - kind of squicks me out. Glass can be washed with a mild bleach solution and stuck in the dishwasher at high temperatures.

Finally, my classroom bulletin boards are covered in fabric, and I've changed directions in classroom decor this year. I'm trying to have an overall color theme to tie everything together. I have great hopes that this will make my itty-bitty room look less chaotic and more restful. This means I need new fabric. Specifically, a light blue or light denim to match my Hot to Dot borders and tags. I'll be measuring the bulletin boards to see exactly how much fabric I need.

I think that's it.

I'll be posting the results each day. Wish me luck.