My $5.45 Thrift Store find

I'd love to go to thrift stores and  get lucky enough to score all these great vintage finds, but my ADD kicks in when I walk into one and spy the long, multi-colored, overcrowded racks of clothing. At that point, I have enough patience to peruse the shelves of mismatched dishes, tchotchkes and shoes. Sometimes I manage to sift through the purses and bags. I had something to do near the Park Avenue Thrift store so I decided to drop in. They generally don't have much, probably due to the area they're in, so I wasn't expecting to walk out with anything. As I walked to the back of the store where the coats are, I happened to look up and see this robe in the men's robe section. I saw the price and HAD to get it- it even had the sash! It's made in Japan. It's a men's 100% cotton yukata and taller than me at 56" long, but I'm fine with that! These things go for $50-$75+ on different sites.





You say cheap, I say frugal.

In this day and age when EVERYTHING is going up, up, up, I've started to come up with ways to make my money go further.

1. Instead of buying snack packs of pudding, I buy a box of mix and make it per directions, then divide them into the little Gladware 1/2 cup containers. $4 for the Gladware(one time), $1.00 (est) for the pudding. You will get more or the same amount of servings as the snack packs for less - you also get more of a variety, and you can make your own flavor combos . I do this with gelatin, too. I'm going to do this with cake mix as well. Instead of buying the Betty Crocker Warm Delights bowls- I wonder if it will work? One box of cake mix at $2.50 (ish) vs. $1.99/bowl for the Betty Crocker. I'll have to get a box and see.

2. I LOVE Claussen pickles, but they can be pricey. I will buy a 1st jar, but when it runs out, I will buy a cucumber and cut it up and put it in the leftover juices. The flavor is generally more mild than the original but I still like them regardless. I started a batch of bread and butter slices last night.

3. I work from home, so I don't use as much gas as I would. I currently only put in $20 (half a tank) every week and a half. I also try not to drive around alot during the day b/c this Memphis heat isn't playing. If I do, I run the AC b/c I don't want to walk around smelling all funky, but after about 5pm, I won't run it. Since I work from home, I also don't have to spend money on clothes and whatnot.

That's all I have for now...