Successfully Shopping the Thrift Store

Sometimes I (Ashton) get asked about where I find clothes, particularly modest clothing. And the honest answer is all over, but mostly thrift and consignment stores. Because I have very expensive tastes AND I'm super cheap. Yeah, its hard. But that's why I love thrift stores. And today I thought I would share my very best tips to successfully shopping the thrift store.

-Be picky. Most of my clothes are brands like JCrew, Land's End, Eddie Bauer, LLBean, and LOFT. But I've never actually been in or bought clothes from a JCrew, and I've only been in LOFT maybe twice. However, I usually look at the brands of clothing in thrift stores and try to stick with nicer brands that I know and like. Their clothes hold up better and I know what size I wear.

-Don't be picky. Right, I know I said be picky. But sometimes you gotta ignore brands, because in reality, no one will know if you are wearing JCrew or Walmart if the garment looks pristine and fits you impeccably. So don't pass up a perfect piece that you love just because you haven't heard of the brand.

-Examine clothes carefully. And I mean carefully. Look for stains, holes, wear, and stretched out places, especially along seams and the front. Don't forget to test all of the buttons and zippers or other closures. Check sweaters for snags and pilling, and please, don't buy worn looking sweaters. They won't look any better once you get them home. If you buy something with the intent of fixing it, ask yourself, can I really fix this and will I do it in the next three days? If not, leave it.

-Know what you like and what looks good on you. I don't really look good in light brown so I don't even look through the light brown clothes, and I cannot wear over-sized clothes because I look like I'm drowning in fabric, so I pass on those, too.

-Try everything on. It's a hassle, I know, but do it. It will save you money and you will leave with what you know fits and looks good. Besides, if it looks good in the horrible thrift store lighting, it will look good at home.

-Watch and wash. Watch the care labels: if you don't want to invest the time and money to have something dry cleaned, don't buy it. And please, wash your new clothes before you wear them. Thank you.

-Don't limit yourself to just thrift stores. Check out the antique stores and consignment stores in your area. They may be a little pricier, but you can often find really great deals or something special. The picture on the right is one of my graduation pictures; the jean jacket came from a thrift store and the dress, belt, and boots came from three different online antique/thrift stores. (I don't know where the horse came from, he wasn't mine. But he had good taste and liked my jacket.)

-Shop in the right neighborhood. I figured this one out by accident. If you live in a large town or city with a "nice" or upscale part of town, check out their thrift stores or the stores that are close by. More upscale neighborhoods usually mean nicer clothes and brand in better condition. Not always, but usually. (BUT, don't forget the little stores in the old parts of town as they can have some real treasures!)

-Watch for extra discounts. Some stores do half-off days, or brown paper bag days, or Military discount days, or a discount on anything with a particular color tag, so keep your eye out!

-Remember to check the online consignment stores that are popping up! Our favorite is thredUP, but there are lots out there. On thredUP you can shop by color, size, brand, or all of the above all at the same time. They have really great prices and do a good job letting you know the condition of the item, and we have been nothing but pleased with the clothes we have purchased from them. And the boxes they ship the clothes in are super cute. (I'm not getting paid to tell you about thredUp, I just really like it and have had great experiences with them, and disclaimer, if you use the link above you get $20 to spend ((seriously)) and we get $20 too. So ya know, that's cool and you are welcome.)

-Don't shop! The easiest way to save money at the thrift store is to just not buy anything. The easiest way to do that is to not go in in the first place. Trust me!

So there ya go, my best tips and tricks. And I would love it if you commented and shared yours!
 -Ashton

A Frugal Follow Up

OK, did you know that if you mutter the word frugal people come running?  Really!  I am sometimes shocked at what you readers like to read as evidenced by the numbers on this blog any given day, but I must also admit I love that I am not alone in my quest to be frugal.  We could form a group or something, I am sure of it. And your ideas- wow, you have some great ones.  And since you left them all in numerous places for me, kind of like a scavenger hunt, I am putting them all here in one place for our little group to find easily.  Plus, I am adding a few of my own!

