Unique

The Boy is growing fast! Many of his clothes are just a touch too small, so today we went shopping. We headed off to Unique Thrift Store in the strip mall at Howard and Western, in Chicago. On Mondays, everything is 50% off! (Besides the Red Tag new items). With the kids, I have to do grab-and-go shopping, so I grabbed seven pairs of pants, and five sweatshirts, and a coat. Some of the sweatshirts are zip-ups, one is a regular pullover, and a few are hoodies. I got him a few warm (with the fleece layer inside) khakis and two jeans, and one camo. I even scored a waterproof coat that might be warm enough for winter, for $2.50. I spent $31.01. Normally I have some buyer's remorse, but not this time. We got a great deal, and he'll wear all those clothes. And then his brother will.

Savers

One of my rules for living a thrifty lifestyle is to see if I can get stuff used before I might have to buy it new. So we headed out to Savers, a thrift superstore. The one I went to is located in Glenview, but it is well worth the drive.
Everything there is so well organized! The sections are easily identifiable, and they sell smaller items in groups. Last time we went there, I was looking for silverware, and all my options were grouped into well-organized bags lined up along a peg board. This time, I almost got distracted by the peg board in the kid's department. There were sets of flash cards, coloring books and crayons, and all manner of learning tools, art supplies, and games. I remembered that we have many items like them at home, and was able to steer the kids away from the area.
The Boy loves 'spooky stuff', Halloween, thrift stores, and decorations. So he really kept busy looking at the new and used Halloween items. He has a great eye for interesting and quality items.
We found a pair of sneakers in the next size up, because it seems that his shoes now are getting too small. I just noticed he has matching blisters on the tops of his toes, so I'm feeling bad about my mothering right about now. I bought him a pair of size 10 (!) lime green and blue sneakers. For $5.99.
The Hubs needs work sweatshirts, and I found a pullover hoodie for $3.99.
I got The Baby and myself new sunglasses for $1.99 each, although I think the cashier didn't ring up one of them.
We got a sad-looking 99 cent Styrofoam tombstone for our afternoon project/Halloween décor. We'll be painting over it and putting it up in the yard.
For Halloween, The Boy wants to be Spiderman again, which is awesome because his costume is still a little big. (I bought it at a church rummage sale for $2). I was able to get him a new mesh/polyester mask for $5.99 today.
We also got a vintage-looking wooden wall hanging that says "Trick or Treat" with a big kinda scary-looking bat. For 99 cents.
And I took pictures of the couch they had, and sent them to The Hubs. Ever since we realized the dog has been sleeping on our couch while we are out, The Hubs has been looking for a new couch. I forgot to check the price, so I called them up and the friendly 'associates' (that's what I was when I worked retail) gave me a price check. $29.95. For a couch!
I have their store-card, which so far hasn't gotten me any discounts, but the wonderful cashier scanned it for me anyway.
This place is great! Their prices are higher than yard sales, and some other thrift stores, but their organizational skills saves a lot of time. I will be happy to schedule a time to shop here again.
Happy thrifting!