and the results are in...

score one for me! ok - so i actually scored a couple good deals...and i have also figured out a few things:


1 - thrift stores are a lot more expensive than they were in the early 90's...there were no $4 velvet blazers in sight this time


2 - shopping for clothes was almost impossible due to the amount they had out - and the lack of organization. i mean, yes, pants were with pants and shirts with shirts (grouped by gender) but that was about it. no similar sizes together...this is what made it the hardest. oh well. i am a pretty casual jeans and t-shirt kind of chick anyways...and that is why god made target. $5 t-shirts (with labeled sizes) and sure-to-fit jeans all year long...(signing in awe....)


3 - they really do have sales at a thrift store! who knew!? at this particular store, i guess they randomly mark products with numbers #1-7 and depending on the day of the week, you get items marked with that number HALF OFF (please note cute jar pictured above)!



in anycase - i scored two items in particular that i am very pleased with...one was the little candy jar (pictured at top) that says "sweet things in life are made with love". my husband will be extra impressed with that find (insert sarcastic tone here) as he is always nagging me to keep sweets and junk food out of the house. (i should add that if it does not have a protien count over 10g, it is considered junk. that means you, raisinettes and e.l. fudge cookies...) but now i have such a cute little stoneware jar to hold sweets...so bring on the skittles!!! best part - it was $3, but ON SALE for only $1.50!!


the other find was the beautiful bamboo/wood chips & salsa server...$3 (no sale - *tear*)...but still a great deal! it even came with a glass bowl to fit the dip/salsa slot...however, it did not make the picture as it is still soaking in its manditory 30 minutes boiling hot water & vinegar solution that i am convinced will take all yuckiness of the previous owners germs away...


so yes - chalk today up as a success. i will surely be back to that store in the future...

gettin' thrifty

find me one person who HASN'T been affected by the economic crisis at hand...and i will give you $5.

mind you, i don't have $5 to give...but i guess you could also look at it as that is a measure of how confident i am that everyone has been affected - even in super small ways.

that being said...i am going to hit up the local thrift store tomorrow. not really sure what i am in the market for (a funky vase, a pair of shorts...who knows) but i would still like to go and check things out. and yes - i realize this is in total defiance of the "rules of thrifting"...

i can recall going as a teenager...i scored this awesome maroon velvet (men's?) blazer for like $4. admittedly it was a bit of an odd choice for your typical 14 year old girl...but i loved that thing and wore it everywhere.

however, i haven't ever gone since. my mentallity had been who needs a thrift store when you have the miracle that is target? ahh, how times (and bank account balances) have changed.

i will let you know what i find...

the real cost of buying handmade...

ever looked at a craft show or browsed on etsy.com and thought "i like this stuff, but it's too expensive...i can get(insert product name here) cheaper at wal-mart"?

allow me to let you in on a little secret: it isn't.

buying handmade is almost always a bargain when you consider what goes into the product itself and the quality of the craftsmanship. heck, most crafters barely make their money back when you factor in cost of materials, time spent, cost of promotion...etc. good crafters - true to their art and their heart - are in business for other reasons...not just the money.

as an example - take the following:

here is a listing from my etsy shop for 2 handmade washing cloths made from 100% natural cotton yarn. they measure 8x8 inches. the set of two retails for $8. oooh....expensive, right? i must be making a lot from that sale, right? in fact, i'm not.

here's the breakdown on this example (add in $2 for shipping):

cost of yarn - $1.50
cost to post/sell this listing on etsy: 44 cents
cost of shipping plus delivery confirmation: $2.27
cost to use paypal: 24 cents
packing materials/wrapping: about $1

total spent so far by me to make the product: $5.45

now consider:

time spent to make product - about 2 hrs.
time spent photographing - 15 minutes
time spent posting - 15 minutes

total time: 2 hrs, 30 mins

considering that my "profit" before factoring in time was $2.55, that means i was working for $1.02 per hour. who needs minimum wage standards?!?!?!

honestly though - this is what it comes down to - i can't price higher because no one would buy (and other crafters would "undercut me"). i can't price lower because, well...i'm not nuts and getting carpel tunnel at 26 has to be worth something...