Here we go- Room by room, sort of-

Back to the kitchen!- From my friend Gwen (who has a large family, so she ought to know!)- 

• "I do the exact same thing but with whole turkeys on sale. I always feel that with chicken, it's just as much work to de-bone and pull apart but I get a lot less meat than with turkey.  I frequently make quiche because it's such a money-saver and they all love it (plus we have our own chickens); Cornbread and beans is another frugal family favorite; Also meat and cheese in homemade bread pockets (Bierrocks in German). They're filling but you can really be creative and frugal with the filling, but since it's encased in homemade bread, the family always loves it."

My friend Stacy reminded me of berries! 

• "We always keep an eye out at the grocery store for berries to go on sale (sometimes I can get blackberries for 98 cents for the normal size square containers). When they are on sale I buy 12-14 pkgs and then make my own jam at home. I control the sugar amount and it's way cheaper than buying berry jam in the store.   We also buy berries when on sale and freeze then in one cup batches to be used for making muffins of for quick and healthy snacks."

She also mentioned making batches of homemade waffles and pancakes and freezing them for a quick breakfast or snack, which we also do.  See why we are friends? ;)

Brad could have written a post all himself.  I was so impressed by what he had to say we read it as a family and discussed how his suggestions impacted our life! 

• "Don't rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. You're wasting water and effort. If both you and the dishwasher have to wash the dishes one of you is redundant. A good dishwasher can handle whatever food doesn't get scraped into the garbage."

Yep, my kids loved this one.  They think it got them out of dish duty.

And mixes!  Don't forget mixes.  If you are buying stuff from the grocery store, most times you are paying double for the pretty packaging.  We save a lot of money by making our own taco mix, salad dressings and onion soup mix.

House- (yes, that is a lot of rooms)-  More from Brad-

•  "Fans are a great way to cool down and much cheaper than AC. Just be sure to turn them off when you're not going to be in the room. A fan makes you cooler by whisking away your body heat. It will not cool down the overall temperature in the room.
• "Keep your blinds and curtains open on south facing windows during the winter to help warm your home with the sun.

Bedrooms- from Brad-

• "Turn down your furnace at night and use an electric blanket to warm up your bed before you get in."   

Or, just use all those blankets you have sitting around and pile them on your bed! ;)

And just a few closing words from Brad, because I like what he had to say and think you will too-

• "Never buy an extended warranty. They wouldn't sell them if they were paying out more than customers pay in. If you can't afford to replace or repair it you can't afford to buy it.
• "When you pay off your car loan keep making the payments, but send them to your savings account and don't touch that money. The next time you buy a car use cash and save thousands in financing costs. Always make the payments to yourself instead of the bank and always buy with cash after that.
• "Never put anything on a credit card unless you have the money in the bank to pay it off when the bill comes due. Then pay your bill in full - never carry a balance. No one would shop at a store where everything costs 30% more, so why pay an extra 30% or more for everything by using credit? A credit card is a great tool for building credit and for convenience over using cash or check but should never be used as a loan.
• "Build up at least a couple grand in your savings account for liquidity. It's tough to not use that expensive credit card loan unless you've got some cash in the bank to carry you through an expensive car or home repair, or unexpected dental bill. Think of your savings account like a cistern - if you want water during a drought you need to replenish it when the rain comes."

Got more?  Feel free to leave us a comment with your ideas and we will add you to our little frugal group! ;)

Blessings, 

Frugal Room by Room

I love to save money.  It tends to be an obsession with me if I am not careful.  I have found that it is like a game and I want to be the winner.  Well, especially since every other game I play with the kids I usually lose at.  Just saying.

But being frugal- now that I can do!

 Let's be frugal room by room!

Kitchen - This is my favorite room to save in so I will share a few of the easier ways I have found to save a few pennies.
     Buy whole chickens, cook and use the meat for several meals!

     Don't waste your money on expensive children's snacks.  Make several batches of cookie dough at once at freeze it in rolls.  When your kids are hungry just pull out a roll, cut and pop them in the oven.

