Thrifting Isn't Always Thrifty

I am evidence that shopping at thrift shops is only thrifty if you buys things you need. Of course I don’t, I buy books and clothes that I want (I’ve got more clothes and books then I can ever need.) But at least I’m not buying the stuff retail so that is kind of frugal! Right? Clearly I still need some convincing.

But can you really beat this?:

These three cookbooks were from the library’s annual sale (a dangerous thing I know, but I wouldn’t have been there had I known, it snuck up on me!). Altogether they cost a grand total of…..two dollars! That works out to 7.5 pages per penny! I’m a sucker for old 70’s/80’s cookbooks, especially the ones with pictures of jello molds.

Another exciting recent find is this necklace:

Although not used this shirt was a really good find:

It is a little boy’s thermal shirt that I found for three dollars at Job Lot (which you probably won’t know about unless you are a Rhode Island resident) which can best be described as a bargain place that gets other places’ leftovers. I was planning to refashion it but when I got home it fit so well I didn’t have to. I also got another thermal for two dollars at Salvation Army. Can you tell I don’t like chilly weather?

My final crime against thrifty thrifting was my recent button-up-shirt binge at Savers. I got five of them and here they are:

Here are some of the labels. I really couldn’t care less about what brands I wear but I always feel a little smug knowing I got brands that others pay a lot for for a fraction of the retail price.

I'm a sucker for little details:

Brown velour with brown snaps (and some shmutz)!

Gold sailor logo and gold buttons, so camp!

Finally I got a bad Christmas sweater for one of those bad Christmas sweater themed parties. Have I been invited to one yet? Of course not, but I’m going to try to convince someone to have one. (I’d throw it myself but living in your parent’s basement isn’t exactly conducive to party throwing.) If all else fails I’m going to wear it to a regular holiday party and hope every gets that it’s a joke. Or not, that would be fine too.

Even I have to admit that the bears are kind of cute, and those are real gold beads sewn on the tree. It's so bad yet so good.

In other news I made a bracelet and since we are at the peak of holiday crafting time it is for…me. I know I should be working on the projects I had planned but I found the chain and then I just couldn’t resist making the whole thing. It only took a couple hours (and that is with the distractions of watching a movie, a Nick and Nora film specifically) and I am very pleased with it. It was a fairly thrifty activity since I found the chain for a good price and I had absolutely all the other materials already. Plus I de-stashed my beading supplies a little which gives me an excuse to get more!

I actually added two more little dangly things after this picture was taken to fill in the blank spot where the clasp is.

Action shot!

P.S. This is my 50th post!