Thrift Store Finds - all for $12

One of my favorite places to shop are the local thrift stores. I was excited when I read in the paper that a new Salvation Army Family Thrift Store just opened at 8310 East Washington Street. I decided to go over and check it out yesterday.

I found that the store was packed with merchandise and that the clothing was well priced. I was able to get all the items pictures below for only $12.

One of the keys to reducing your family's clothing bill is to look for items BEFORE you need them. If you wait until you need the item then you might have to pay full price.

I do not think my son's winter items will fit next year - so I went ahead and got him the next sized coat and snow pants. The blue coat is a very nice Land's End coat that I paid only $3.50 for the yellow coat was only $1.50. It is more worn than the other but will make an excellent play coat. The Snow pants were only $1.75








































































This tie is 100% silk and looks like it was never used. This was only$1.25.

























Our VCR decided to start eating tapes a few weeks ago and so it was time to replace it. I found
one that looked nearly new for only $4. The top was a little dusty - but that was easily fixed. Thankfully it works great!




















Do you have a favorite thrift store here in Indy? Leave a message and let us know about it.

Kids Sales this Weekend

I recently received an email from a reader to let us know about a great kid's sale this weekend. I love going to big kid's sales. It is nice to have a big selection to choose from! Here is the information from their sale advertisement:

Saturday, February 27, 2010
9am-1pm

Please join us for our CUMNS KIDS “Something New, Something Used” Rummage Sale and Boutique on Saturday, February 27, 2010 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Our rummage sale will feature children’s items and an assortment of household goods. Our boutique will feature approximately 30-35 vendors with a variety of products.

CUMNS KIDS is a non-profit daycare ministry at the corner of 71st and Shadeland Avenue serving approximately 200 families. We are raising money for our school and are providing an opportunity for families to have a fun-filled day of shopping!

7101 N. Shadeland Ave (corner of 71st and Shadeland)

At Noon- Everything at the Rummage Sale will be half price!

At Noon- Everything at the Rummage Sale will be half price!

If you have some items that you would like to donate to the sale they are accepting donations through Thursday the 25th. Here is some information from the school:

Clean out those closets and basements! We will collect gently used children’s items and other household goods beginning Monday, February 22 -25 from 8:00 to 5pm. It’s so simple to donate things you no longer use to help our school raise money! Receipts will be provided for tax purposes. Please make sure items are clean and in good condition (no rips, stains, tears in clothing and only working toys and household items).

If you have a sale you would like me to post here just email me (take out spaces) at: Frugal indy @ gmail .com


Contact Amy Hogan at cumnsboard@gmail.com for more info. regarding the sale.

Once Upon a Child - Grab Bag Sale - Saturday

This Saturday at select Once Upon a Child stores, you can fill a bag with clearance items for only $15.

Here are the locations that are participating:

86th & Ditch 846-7011

71st and Binford 842-0533

U.S. 31 South 888-7013

Stores are open from 10 am - 8 pm.

Disney Store Closing - Greenwood Park Mall

The Disney Store at the Greenwood Park Mall is closing on or before 2/20/10. Currently all items are 25% off the lowest marked price.

























I was able to get this pretty little dress for only $15.00. The retail price is $49.50. As you can see, my little girl was very pleased with her "Princess" dress. If you get one of these dresses - they seem to run a bit small. My daughter wears a 24 months and this dress is a 2/3.

























She was very excited that it matched her dolly's dress!

An added bonus is that our floor is now "sparkly" - even without mopping =).

The Children's Place Warm Winter Pj's - $3.99

Today I happened to be at the mall running some errands and stopped into The Children's Place. There was a huge sign saying 50% off the lowest marked price on clearance and so I had to check it out.












I found my FAVORITE winter pj's for my daughter for only $3.99 each. The regular retail is $12.50. I also found some of the lighter weight pj's for only $3.47 each!!! I bought the next sizes to put away for next winter and the following Spring. I also got an extra pair for this year as I never seem to be able to quite keep up with the laundry!

She was more than happy to do a little modeling of them tonight before she went to bed.

I checked on their website and they have them there too for the same price and shipping on all orders is only $5.00. You can go here to view the page with the pj's. There was a lot of other nice clothing on sale too for very good prices.

When you are able to buy ahead then YOU are choosing the price you will pay for an item. If you wait until you need an item you will have the price dictated to you by the store. This is one of the basic principles of my money saving philosophy - Choose Your Price. I choose $3.99 now - not $12.50 later.

Yes, I have to store it for a year until next winter - but I have a box in my daughter's closet (and an under the bed box in my son's room) for just this sort of thing, so that is no problem. I am always looking for things I will NEED (not just want) in the future and trying to purchase them at their lowest price ahead of that need. This strategy will save you a lot of money - as long as you stick with buying things you NEED and not buy a lot of stuff just because it is on sale.