    And paper towels?  A HUGE waste of money.  All you need is a stack of while multi-purpose cloths.

Laundry Room - Make your own laundry detergent.  Trust me on this one - it is far less expensive and it is better for you and your family!  You can use the recipe we use or do a quick search on the internet.  There are many floating around.

Bathrooms - No more chemicals here!  We found a few homemade cleaner recipes that use essential oils and we love them.  Instead of hundreds of bottles of different cleaners, we have two main ones we use.  Easy and cost effective!

Dining Room - We do not use paper napkins in this house.  Honestly, my family was just going through them like no tomorrow and it was driving me crazy.  I found a bunch of cloth napkins on sale and a few friends have given me some and that is all we use now.  Yes, I wash them often, but at least I feel like we are not just throwing more paper into the trash can.

Outside - OK,OK, I know it is not a room, but let's face it, growing your own food does save money.  You don't have to have a farm to do so, either.  Raised beds are the rage right now as well as container gardening.  Check out Pinterest for a ton of ideas!

Kid's Rooms - Stop buying stuff!  Yes, it is that easy!  Well, for the parents.  Our new rule around here is no new toys and stuff unless it is your birthday or Christmas.  The end.  I know it may sound harsh, but I am going to tell you - my kids do not need more stuff.  I promise you they have enough to keep them and probably the whole neighborhood entertained.  No shopping, no spending. It's a pretty easy way to save.

So how about you?  How are you saving money room by room?  We would love for you to share.  If you have a post about this very thing, feel free to leave the link for us.  Beginning on Wednesday, you can also check out how fellow TOS Review Crew members are Being Frugal!

Blessings,

Fun Friday- Saving Money in the Kitchen Finale and Giveaway!

Well friends, welcome back to the last installment of Saving Money in the Kitchen.  Here we go...

Dinner time!  What's on your menu?  Fast food, you say?  Honestly, we do not usually eat out just for the fun of it.  Usually the service isn't that great, the food is just OK, and for a family of six it is just plain expensive.  Nope, we usually are only tempted to eat out when mom does not know what is for dinner.  It is irritating, it is unhealthy and it is costly. 

But I struggle with menu planning.  Can anyone relate?  The planning part is not so bad really but the coming up with things to actually put on the plan, well, that is another story.  I waffle between feeling like I am boring my family to death to trying out long, fancy recipes that take a lot of time and they all turn their nose up in the end anyway.  So. Done. With. That!

I have a new solution!  You are going to love it!
I have just finished up my second round of cooking what someone else tells me to cook for a 13 week stretch.  I love it.  I just open the book and follow someone else's plans and recipes.  Easy!

My worn, well loved copy!

I have mentioned Rachel Master's cookbook, Supper's on the Table, Come Home before.  In this 253 page, spiral bound gem, Rachel gives you 13 weeks of 5 meals each with sides along with their recipes. To sweeten the deal she also adds a complete shopping list for each week- staples included!  AND to make it even better, a special dessert and one snack idea are included for each week with all the recipes AND ingredients list.  What else could you need?

It was written by a mom with kids for a mom with kids.  'Ya know what I mean?  None of that creame de 'la something, or fancy-smanshy, I cannot pronounce nor will my family ever eat recipes.  Just real life stuff, with real life ingredients.

These are good solid meal plans- a main dish, a veggie recommendation and often a bread of some sort or a fruit.  Did I already mention kid friendly?  I admit to having 3 out of 4 picky eaters.  I do not know how it happened, but yes, my kids are somewhat picky and opinionated about food.  Out of the 80 meals listed I only replaced about 5.  And they were pretty easy fixes.  Where split pea soup was listed, for example, I just changed it to pork loin. (sorry Rachel)  I simply marked out the ingredients for that meal on the shopping list and added my own.  Now when I shop, I copy the week's ingredients list, mark out all the things I already have on hand and go get the rest of what Rachel tells me I will need.

A no brainer.
And a life saver.

