Have YOU Ever Been?

One of my most favorite things to do is to rummage through the Thrift Store both at home and at school! You NEVER know what you are going to find :) In recent years, this has become quite the addiction - especially if you find something REALLY good... then it's like for the next two or three trips to the Thrift Store you have this anticipation all built up about finding ANOTHER great treasure! More times than not, though, if you find something AWESOME one trip, you're probably not going to find anything that matches its "greatness" for a least a few trips or so :)

My Daddy has these cute little sayings when he's out in the yard and Momma and I head to car with major intentions of shopping "The Galleria" as we call it :) He'll say one of two things:

• "You girls have fun. But remember, if it can't fit in a drawer, don't bring it home."
• "Have fun! Just remember: You have to get rid of something if you bring something home!"

I actually found their website and, what do you know!?!? There's a "HOW TO SHOP at AMERICA'S THRIFT STORE" section! If you've never been, I think this might be helpful to you :) (HA!).

And... Did you know that the Thrift Store has discounts!? Sure they do! Certain colored tickets are certain discounts, certain weeks out of the month. Now, I haven't quite figured this color system out yet, but I'll be sure to let you know when I do! It makes me SUPER excited to have found something at a steal already, then look up and realize that it's a 70% ticket color and I end up purchasing it for like 35 cents!

I wish I could say that I came home with a COOL purchase today, but the truth is I came home empty handed. Nothing struck my fancy... :(

Here are some of my favorite finds though:

I found TWO of these silicone Alabama Ice Trays last weekend for 99 cents!

I haven't figured out when I'm going to use them, but I've done some research and seeing that retail value is around $20.00, I think I found a steal!

GAP Long and Lean Jeans

Granted, I'm nowhere NEAR in need of a pair of LONG blue jeans, but these fit perfectly, believe it or not!

Back during the summer, my mom and I found an iron bedstead much like this one! It was a yucky grey color and needed a little love, but that was definitely NOT a reason to leave it without a home! We brought it home and Dave and I actually refinished the bed! After a little frustration and having to walk away a time or two, we got it done and it looks just beautiful! The bed you see in this picture is actually identical to the my very first "big girl" bed! It was my Gran-Gran's. When I turned one, my mom and dad took me out of my baby bed and put me in my Gran-Gran's bed. I LOVED IT! Now, maybe you understand why I wanted an iron bed all my own :)

NOTHING can describe the fun times I've had digging through all of the racks and racks of stuff at the Thrift Store! I may not have liked it very much as a child, but boy oh boy do I enjoy it now :) If you're not so lucky to have such a glorious place around where you live, look for a Salvation Army! They're loads of fun, too! And with those SPRING CLEANING days coming soon, keep in mind you can take all those clothes, toys, pieces of furniture and no longer loved items to the Thrift Store so others might enjoy them (you also get this little thing you can use on your taxes) - or your local church, like we do!

Hope you guys have found something fun to do on this COLD Saturday!