Day 21

So I was stumbling my way across pinterest when I discovered this lady at www.myblessedlife.net and she had the most handiest tips for finding buried gold... aka second hand fabulousness. Her is her 10 tips.

1. Thrift Shops - I love shopping at three or four various thrift shops in my area. I typically don’t spend a lot of time browsing, but I swoop in and out. If there’s nothing awesome just begging to come home with me, then I move on. Shopping at thrift stores requires that you get over a fear of bugs, germs and “digging.”.

2. ReStores - Oh my, oh my! How my heart goes pitter-pat when I enter a Habitat for Humanity ReStore. The merchandise changes constantly, so I could go every day and find a new treasure…but because of my budget, I don’t. ReStores are often located in an older part of town, so I usually take someone with me or make sure that someone in my family knows where I am. #fraidycat

3. Consignment Shops - Consignment stores that focus on home decor items and furniture are excellent places to shop for new items for your home. You may be able to bargain with the item’s owner to get the best deal possible!

4. Online Classifieds - I have many friends {and my sister, who is also my friend…} who have found amazing deals from online classified ads! For example, my sister and brother-in-law just scored a beautiful dresser from an online ad. I never bought anything from an online classified ad myself, but it’s a great option especially if you have a truck to go pick up your purchases.

5. TJMaxx or Homegoods - I love shopping at TJMaxx! We don’t have a Homegoods locally, but those are great too! Lamps, pillows, vases, baskets, dishes, towels, bathroom accessories, bedding and more are all available at marked-down prices at TJ’s. You’ve got to love a deal!

6. Yard Sales - Have I mentioned that I can’t wait for yard sale season to start up this Spring? I’m so excited! At yard sales, I’m always on the lookout for rulers and yard sticks, furniture, books, art, fabric, vintage sewing supplies…and vintage anything. Few things are sweeter than falling in love with someone else’s junk!

7. Estate Sales - Much like yard sales, estate sales are amazing resources for inexpensive home decor. If you arrive early enough to the sale, you can get “first dibs” on furniture, artwork, accessories, lamps and more. I think I feel much like a game hunter when I’m yard sale-ing or estate sale-ing…the hunt is exhilarating!

8. Salvage Shops - It may seem a bit redundant to mention salvage shops after sharing about the love I have for the ReStore, but the two are different, I promise. My favorite salvage shop is Southern Accents. The place is phenomenal. They literally go into houses and buildings that are going to be torn down and they save everything worth salvaging. Floors, windows, mantels, newel posts from staircases, molding, door knobs, light fixtures and more. Southern Accents even has a wood working shop on location and if you can dream it up…they can create it.

9. Antique Malls - Shopping at an antique mall is completely different than shopping at a yard sale, thrift shop or the ReStore. Typically, antique sellers are not only proud of their merchandise, but they make you pay for their “proudness.” Yes, I just made up that word. However, it is possible to find inexpensive treasures at antique stores. My word of advice…don’t throw caution to the wind when you are on a budget and shopping at an antique mall.

10. The Side Of The Road - Have you been waiting for this one? My husband humors me as I squeal and make him turn around to go see what was in a pile of “junk.” I got over my self-respect a long time ago and I have no problem digging through stuff on the side of the road. I’ve dug out some neat old windows that my mother-in-law wanted to fight me over {not really!}. My friend Beckie is a RoadKill Rescue queen.

Emily if youre reading this you need to get over to her website. Im serious! Anyways... Payne and I are moving in three weeks. We found a lovely little apartment near BYU. So November 5th is our official moving day. Im sitting here in a pile of books and dvds and clothes. Two stacks of books, a stack of dvds, two bags of clothes and shoes that are about to make their way to Goodwill. We are also selling a bunch of furniture. Thats stressful because you never know whose creeping around on craigslist.

OOOOH! Heres a new recipe as well. Its something thats in the crocpot right now. I took 1 cup vegetable stock, 1 cup H2O, 1 packet of Onion Soup mix, a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce, a few dashes of pepper, a few dashes of garlic salt (because I dont cook with regular salt), and I mix it all together in a bowl with a wisk. Then I pour the mixture into my crocpot. I place a pork loin roast that is slightly defrosted in the mixture. Cook on High for 6 hours or low for 9 hours. Im planning to make rice and gravy with the drippings in the crocpot. I cant wait to try it!