Goodwill Hunting: Why I Thrift

I haven't always been thrifty, but I have always loved clothes and fashion.  In fact, I would go as far as to say I am a recovering shopaholic.  There were many times when I was in college that I would blow an entire babysitting paycheck at Express so I'd have something new to wear out on Thursday night.  No lie.  I even opened an Express credit card my sophomore year so I could buy things I couldn't afford/start my "credit." 

Unfortunately, one credit card led to the next, and by the time B and I were engaged in 2005 (a mere 3 years later) I had not one store credit card but ELEVEN, plus a major credit card.  Thankfully, I never got into outrageous debt, but still, ELEVEN cards?!  After completing a three month course in financial planning/management (hello, Dave Ramsey), I triumphantly cut up ALL of the cards before we tied the knot.  It was a big moment. 

Then there were the financial challenges that come with college, marriage, homeownership, and a baby.  Even though I shopped mainly sale and at Target, a $19.99 shirt was still $19.99 - and, inevitably, if I shop for clothes at Target, I'm usually picking up random other things and tossing them into the basket too, that I never had any intention of buying until I walked past them at the Dollar Spot.  You totally know what I'm saying. 

After I had Beckham I went through a major fashion slump.  From transitioning out of maternity clothes and into "baggywear" to hide the leftover baby fat, to missing an entire season's worth of trends due to pregnancy, my closet was lacking in style and consisted of lots of plain jane tops and black pants.  {I lived and died by black pants in college, btw.  I still own 2 pairs of Express Editor pants that I'm pretty sure were bought with babysitting money sometime in the early 2000s.}

And then Abby got her groove back.

It happened last fall/winter season, when the scarves, leggings, boots, and sweaterdresses were all the rage.  And, because that was a trend my post baby body could completely agree with on sooooooo many levels (have you seen my WIWW posts?  love.me.some.leggings.), I embraced the fact that it was okay to be a fashionable mommy. 

But...and there's always a but...I just truly couldn't afford to go out and buy the latest trends at full retail.  I have a lot of difficulty justifying a $100 sweater or pair of jeans when there are heinies to diaper and family vacations to save for and home upgrades to be made.  So what's a girl to do?

In late December I made an intentional trip to Plato's Closet (trendy thrift store, if you're not familiar) with Christmas money and my sister in tow.  I took her along for 2 reasons: a) she knows what I like and could easily help me weed through the massive racks full of clothes and b) I would have moral support if I were to run into someone I knew.  Because, like it or not, there is a stigma attached to shopping for used clothes, and Heaven forbid anyone know that I wear thift.  And there's primarily one way to avoid that stigma: get over it and embrace it. So, I did. 

After having great success at Plato's Closet ($5-7 for a top, $8-12 dresses), I finally moved onto my current favorite place to shop for clothes: Goodwill.  Besides buying amazing clothes for a steal of a deal (50% off days are my fav!), I love the thrill of the hunt.  I have had great success shopping there and have encouraged my sister's to jump on the thrift train too.  We could, quite possibly, be having a thrifty family Christmas too...

In the end, everyone's happy.  I fulfill my need to shop and look fashionable, my checking account balance stays in the black, and B really can't argue when I come home with 5 new shirts of under $25.  It's a win-win situation :)

{PS.  I have been accumulating many thrift related questions that I plan to answer in an upcoming post.  If you have one to ask, let me know!}

A {Happy} Post

Today is the first day of my four day weekend and I couldn't be happier.

I woke up to darkness and the beautiful hum of the monitor, indicating that I still had a sleeping boy upstairs.  I turned on Meredith, Matt, and Al, straightened up the house and enjoyed  a cup of coffee - meaning that I wasn't spooning sugar into a to-go cup as I raced out the door.  I embraced the wonderful calm that is 7am in a napping house (which is, by the way, a great children's read) and long for the days when that's the way I get to start every day.