but the bottom line is i love creating and i love being able to offer people a product i can make by hand...regardless of price.

i don't look to get rich off crafting, i look to make my soul and life richer.

just thought you might want to keep this in mind the next time you consider a handmade product. there is a lot of love and (underpaid) time put into it...and it is worth the price.

i'm in love...

no no...i'm not talking about my secret boyfriend, anderson cooper.

and no, i am also not referring to my deep, consuming love of lazy mornings, warm brownies or the miracle that is the DVR...

no - i am referring to my new favorite blogs! every few months, i kind of weed out my favorites menu and delete any links to sites and/or blogs that i just don't seem to keep up with or find much interest in.

simply put, life is too short to have a cluttered favorites bar. it makes me dizzy...and may be the main contributing factor in why i have (at times) over looked more important links, like....my banking. (shudder)

but in anycase...as i get rid of the old, it always seems to be replaced by the new.

here is what i am following right now (can you tell i'm on this super organization, money saavy, back to your roots kind of kick?!):

http://www.simplemom.net/
http://www.suddenlyfugal.wordpress.com/
http://www.littlehouseinthesuburbs.net/

lord, spare my husband. he does not quite know what to make of my new "home organization notebook" which i lovingly refer to as my bible.

good karma!

photo by: missjdub

many thanks to righthand for the feature on her beautiful treasury featuring items sure to inspire domestic bliss in all of us...

and good karma followed because:

a) her treasury was featured on the frontpage of etsy.com today
b) the views for my featured item went from 30-something to 297
c) i made a sale tonight (hurray!)

thank you, righthand! thank you! and for those of you looking for adorable children's toys and such (especially something for the little one's easter basket) be sure to check out her shop!

car accident

today it was 55 degrees and dreary. really yucky outside, to be honest. the perfect type of day for three things:

1 - napping
2 - shopping for items you do not really need nor can you afford
3 - getting into a car accident

well - in my day, i managed to have all three. now, i am not really sure if this makes me an overachiever or a lazy, debt-ridden girl who has a bad headache, but either way i am chalking today up as a total success.

why?

a) the accident wasn't my fault - i was rear ended.
b) the jeep can take a licking and keep on ticking = no damage
c) i got a nap (who wouldn't be happy about that?!)
d) i found a pair of shoes on clearance at the jcp and paid for them with cash i had found in my jeans pocket (yes, they were THAT on sale)
e) the cop who responded to the scene was pretty hot (ok - i am totally biased...it was my husband)

but mostly, because

f) it gave me a chance to practice compassion and loving-kindness

the woman that hit me was so concerned over her error and had tears in her eyes due to worrying that i was ok (which i was) and that i wouldn't be angry and nasty to her (which i wasn't). i mean, no one likes to be rear-ended in the rain but it happens to the best of us and i am sure she meant no harm. i found myself actually joyful in reassuring her that everything was alright and watching her relax away fear on her face. i totally forgot about the accident and became wrapped up in my focus on making sure she was not too hard on herself.

and you know what? it was the right thing to do. it was a great way to take a crappy situation and make the best of it - including offering empathy and patience to the person "in the wrong".

i felt great - no harm, no foul - but i think my husband (in super serious cop mode) was mortified at the thought that i might actually hug the woman who ran into the back of my car.

amazing.

photo by: rosemanio



lately, i have been feeling a very strong pull to get back into touch with my spiritual side. economists say many americans are doing this because of the recession. politicians say it is happening because we are all secretly right-winged folks who love values, morals and traditional religion.

but i disagree. i think that for every person - on their own unique path - there is a certain time that spirituality (not always religion) comes into light and arouses a deeper level of attention.

now, in no way do i claim to be even close to having my spiritual ducks in a row, but like always, i try to remember that this is a journey that must be taken one step (however small) at a time.

today, i just wanted to share with you a woman (and author) who i have discovered. she is simply amazing and her writings seem to offer a beatifully worded bridge between buddhist philosophy and western culture. her name is pema chodron and she has written books such as "start where you are", "when things fall apart", "no time to lose" and "the wisdom of no escape". i am truly in awe of what she has to say.

if you do nothing else today, get to know her. whatever religion you are, where ever you are on your own spiritual path, read her words. they will certainly move you.