Could it get any better?
Well, actually it can!  Because at the end of the book are bonus recipes for everything from homemade mixes (we use the biscuit mix recipe all of the time) to holiday meal ideas and a even section on food allergies.

Why reinvent the wheel?
Actually, I did reinvent the wheel a little.  I admit the organizational side of me loves this concept, so I got out a notebook and the recipes I have that my family loves and made my own 13 week schedule, complete with shopping lists.  It is not nearly as well done as Rachel's, but it will do.  Now I do not have to menu plan for 26 weeks.  Yea me!

This cookbook makes a great gift for young people just starting out with cooking.  Because most recipes are not too labor intensive, it is an opportunity to learn how to ease into cooking.  Rachel gives start times for each portion of the meal, helping to get it all on the table at the same time.

Want one?  You can order a copy of Rachel's book, Supper's on the Table, Come Home from her website ~ for $15.00.

Or...

Rachel is going to bless one of my readers with their own copy for free!   Enter the rafflecopter below to win.  I know you will love it.  Thank you Rachel!

Looking for ways to save money?  Menu planning can be a great tool to keep you out of the grocery store too often, and keep you from those impulse items that end up costing us way too much.  Give it a try and see if it doesn't help!

Blessings,

This post is being linked up with Amy, At Raising Arrows!

This post in being link to Caroline at The Modest Mom!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer- Opinions expressed are my own and were not influenced in any way by the publisher.  I did not receive compensation in any form for this review.  The cookbook offered is from the generous offer of Rachel!

Fun Fridays- Saving Money in the Kitchen

Welcome to the first week of

Saving Money in the Kitchen.

  I am so excited to get started on this series.  It has been brewing in my mind for a while now, but several of your questions and emails prompted me to get it out of my head and onto the paper.  Thank you!

Yes, my monthly budget for groceries really is between $400-$450 for our family of six.  I aim for $400, but depending on what our month looks like- company, parties, holidays etc. - it can be a little more.

I will try to take each week to concentrate on a different aspect of how I save money in this particular area of our budget.  None of this is rocket science.  Most of it is probably not even new to you.  But sometimes we just need a reminder or a gentle nudge to get started.

Consider this your NUDGE!

Here we go!

Let's start with meat, as that is often one of the most expensive items in your cart at any given time.   I do get most of my meat from the commissary, but you can use these same ideas anywhere.  Let me preface this by saying, this is not organic meat.  I know, I know.  Trust me, it concerns me too, but that is one place I just have not changed over yet.  It is our goal after our summer move to buy local organic meat in bulk, but that is simply not where we are at right now.  Hopefully soon.  Until then...

Buy whole chickens in large quantities whenever you find them on sale.  Be on the lookout for .99 and even .79 sales!    Stick it in the crockpot with some water, onions and spices and you are on your way.  After it is cooked and de-boned I freeze Mr. Chicken into 2 cup portions to be used later.  Think soups, casseroles, burritos, enchiladas, and chicken salad.  Depending on the size of your chicken you can usually get 3-5 meals out of one chicken.  If said chicken cost you $5-$6 you have stretched your money by a ton.  $1.50 per serving is a bargain!  Don't forget to freeze the broth as well.  I have not bought cans of chicken broth in forever!!!

Split your chicken breasts in half!  Usually the breasts you buy are NOT a standard healthy portion. Trust me on this one.  In a world of super sizing we kid ourselves in what a portion really is. Get out a kitchen scale if you don't believe me.  By slicing the breasts in half we double what we have and are eating healthier.

Buy large cuts of meat when they are sale.  Turkeys are cheaper at Thanksgiving.  Hams are cheaper at Easter.  Buy several to stock up!  Once cooked they can be used for multiple meals.  Case in point...I got our Eater Ham for $14.00 on sale.  We ate ham for three meals, froze one 2 cup portion and two 1 cup portions of diced ham for homemade pizzas or casseroles, and three packages of ham slices to use later. That is nine meals... at a fraction of the cost!

