thrift-stores

Babies. Sigh. They grow up so fast, don't they?Take it from a mom. Yeah, they do. So fast that anything you buy them will be too small within weeks. Babies wake up from their naps bigger than when you put them down. Toddlers grow like little weeds, AND they play so hard their clothing gets worn out...

Everyone has one (or two) of them in his family: The official holiday spirit monitor. Always pulling out the precious collectibles (whether that's emotional or monetary value should be left to another blog post). The bad news? Their houses are virtual minefields for little children, or the more...

I'm not much of a shopper, but there's one place in Columbus that turns me into a kid in a candy store. That place is The Habitat For Humanity Build It Again Center.The Center, a K-Mart-sized building on the north side of town, is jammed with building supplies donated by homeowners, contractors,...

I'm one of those people who believes in the power of books. Books should never be given away! Books are always good for you, no matter how bent or broken their spines. Books can solve anything.That was, until I had small children. Who also loved books. So much so that they sucked on, ripped,...

Talk about being a label whore!It's the first thing you should do when shopping at a thrift store: Check the label. When I see a fabric or a pattern I like in a pile of clothes at the thrift store, the very first order of business is to check the label. This is your first test to see if it's worth...

I'm a sucker for a cute jacket. And growing up in Portland, Oregon, if I had a storybook vision of myself with kids, it was walking along with them, dolled up in mis-matched raincoat and boots, splashing in puddles and laughing uproariously. So whenever I'm thrift store shopping and see another...

I have a bin in my basement. It's filled with brightly-colored plastic toys, each with dozens of buttons and a little plastic grate inside which is housed an electronic speaker. They've come from various sources -- a well-meaning aunt or uncle, a thrift store, a great sale at the supermarket -- and...

I used to be something of a mall rat, flashing my plastic to buy whatever pretty thing was on sale! (40% off way too much, whee!). And then I grew up, got a couple of kids, and discovered real happiness at the Goodwill Outlet in my town (we call it "the Bins"). All the same fashions as the mall --...