The Queen of Cheap

My sister once said (something like) if you're raised without money, frugality sinks into your bones .... to which I would add .... and becomes a permanent part of your DNA.  Although I grew up in a mostly stable, nurturing environment, money was not part of the experience.  Hence, I learned from the get-go to pinch pennies and/or do without.

Since then, life has improved in that department, but the DNA is still ever-present.  I am cheap and always will be.

Combine that with a love for both shopping and new things, and a dilemma obviously arises.  Shopping ranks highly on my list of hobbies.  There's something about feeling somewhat deprived of material goods as a child and teenager, that spurred an inner sense of gotta-make-up-for-it as an adult.  High-end malls (which once in a while fill a rare need) exist, I think, for reasons other than actual shopping.  I mean, who pays those prices??  My sister, whose car automatically brakes for Dillard's, has the monthly and annual sale dates of the various big name stores carved into her calendar and sweeps through their clearance racks like a woman on a mission.

Years ago, I was introduced to several lesser-priced stores that happily fed my shopping habit, primarily TJMaxx, Marshalls, and my then-favorite, Ross.  Top that off with an occasional outlet mall, and I managed to keep severe shopping-withdrawal symptoms at bay without threatening the budget too badly.  (I remember one night waiting alone in the car, in the parking lot of a new strip mall not too far from home, as Husband ran in to buy a newspaper at the grocery store.  When I saw the new and unexpected TJMaxx sign on one of the adjoining stores, I literally squealed out loud.)  I used to think they would probably send out a posse, or a search and rescue team, if I failed to show up regularly.

That all abruptly ended less than two years ago when I rediscovered resale shopping.  And THAT happened when Goodwill built a brand new store a couple of miles from my house.  (Walking distance!)  Life has not been the same since.  (My sincere apologies to Ross and the others, as their profit margin surely has suffered without me.)

There are many different resale stores, but Goodwill is my personal favorite.  I know and am comfortable with its system.  The stuff there is cheap and the clothes are well organized, without being, for the most part, grungy.  Yes, it's best to wash anything you bring home but hey ..... no worries about shrinkage as it has likely been washed before.   I have purchased name brand shoes like Nike, Tevas, and Columbia hiking shoes (I love sport-type clothing) for a fraction of the cost of new ..... and much of the time they show no wear.   I bought some like-new Ecco sandals, for $8.00, then came home and looked up the exact shoe online where they sold for over $120.00.

Plus Goodwill has their color tag deal, which is..... the price tag on every item is one of five different colors, and each week a different color is priced half off.  They change the color each Sunday, so I am there bright and early on most Mondays, since Sunday-shopping violates personal standards by making others work unnecessarily on the Lord's day.

Now, whenever I need anything ..... be it a new toaster (my old one just died), sleeping bags for visiting grand kids (remember everything is washed when I get home), a suitcase with which to carry a heavy piece of Husband's telescope, a new makeup bag, a new swimsuit top, and/or the myriad of items needed to outfit our new trailer (cutting board, silverware, clock, mirror, cooking pans, etc.)..... I head to Goodwill.  And I have every Goodwill scoped out within 20 miles in any direction from where I live.

Resale shopping is like a treasure hunt, and the treasures abound.  Whenever I am complimented on something I am wearing, I chirp, "Goodwill!  Three bucks!"  That's right, I have no shame.  But who doesn't love a good deal?  And even though I seldom NEED anything, I'm sure, as I head over there each week, that there's something I just hadn't thought of .... that I really need.  And there usually is.