 

Let's chat ground beef for a second.  We do not eat a lot of red meat, but we do like a good hamburger occasionally, tacos and meatballs even.  But ground beef is expensive.  Ground turkey, not so much.  So for about half our meals that call for ground beef, I substitute ground turkey. Sometime I will use half and half.  Easy!

Go meatless once a week!  Here is one that I do not do as well as others because I have picky eaters who do not care for beans.   (except CJ, of course!)  But, by buying beans in bulk rather than cans and cooking them yourself you WILL save!  Another way to do this is to cook soups.  There are plenty of recipes out there for meatless soups that when paired with rolls or some homemade bread make a hearty meal.

Eat breakfast for dinner once a week.  I started this at our house because the kids thought it was fun.  Since then, I have realized it is also cheaper.  From everyday staples like waffles or pancakes to french toast and even breakfast casseroles, you can save money with breakfast food.

Buy pork chops.  I realize pork is an off limit food for some, but if it is for you consider buying it more often.  Pork chops are less expensive than chicken and I think sometimes we just forget they are an option.

OK, I know this one is not meat, but I am going to slip it in since I have mentioned bulk buying...

Buy side dishes in bulk.  We do this in our house primarily with potatoes.  A 10 pound bag is cheap when on sale.  When we were growing them ourselves, it was even cheaper...and made me oh so happy!  (You can grow potatoes in large buckets, bales of straw and even large trash cans.  Do not let space alone be your excuse for not growing them.  It is easy and your kids will love it!) We can get a lot of side dishes out of one 10 pound bag of potatoes!  Homemade french fries, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, hash browns!   I figured out the savings once of that one bag of potatoes compared to what it would have cost me to buy bags of the frozen equivalents and the difference was about $14.00.  Never mind the health benefits.  We also buy brown rice on bulk!

So there you have it.  Told you it wasn't rocket science.  And no coupon cutting was even involved. This month we spent right at $100.00 on meat.

Come back next week and I will break down the $400.00 even more for you and focus on the dreaded snack foods!

Questions?  Ask away!  More money saving ideas?  Please share!

Until then, Happy Shopping!



Linking up with Caroline at The Modest Mom today!

Salsa! and two week challenge results

Our garden is finally starting to produce TOMATOES!!  We are so excited because our crop last year was pitiful!

Tonight we are turning this-

Into this!

Here's how-

Salsa

2- 14 oz can diced tomatoes (We are now using 3-4 cups fresh!)

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 1 small can green chili's

3/4 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or fresh clove, chopped)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp/ sugar

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

Combine ingredients and puree in food processor.  Serve with chips!

Two week freezer-pantry challenge update-

This challenge was pretty easy for me, honestly.  We had lots of meat that needed to be eaten so I did not even have to get creative with our menu.  Even the salmon cakes were a huge hit, since we ate them when the oldest was gone for the evening.  (Any seafood makes her turn a little green around the gills!)  I shopped for the basic staples we normally get at the first of the month and use throughout the month (remember for us this includes any toiletries) and then we were gone for about 5 days right after our 2 week challenge.  Once back I did a quick mid-month run and we were set for the remainder of the month.  Here is the breakdown-

First of the month-$198.17

Mid- month-$49.94

Total-$263.65

Approximate savings- From last month- Just over $100.00, from the month prior- Just over $300.00!

All in all a success.  We have pocketed an extra $150.00 for fun money for our Busch Gardens day next week with friends.  If you are looking for an easy way to save money without selling your belongings, try eating off what you have in your pantry and freezer.  It works!

Coming up next week- Two new reviews and a sneak peak at what we have been doing this summer!  Plus a two ingredient dessert recipe you won't want to miss!

Have a great weekend and stay cool!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Hello! I'm the oldest daughter, ALP, and mom asked me to guest post today while she is in surgery. So here we go. =)

The topic of today's post: Home-made Laundry Detergent. 