Becks finally woke up and just getting to see his sweet little bedhead makes the day at home entirely worth it.  Plus, PLUS, I got to take him to preschool today {bonus!}.  Oh, I was so excited.  I'm glad that B and Becks get to have male-bonding on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but B doesn't come home and give me the full-on report that I want from his teachers.  Call it the educator in me, but it's important for me to know who my kid's playing with on the playground or what he ate for lunch or if he spends his mornings squishing playdoh and singing songs about pumpkins (which he is, in fact, doing). 

Suprisingly, Becks is QUIET (as in doesn't talk a lot) at school!  What?!  My kid, quiet?!  I was so surprised, since he's quite the babbler with us and our family.  His teachers said that there are still 3-4 students who cry for 5-10 minutes every morning and it kind of scares the other kids into silence for some of the morning.  Hopefully, he'll warm up...  They also reported he does what he's asked and is very "focused" on whatever he is doing.  Is that a code word for "plays alone?"  Again, the educator in me, but - for all you early childhood teachers out there - should I be worried that he's not talking a lot at school and/or playing by himself? 

Moving on, B and I spent a great morning running errands while Becks has been away.  Target, the bank, the dry cleaners, Starbucks.  It might sound boring, but it was the best date we've had in awhile.  We talked and mosied through Target without a toddler asking for popcorn or toys.  And the time in the car, I helped B study his Spanish terms.  Bliss. {No, seriously.}

It's kind of nice that Becks was at preschool because I didn't feel any guilt that we were doing something without him.  Had he not missed almost 2 weeks of school due to illness in September, I probably would have let him spend the whole day with us, but he needed to get back into the routine and our 4 hours, guilt-free alone time was nice :)  And, this weekend we have big family plans for the pumpkin patch.  Can't. Wait.

We're fortunate that Becks' preschool is within walking distance of our house, so we're about to grab the running stroller and go get him.  And probably collect about 1000 acorns on our walk home. 

I hope your Thursday is just as nice :)

What I Wore Wednesday

I'm not going to lie, I love What I Wore Wednesday.  I love reading everyone's posts at The Pleated Poppy and your comments give me a midweek boost :)  I'm off on Thursday and Friday this week for Fall Break, so I hope to do a Goodwill post sometime soon!

The Kinda Summery Outfit

 yellow tee - NY&Co.

sundress - TJ Maxx circa 2005

sweater - Old Navy

leggings - hand-me-down from sister

boots - Goodwill

The Schoolgirl

turtleneck - NY&Co.

plaid tunic - Goodwill

skinnies - Gap clearance center

rosette flats - Target

The Rehearsal

little black dress - I have no idea???

necklace - Goodwill

flower - made by moi :)

 The Matron of Honor

 gorgeous bridesmaids dress - Dessy brand from Twirl in Lexington

pefectly matching shoes - Target for $19.99

a beautiful wedding, happy couple, and a dress you can seriously re-wear? priceless :)

{couldn't help myself...}

The I'm-Being-Observed-Today Outfit

dress - kidnapped from my sister's closet 

sweater - NY&Co.

footless tights - TJMaxx

ruffle flats in mushroom - Target {this season} $12.99 buy some!!!

The What to Wear in Fall? Outfit

sweater - j.crew

dress - goodwill

tights - ???

 The I Wanted Another Excuse to Wear my $10 Boots Outfit

turtleneck - NY&Co.

necklace - Goodwill

dress - Goodwill

skinnies - Gap clearance center

boots - Goodwill

belt - ???

Are you playing along?  Let me know!  I need some fall inspiration something bad!  What colors are you into this season?  I'm on the hunt for some deep blues and purples... 

Today's my "Friday" since we're off for the next four days, so you can imagine my excitement!  Happy Wednesday :)

Fun with my boys.

 We took Becks to his first "real" football game tonight at our alma mater.  Yes, I mean a soccer game.  He was enthralled with the expansive field, cheered on the "big boys," and spent enough time climbing the bleachers that he wore himself completely out.  We even had a cup of hot chocolate to warm us up.  I wish we could have family nights like this every night.  It was perfect.   

