Goodwill Hunting

I included the word "impoverished" in the title of this blog for good reason. Okay, so while we're not exactly impoverished, we are on a pretty tight budget. Husband's in the military, my business is on hiatus, a house full of kids and pets, school loans, hospital bills, can you feel the belt tightening? I can. That being said, I really must confess, I love nice things, and I appreciate quality. This can be both a blessing and a curse, and I blame my mother and grandmother entirely. I am the girl that would rather own 1 pair of high end, well made jeans, than 10 pairs of cheap-o jeans. I would rather use half the amount of luscious, splurge-worthy perfume, than go through bottles of cheap body spritz. I like to buy my kids a pair of shoes, and have them actually last all school year, unless of course, they've simply outgrown them. I like towels from Garnet Hill, bedding from Pottery Barn, dishes from Le Creuset, and I love to shop at Anthropologie. I have a penchant for fine antique dishes and furniture, and love anything and everything that is Fire King, and highly collectible. At times this "love of quality", as I call it, has gotten me into trouble, ahem, with my husband. One too many purchases for the kids at Mini Boden, a few too many frilly "one of a kind" toddler dresses from Matilda Jane, and yes, the list goes on.

I tried, I really and honestly tried to just start loving cheap stuff, but I can't, you see, it's in my blood! Lamont and I would get into heated arguments as to why I would buy Stella only 2 outfits for the winter from Hanna Andersson, versus an entire, legititmate wardrobe from Target. Well, you see, because I want to buy quality items that will actually last all winter. Except, the problem is, I would never quite stop at only 2 outfits, or 1 pair of shoes. I would go a little crazy. Very reminiscent of a small scale version of Rebecca Bloomwood. So, I made a pledge to myself and my husband, awhile back, to change my ways. Sort of.

So, I realized that I just can't quit loving the things I love, but I can be smarter about what we need, and how I obtain what we need. Actually, I have it down to a near science. I have since taken up sewing, but lets face it, with a family of 7, that's not really practical, not if you're me anyway. My life is much happier, and so is my budget, since my discovery of... Goodwill of Central Arizona. Yes, a stuff snob like myself, has found happiness through Goodwill. I'd be lying if I told you that the first few times I went to Goodwill, the grimy dust-like coating on everything, and "weird used stuff smell" didn't bother me in the slightest. Um, it did. A lot. And I did find that I met people of a very "interesting" caliber. But the first time I held a BCBG cashmere sweater (still wearing the original $188 price tag) in my trembling hands, and paid less than $4 for it, I was hooked. Hooked! I dug through the racks as fiercely and passionately as if I were Ponce de Leon searching for the Fountain of Youth. I honed my thrifting skills, and gained a speed and precision that would awe a Chinese factory worker. On one occasion, I even heard some cute Hispanic women whisper to each other to "hurry up!!" in Spanish when they saw me working the racks like a well-oiled machine. After my first month of serious Goodwilling, I had amassed quite a wardrobe for all members of our home, especially after my discovery of the bi-weekly wonder known as "Half Off Saturday", where everything is, indeed, half off. I would look at Lamont with armloads of things for our home, with my eyes silently pleading "is it okay if I get this", and he would just smile and nod. I would get to the register and watch the pile of name brand items, most in new or nearly new condition, grow and bulge. I'd brace myself for the total, having already mentally totaled the MSRP's to be well above $500. And then cashier speaks, "your total is $21.10". Are you for real?!?! Are you flippin serious?!?! You do realize that just this one J Crew dress is worth over $300?!?! I look around almost nervously, waiting for the loss prevention to show up and accuse me of stealing. But nobody shows up. The cashier just stares at me disdainfully, willing me to hurry the heck up so the 150 people behind me can check out. I pay her, take my loot, and frantically run from the store, high on adrenalin. This is crazy, crazy!! Lamont just laughs and smiles, knowing that I just went balls out crazy, shopping for 4 hours, and it only set us back 20 bucks. Ah, Goodwill. After many more trips to Goodwill, I also had this landmark revelation: rich people who donate to Goodwill do not have messy children like the rest of the middle class world. It's true! They must have little, tidy, Stepfordesque robot children, because all of the clothing they donate looks pristine. It was a crazy, yet enlightening discovery to be sure.

Some of last month's finds...

A beautiful pink and brown Hanna Andersson play dress I scored for Stella (worth $36) for $1.49


I found this new J Crew top for myself for $1.99


Scrumptious bows and ruffles!


Coral silk J Crew top, also new I paid a hefty $3.99 for!


Twisted sleeves, mmmm...


Breezy ALSO NEW Banana Republic cotton lawn top for $2.49


I love the details on it...


Yummy Odille dress from Anthropologie, worth $159, I paid $3.


One of my faves, a soft organic cotton and linen Stuart Brown top, $1.99


Little boys Mini Boden top, in perfect shape, for $2.99


TONS of gorgeous Pottery Barn Kids and Teen bedding...chump change...


Lots and lots of $20, $30, and $40 cookbooks for $1.99 and less. Usually they appear brand new


So, my affair with Goodwill has gone on for several months now, and I've found that if I "flip" a particularly good find on Ebay (such as the Lilly Pulitzer dress I got for $4.99) I can actually profit from my shopping. The mere thought still makes my head spin. Yes, I do grasp the fact that I live on the outskirts of a major metropolitan area (which includes Scottsdale), but even if I lived further out, I would still swing a road trip every month or two, to the nearest big city, because the savings and finds are totally worth it! There's something to be said for the thrill of the hunt, and I can confidently say, no matter how much wiggle room our budget has, I will keep Goodwilling. And just read this sweet little factoid:

Goodwill's resale and recycling efforts keep more than 100 million pounds of items out of landfills every year.

So, give it a try, go buy some comfy shoes, hand sanitizer, and check out your local non-profit thrift shop. :) And don't forget to wash your hands when you get home, it's still the first thing I do.