Do You Shop At Goodwill ?

Let me first be clear, I will NOT be using the recently popular thrift shop song as our song today.  So if that is your fear, rest assured you can read on in safety.

I am a frequent flyer at places like Goodwill, Salvation Army, ARC thrift stores, etc.  The gently used clothes (most of the time anyway) and other items are a fraction of the cost and often just as good of quality as brand new items.  One example: I have gone through several pairs of dress shoes that were less than $5 a pair and they have lasted me at least 1-2 years each.  The "expensive" pair I bought at a major retail shoe store, for $40, lasted me about twice that long.  It's hard to argue with that kind of math.

I know many people who only use thrift stores to find costumes they plan to only wear once, like for Halloween parties.  Still others frown on ever even setting foot in one of these places, preferring instead to buy all their clothes (and other items) brand new.  I'm certainly in no place to judge these folks whose tastes are a little more refined than mine.  That said, for any who have wondered how my family can afford to go on cruises or vacations or buy a big 12-passenger van just for travelling in, may I simply point you to this blog post as one of many secrets to success.

For me and my house, we'd rather go to Disneyland in used cut-off jean shorts, than wear the latest fashions.  I'm happy my kids are learning the value of that trade-off.

Song Of The Day:
Time for some Jack Johnson again, because his tune "Gone" includes some strongly worded lyrics about the value we place on certain objects.  "Look at all these fancy clothes.  But these could keep us warm just like those."  Everyone has a right to their preference of where they spend their money, but I am extremely grateful for the value I can get from used items that respect my budget.

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