Let's face it; Laundry detergent is not only expensive but also contains harsh chemicals, artificial fragrances (code for more chemicals), and dyes. A few years ago I started exploring websites and blogs, looking for an easy laundry detergent recipe. It had to meet the following criteria:
1. It had to be easy. (Mom was not totally on board with this yet so complicated recipes were going to be a no-go.)
2. It had to be a powdered recipe. (see number 1. Mom was not going to go for a huge 5-gallon bucket of slime sitting on the laundry room floor. I also didn't like the idea of having to melt soap like so many of the recipes called for)
3. It had to work in a high-efficiency washer.
4. It had to be cost effective. (a tough thing to live up to, as mom was ((and is)) a coupon queen and got laundry detergent at great prices)
5. It had to work. (obviously)
 After some experimentation I have come up with this recipe, which is very close to this recipe.

You will need:

One 4oz. (or close) bar of natural soap. Any will do, such as Kirk's Castile (pictured here), Dr. Bronner's, or Kiss My Face, which can be found in the laundry aisle or in the organic/natural section of your grocery store. Ivory soap can used in a pinch but does contain fragrances. 

Fels Naptha, although recommended by many, contains harsh ingredients and comes with an eye and skin irritant warning - not something I want to use to wash my clothes! If you are looking for a soap to use, read the label and look for something that has only a few ingredients, ones you recognize! Kirk's Castile does list fragrance as an ingredient, but it is that last thing listed and will not make your clothes smell. It is sort of the least of all evils, if you will. =)

 Washing Soda, found in the laundry aisle in a Yellow box.

 Baking Soda (usually cheaper if bought in the baking aisle or the dollar store!),

 and Borax, found in a white box in the laundry aisle. 

Please do not be afraid to make your own laundry soap, it is super easy!

 First, grate (or have your children or siblings or husband grate) the 4 oz. bar of soap with a cheese grater. (oh, and please be sure to wash it after you are done. thank you.)

 You want the flakes to be fairly small, not huge soap shavings.

 See?

You can sort of mash them up if they are too big.

 Next, add 2 cups of Borax,

then add 1 cup of Washing Soda,

and 1 cup of baking soda.

Mix well, stop to take a picture. ;)

Now, this is where you can get fancy and add 2-3 drops of an essential oil to make your clothes smell nice. I have yet to do that. But please feel free. 

Put your laundry detergent in a container. Mine happens to be a vintage glass jar that came from an falling down house on a family farm but a plastic dollar store container works just as well. =) 

 

 You can also make a fancy tag, if you are so inclined. And you are done!

To use: just add 1-2 tablespoons per load. Now, if you are like me, you will want to add a cup. After all, (in my mind) regular laundry detergent works that way and if 2 Tbs. is good a cup will be better, right? Wrong. Regular laundry detergent is watered down so it is cheaper to produce and so you have to use, and therefore buy, more. This detergent is not watered down at all so you do not need nearly as much of it. 1TBS for regular loads and 2 TBS for heavy or super dirty loads like towels or gym clothes. Trust me.  Much more will not get rinsed out, leaving soapy residue on your clothes.

Now for the details.
1. It is safe for top-loading, front-loading, regular, and high efficiency machines.
2. It will not foam and bubble like store bought detergent. This is normal, and makes it safe for HE machines. Trust me, it is still working.
3. It will not make your clothes smell like a forest, spring meadow or rainbow. The smell that we have come to associate with clean is actually a toxic combo of chemicals. Please realize that until you get used to the lack of "clean smell" (aka pink cherry blossoms or lavender dream) you might think the clothes don't smell clean. They are clean, and I promise that you will get use to it. You can, however, add a few drops of an essential oil of your choice if you would like your clothes to smell like something.
4. It makes about 90 loads worth of detergent. Our family of six does a minimum of 9 loads of laundry a week. That means I only make more detergent about every three months, and it only takes 10 minutes to do. (Ok, more if you photograph it.)
5. Cost break-down. I figured it out at one point but I'm not sure where it went (maybe it got washed...). Suffice it to say that we are still using it, so it must have been cheaper than what mom was paying for detergent even using coupons. =)

There you go! Easy, cheap, and natural laundry detergent.

Please continue to keep mom in your prayers and we will keep you up to date with how she is doing!
 Blessings, ALP