Thrift Store Shopping

I'm not here to tell you I'm a pro at thrift store shopping, because it's something I just recently started doing. For shoes/clothing, that is. I know, it sounds kind of weird, and a few months ago I would probably have never have thought of shopping at Goodwill.

But you know what? I have found brand spankin new clothes shoved on those racks... and name brand too! And it saves a ton of money. 

Just to let you know, I don't get ALL of my clothes at thrift stores... not even close. 

One of my good friends loves thrift store shopping, and she kind of got me hooked on it. I have always been kind of leery of buying clothes from places like Goodwill and Salvation Army (or "Salvy" as Aberdonians call it), and I usually keep my hand sanitizer close. I'm kind of a germ-a-phobe, but we'll save that for another post.

Every time I see my friend, she is dressed cute. I'll usually ask her where she got at least one portion of her out fit, and she almost always tells me, "Goodwill!" 

Seriously!? Maybe I need to give this a try... so I did :)

I'm here to give you a few tips about thrift store shopping that I have found that work for me. Remember, I'm no expert, just things that I have learned:

1. Set aside plenty of time. One reason for this is because I like to take my time when looking through the racks. Which brings me to point number 2.
2. Look through every piece. When I go thrifting by myself or with my friends, we literally look through every. single. shirt on the medium racks. You never know what gem could be hiding between those icky granny sweaters!
3. Don't skip the shoes. It's easy to breeze past all of the shoes because, quite frankly, some of them are SCARY gross. I recently found a BRAND NEW pair of New Balance shoes that I wear for working out, and I love them!
4. Go frequently. Last week I went twice to Goodwill. Once to just browse, the other was to get a shirt for my Halloween costume. I found that even in a matter of a few days, lots of new stuff had been added. 
5. If you aren't sure about it, leave it. A typical rule of thumb when you're shopping, "If you don't love it on the hanger, you'll never wear it. I think this especially rings true when thrifting because I know that I always think to myself, "It's only $4, I might as well..." Wrong. Although something may be cheap and you think you might eventually find something to wear it with, if you don't love it, leave it. 
6. Wash, wash, wash. Wash those clothes. In hot water. With extra soap.
7. Sanitize your hands. Or don't if you aren't a germ-a-phobe like me!

Well, those are my thrifting tips for you! Check out more tips here and here. I absolutely love this girl's blog. She finds the cutest clothes thrifting and knows how to pair them! 

And check out my thrift finds below! P.s. Pardon my selfies... I do not care for them, but it was the only way to show you my outfits :) I also recently purchased a blue Sonoma puffer vest, and a gray Columbia vest!

Black polka dot dress shirt

Orange racerback workout top

My awesome kicks!!

Black Merona sweater

Until next time!

Homemade Coffee Creamer

Hello friends.

If you're anything like me, you need a good cup of coffee to start your day.

 

I, however, cannot drink my coffee without creamer.

And not the powder kind... I need the flavored liquid. And a lot of it :/

Sometimes my coffee is more tan than brown, but I don't see a problem with that.

 

I usually buy coffee creamer, but it is so darn expensive, and I go through it way too quickly.

Enter Pinterest.

 

 

*Hallelujah!*

 

 

All you have to do is search for homemade coffee creamers and you can get results for just about any coffee creamer flavor that your heart desires!

 

I have found irish cream, cinnamon cake, chocolate mocha, cookies & cream (which I am drinking as we speak, er, type), strudel, caramel vanilla... the possibilities are endless!
*Disclaimer: I wouldn't say that it exactly tastes like cookies & cream, but it's good enough for me.

 

 

So here's a little recipe to start your morning:

 

Cookies & Cream Coffee Creamer

1 Cup milk (or half & half, almond milk, heavy cream) of your choice (I used 50/50 almond milk and half and half

1 tsp. cocoa

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tbs sweetener (I used agave nectar, but you can use any sweetner of your choice)

 Here are some good ones.
 

That's it! Just wisk it up and you have homemade creamer!

Enjoy! :)
 

 

 

 

64. Weekends with family
65. Parties for old friends

66. Pictures of baby Miles

67. Summer

68. Finishing books

69. Embrace Church

70. Amazing worship

71. Cool weather

72. Relaxing weekends

73. Hobby Lobby coming to town!

74.Coffee

75. A quiet office

76. Plans for the weekend

77. and starting books

78. 8+ hours of sleep

79. Summer trips

80. My husband

81. New friends

82. Softball

83. Lemons in my water

84. Online devotions 

Taking stock.

 

Does anyone else think that summer is going way too fast???

I can't believe it's already June.

I found this really neat list at my friend Alicia's and also here.

 

I thought it would be a fun way to sum up what's going on over here lately.

 



Making : plans to suprise my hubby with a fun, relaxing weekend. Maybe some fishing or disc golfing in the works? I'm not worried... he never reads my blog :) I don't think he knows where to find it!

Cooking : Hmm... That's a good question. Maybe my specialty... Loaded baked potato casserole. Or at least my hubby thinks it's my specialty! Here's the recipe if you want it. P.s. I leave out the hot sauce, otherwise it is unedible for me! Unedible... is that a word? I think it is a word.

Drinking : H20, as always... and needing to drink more.

Reading: "Balancing it All" by Candance Cameron Bure, and loving it. She's a huge inspiration to me and she really puts things into perspective.

Wanting: A haircut, but not wanting to take the plunge. I wish hair was interchangeable from day to day.

Looking: for shorter, but not drastic hair styles. Always. This occupies a lot most of my free time.

Playing: Pandora. Matt Kearney's on right now.

Wasting: half cups of green tea. As much as I want to be a tea drinker, it's difficult. The first half isn't bad, but the second half gets tough to swallow.

Sewing: Nothing at the moment. I so wish that we had room in our apartment for my sewing machine. Then I could actually learn how to use it! I'm hoping to start embroidery in the near future. I'm also planning on crocheting some blankets soon.

Wishing: I could snuggle my new nephew Miles. He is so precious and I miss him so much.

Enjoying: coffee with an old friend.

Waiting: For the weekend... let the countdown begin.

Liking: Free printables. They make everything all better.

Wondering: if I will be able to take cooking classes someday. That is one of my heart's desires.

Loving: softball. Softball equals summer, even though it doesn't feel like it.

Hoping: for thicker eyebrows. Weird, I know. They look like cave woman eyebrows right now... No joke. I'm getting "new ones" next weekend, and I can't wait. Haha.

Marvelling: at how much I get done when husband is gone for work all week. I don't like him being gone though. Nope.

Needing: sugar to die. Everyday I try to commit to only having a little and everyday I fail.

Smelling: the fresh, damp air from last night's rain coming through my window.

Wearing: Jeans and an NSU t-shirt. It's casual Friday :)

Following: Some new amazing blogs like Scissortail SILK and Where My Heart Resides. I'm really
enjoying these.

Noticing: the chirping of birds outside.

Knowing: Grace is a free, undeserved gift. I cannot and did not earn it.

Thinking: about making Jambalaya. Because googling pictures of it makes my mouth water.

Feeling: muscle soreness, yet pretty awake, even though I couldn't get out of bed at all this week.

Bookmarking: once again... haircuts... craft ideas, recipes.

Opening: Pinterest. Always. It's an addiction.

Giggling: at this...


58. Coach Don Meyer
59. Chai lattes
60. New possibilities
61. Softball
62. My new nephew, Miles Alexander!
63. My hubby being home... finally!