I'm Gonna Pop Some Tags, Only Got Twenty Dollars In My Pocket

I laughed out loud the first time I heard Macklemore's song "Thrift Shop." Who knew so many people would be singing along to a song about going thrift shopping. I was never much of a thrift shopper before we moved to Hillsboro but we met some friends who considered it a hobby to see what kinds of treasures they could find at the thrift store. Rem caught the thrift shop bug quickly and we were soon making trips to all our local thrift shops. Most of the time, it's just kind of fun to find the crazy, tacky stuff people donate. Rem has found a love for shirts that depict wolves howling at moons or horses galloping through meadows (yes, he owns beautiful shirts like these). I was always under the impression that all you could find at second hand stores was junk, and many times this is true, but I have come to learn that if you take the time to look, you can find some pretty great kids clothes! The weather is starting to warm up and Gavin was in need of some warm weather play clothes. He received some money for his birthday from Grammie Berta and Papa Jim and we used that to buy him some nicer spring/summer clothes from Old Navy a few weeks ago but I hate when I buy him new clothes and he wears them outside and gets them stained or ripped so I like to buy him some clothes at our local consignment/thrift shops to wear to play outside in. Honestly about eighty percent of the clothes I buy my kids come from a consignment/thrift store. They always get cute new clothes from lots of family members for their birthday or Christmas so I honestly don't feel bad about buying used clothes for them to wear around the house/play in. I often come across name brand clothing that looks like it has barely been worn! I have found Gymboree, Children's Place, Old Navy, OshKosh, Nike, and Carter's just to name a few. I know there are times when the boys only get to wear an outfit a few times before they outgrow it (especially when they are tiny babies) and it still looks like new, and from what I have found at second hand stores, it seems like many parents are encountering the same thing at their house! Of course, there are clothes that are obviously very worn out but if you take the time to look, you can find some stuff that's still in great shape! Today, the boys and I walked uptown (which is basically two blocks from our house) and went to one of my favorite consignment shops and our local Salvation Army. I used to have a hard time buying things from thrift stores and would think to myself,  "I can afford to go buy my kids clothes at the mall, I don't need to be buying used clothes for them." Yes, I can choose to go spend one hundred dollars at the mall on clothes for the boys but I can honestly find the same brands at a second hand shop and get three times the amount of clothes! I would much rather spend twenty dollars on a whole season's worth of clothes and be able to do something fun with the money I have saved by buying second hand clothes. I obviously don't want my kids to look like they are wearing tattered, worn out clothing so I'm pretty selective when it comes to buying their clothes second hand. I don't buy anything that is stained, faded, or has holes in it. They are still dressed very well and I honestly don't think that people can tell that their clothes are from a consignment/thrift store just by looking at them! I often get compliments on what they are wearing and when I tell people "Oh, I found it at Salvy," they can't believe it.  The reason I LOVE thrift shopping is because the prices are RIDICULOUS!!! Today I got twelve shirts, six pairs or shorts, and a pair of summer jammies for $27.00! That's an average of $1.50 per item.  Really!? Where else are you gonna find a shirt or pair of shorts for $1.50? There have been times where I have found name brand jeans for $3.00! Even a pair of jeans on sale at Old Navy still cost around $10.00. We save TONS of money by buying used. If you have ever watched the Duggar family of TLC's 19 Kids and Counting on TV (shout out to Nana Brecken!) then you are familiar with their saying "buy used, save the difference." I totally agree with this when it comes to things for kids. I found the jumperoo that Owen used for ten bucks at the Salvation Army. It was in great condition and I was super pumped because those babies cost eighty bucks at Babies R Us! I also find lots of books for the boys at the thrift shop. Can't beat a .25 cent book!  I encourage all the mom's out there to check out your local consignment/thrift stores and see what you think! You may not find something the first time you go, but the next time, you may find tons of great stuff. Our area has great consignment/thrift stores and I can always find the brands of clothes that I like without a problem! These places are GREAT for finding dress clothes also. How many times do you buy your child an outfit for a program, special holiday, etc. and they only wear it one or two times? I know I don't dress my kids in their Christmas outfits on a daily basis and they still look brand new. Well, other parents are in the same boat and so they go consign/donate basically brand new dress clothes. I found both of my boys Christmas sweaters this past year at Goodwill for under three bucks each. Owen's looked brand new and was from The Children's Place. I guarantee when it was bought brand new it was ten to fifteen dollars (if not more). Talk about savings! I understand that there is a social stigma that "only poor people shop at thrift stores." Well, I think "smart people shop at thrift stores." Yes, I understand that there are people who definitely can not afford to shop for their clothes at the mall and must rely on second hand stores for their entire wardrobe but I also believe that just because you can afford to buy three hundred dollars worth of clothes doesn't mean you have to! Especially kids clothes, which more than likely will end up stained, ripped, or grown out of in a matter of months. There was an incident at our house a few months back where a certain person in our family (cough-daddy) decided to do some laundry (very kind, but forgot to check pockets) and an ink pen went through our wash. There were several items damaged, which included some of Gavin's clothes. I was very thankful that most of what was damaged of his came from the thrift store and it amounted to about ten dollars worth of clothes. I wasn't so lucky....my VS Pink sweatpants also were attacked by the pen and ruined. My one item of clothing cost more than all of his put together. I'm by no means saying that you should never buy your clothes new, Rem and I buy most of ours new because we will wear them longer and put less wear and tear on them then our boys do, but for kids I absolutely think that you can get some great clothing items at thrift stores and if they get ruined while they are outside playing, you don't have to feel terrible about it! I encourage you to try thrifting and see what kind of great deals you can find!

Here's our haul from the consignment store today. 12 shirts, 6 shorts, and a pair of PJ's!

Today was such a beautiful day and we got to enjoy lots of outdoor time. Rem was busy most of the day with work, helping a farmer, and coaching his track kids. It was so beautiful out that I kind of forgot (uhhhh......ok, I didn't want to spend time inside) to cook supper. Since daddy wasn't home, the boys and I decided to pack a picnic supper and take it to the Free Methodist Church to play and eat. The FM church (where CJ works) put in a really neat wooden play area for kids a year or two ago. It looks like a big ship with a bridge to a castle. Gavin absolutely LOVES going up there to play and this evening was gorgeous! He thought eating our picnic supper at the playground was probably the greatest thing he's ever done! Here are some pictures of our evening!

Tomorrow is supposed to be a pretty nice day also and daddy is home all day YAY! I'm looking forward to enjoying the day with my family! I'm not sure what our plans are yet but I'm sure we'll have fun no matter what we choose to do!