Veterans Day Sales 2009

If you are in need of some winter clothing - this is a good weekend to shop. Many stores will be having Veterans Day sales! Here is a link to a Macy's coupon.

For those of you who overlook an "expensive" department store like Macy's - I would encourage you to take a look when they are having sales. I have often found high quality clothing items at Macy's (on sale) for the same price of a cheap quality item from Wal-mart or other type store.

I recently bought 4 long sleeved Carter's t-shirts for my toddler and they were priced less than the Carter's outlet price! Plus, with a coupon I had from Macy's ($15 off $40 purchase) I actually got them free with another item I was purchasing! I love Macy's coupons!

Today I'm off to do a little needed shopping before winter sets in for good! Before I go to the mall I always do a quick internet search for coupons for the stores that I plan to look at that day. I also am on the mailing lists of stores I like. One store (Christopher Banks) sent me an exclusive 40% off anything in the store coupon - only for their email list!

Of course I will probably make a quick stop at Goodwill before I hit the mall - you never know what you will find there too!

Here's another printable coupons I found.

Gap

Update: Burlington Coat Factory has a special discount - if you take a used coat to donate you get 10% off your entire purchase. Go here for details.

Blair Clothing - Shipping for Only $.99 Cents!

Here is a good deal on clothing! Blair Clothing has quite a few items on sale - I saw some very pretty dresses and skirts - some were only a few dollars each!

Right now you can get shipping for only .99 cents also! I don't know how long the shipping deal will last.

Go here to their website.

Castleton Goodwill - Girls Holiday Dresses

I stopped by the Castleton Goodwill (near the mall) yesterday and noticed they had several really pretty little girls holiday dresses! If you are looking for a holiday dress on a budget for your little girl - now is the time to keep a look out at Goodwill and the local consignment shops! Dresses at Goodwill are only $3.99.

I have noticed that the selection really varies from one Goodwill to another depending on location. I have found a good selection at the Southport location and at the Castleton location. There is also a new location on County Line Rd in Greenwood - near the Wal-mart.

When you shop at Goodwill - check to see if there are carts with new merchandise sitting around and check them! I found my son a practically new, perfect pair of warm winter boots for only $2.99 on a cart. These boots would not have lasted on the shelf - they were a great deal!

Coats For Kids

If your children are in need of warm winter coats and if you cannot afford to purchase them, you will be interested in the "Coats for Kids" distribution going on tomorrow at the Indianapolis Fairgrounds from 8 am to 4 pm.

Here is some information from the WTHR website:







"This year, the Coats for Kids distribution will take place on Saturday, October 10th from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. in the Northwest Pavilion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Any child who needs a coat will receive one that day. There is only one requirement: an adult must accompany all children and there is a limit of one coat per child. Bilingual (Spanish) volunteers will also be on site to assist non-English speaking families."

Clothing Deals - Buy Summer Clothes NOW!

Right now is a GREAT time to buy your kids clothing for next summer. You can get new clothing items for less than buying items at Goodwill or a consignment shop.

I have seen several stores with deep discounts on clothing. Kmart Super center on East Washington had some items as low as .90 cents each. There were some clearance at the front of the store and some in the kids section. I also saw good markdowns at Wal-Mart and the Dollar General.

This really is the best time of the year to buy new summer clothing. I keep an under the bed box and just put the items in it for next year. There will most likely be blow out sales this weekend and the stores usually want most of it gone after Labor day.

By-the-way, I know that the photo with this has nothing to do with buying clothes - but I thought it was so funny I had to post it! However, the shorts he is wearing were bought at an end-of-the-year clearance 2 years ago and only cost about 15% of the original price!

Macy's Sales

I was at Macy's a few days ago and noticed that they have many of the summer item marked 40 - 70% off. I have found this to be a great way to get quality item for the 2 kids by buying a year ahead.

If I only pay $2-3 an outfit for brand name items I have found that I can often resell them at my yard sales for close to the amount that I paid for them - as long as they are in good condition. In this way I can - almost - clothe the kiddos for nearly free!

OUAC - buy 1 get 2 (or 3) Free

There is a great sale going on at the OUAC's at 71st St, 86th St and on US 31. They have clearance buy 1 get 2 free. There is also an email coupon out for an extra one for free! The coupon is only good this weekend. If you email me at Frugalindy@gmail.com - I can forward the email I got on to you to print the coupon. (I check the email every few hours). I went to the 71st street store today and there was a lot of clearance! My friend Denise said she went to the 86th St store too!

At the 71st street store I got 4 designer brand 2 piece outfits for this winter for under $10 for my 18 month old!