 Gosh, doesn't he look so big sitting on those bleachers?! 

Hope you're enjoying the cooler weather as much as we are!

About a boy.

Becks is at such an entertaining age.  He's silly and sweet and has a darling little personality.  He talks ALL. THE. TIME.  The verdict is still out on where he acquired such a gift, though I'm fairly certain his momma can take some credit there...

He spent this past weekend at my parents' house while we were at the wedding, and was able to do boy things like throw buckeyes into the creek and watch football and, according to my mom, wipe his nose on the carpet (that has to be a boy thing).  He also -verbatim - repeated what my dad hollered at the screen during the UofM game. 

With exasperation in his voice, he walked onto their screened porch and muttered, That was a bunch of crap. What am I going to do with him?!  Or my dad, for that matter?!

 

He loves stuffed animals and would take a fleet of them to bed every night if we would let him.  He's particularly fond of this yellow duck and an oversized Bambi that he heisted from B's parents' house.  And, for the record, he is sitting on the couch without a cushion because I spilled a cup of coffee all over it.  Yum.

He still gets a jee-bah (pacifier) during nap/bedtimes.  Is it bad that I'm in no hurry to get rid of it?  {Thoughts, Dr. B?}  I was thinking during Christmastime, so our holiday travel is out of the way and we're all a little more tolerant of the initial paci-withdrawal period.  {I would hate to take it away too early cough cough mom and dad and have to fish it out of a garbage can in the middle of the night...}

And, the silly part of Becks - while watching football this weekend, he became enamored with the helmets and found a creative substitution... 

 Much to his daddy's chagrin, he will often reply football when asked what sport he wants to play someday!  Soccer is a common response, too, but this little goofball knows how to get under B's skin :)

He's growing up much too quickly. Love him.

{Sidenote: Audrina is clearly my favorite on DWTS.  And the Situation is kind of disappointing me.  I guess fistpumping doesn't translate well to a real dancefloor...}



Allison Getting Married

My best friend, Allison, tied the knot this weekend!  We had a lovely weekend in Bardstown, KY and are so excited to see one of our favorite couples make it official. 

Allison and me at the Rehearsal Dinner.   

This picture leads me to believe it's a new hair cut is on the horizon.  Yuck. 

We stayed at the {poor} Quality Inn.  It was terrifying.  I mean that in a may-have-returned-with-bed-bugs-there-were-cockroaches-in-the-bathroom-only-got-3hrs-of-sleep-last-night-because-I-was-scared kind of way.  B took the below picture of me unable to move from the bed (which was the only clean thing in the room...hopefully). 

But, back to the matter at hand.  Allison was a GORGEOUS bride. 

 

Me, Katie, & Amy.  I was also in their weddings within the past year and a half.

Allison wore this amazing blusher that had a little rosette in her hair.  As evidenced by the perfect bridesmaids dresses, the girl's got taste.  Good taste. 

Allison and Ryan, her lucky groom :)

 Me and my lucky groom :)

And then there's me and Katie.  In a very typical Abby-n-Katie kind of pose.  

 Overall, a great weekend!  And we're going to do it all again in t-minus less than 2 weeks for the bride-to-be pictured above! 

Hope you had a lovely weekend too :)



Thank YOU!

Thank you all for the many many many kind words of encouragement and support that you sent through email and comments over the past few days.  I have a great group of bloggy friends, that's for sure :)

Allison's wedding is this weekend, so I actually took today off.  Of course, on my day off, I'm up at the crack of dawn trying to get the day going.  I haven't even finalized what I'm wearing to the rehearsal tonight, have loads of laundry to to, and it would only figure that I have my first observation of the school year on Monday morning at 9am.  Thus, as soon as I hit "post," I'm moving onto lesson planning.  I'll be back with pics on Sunday...

PS.  Say a prayer - I have to give a toast and I am really nervous!  While I could carry on a conversation with a brick wall, I'm completely a mess when it comes to public speeches!!!  Eeeee!