Deals, Steals, and Splurges

I wanted to share some of the great finds of this winter. There are always super sales and clearances after Christmas (though some of these were found before)... most of which I hide myself from for financial reasons. Shopping can too easily become a feel-good-quick-solution to the winter blues, so here I tread lightly. It's difficult for me not to get super worked up about a deal, so bear with me!

This "deal" recently came to my attention through a blog I follow, Natalie Creates. I was so super excited...new kitchen towels and pretty smelling soap? What more could a girl ask for? The deal was this: you order $20 in supplies from ePantry and receive a Mrs. Meyers cleaning kit for free. Mrs. Meyers hand soap is a luxury in our home that we use solely for "company", but I regularly use Mrs. Meyers all purpose cleaner for scrubbing the floor and diluting in a spray bottle to clean the toilet and other quick clean-ups. What I got:

Casabella 4 gallon storage caddy: $8.39
Mrs. Meyers All Purpose Cleaner: $7.99
Mrs. Meyers Dish Soap: $3.99
2 Mrs. Meyers hand soaps: $3.99 each, total $7.98
Tom's of Maine Botanically Bright Fluoride-free(!) Toothpaste: $5.99
Tom's of Maine children's fluoride-free toothpaste: $3.99
Grove Collaborative kitchen towels-2 pack: $15.95
Grove walnut and cellulose scrubber sponges: $5.50

With free shipping, the total I spent was $22.66 for $59.78 in products. That's $37.12 in free stuff! Woohoo! Unfortunately I got in on the tail end of this deal and it has since ended.

As cold as I've been this winter my slippers were wearing out, with literally a toe sticking out, and after watching Eli enjoy the fur-lined moccasin slippers I gave him for Christmas I decided my feet would benefit greatly with a pair. I found these Sueded Sherpa-Trim Moccasin slippers from Old Navy. Regularly $19.94, they are on clearance for $12.00. A 30% off code at the checkout reduced their price to $8.40. And my feet couldn't be happier.

This find made me jump like a little girl. (Did I just say that?) If you're an Austen fan and/or a book collector, this beautiful illustrated boxed set is a must-have. After saying that, this was both a deal and a splurge. It's available from Amazon here. Regularly $99.00, it's a steal at $40.00. And it includes Lady Susan.

We have a couple aspiring artists in our home, and I was hunting high and low for reasonably priced art supply kits for Christmas gifts. This one I had saved to an Amazon wish list, so was notified when it dropped from it's current price of $36.99 (with a list price of $49.99) down to $14.00. I snapped it up before the price went back up again for gifting sometime down the road. That is, if I remember I have it stashed! Aidan's art kit is identical, but the case is stained a darker wood color.

I get notified from Brad's Deals when certain companies are having crazy sales. After Christmas I found a king-sized microfiber comforter and a new polo shirt for Eli that's not black for $35.21 after tax and with free shipping. There is no way that particular comforter sells for $160.00 ("list prices" are usually wildly exaggerated in my opinion). It barely holds a candle to our current Woolrich microfiber duck-down comforter that is unfortunately nearing a decade old, but the new comforter will be a lighter alternative for the summer months and may help extend the life of the original.

This 15 inch St. Francis of Assisi bird feeder statue was a thrift store find for $9.99. I'm excited for him to grace a flower bed when the weather turns warmer.

This work lamp was a splurge, and bought with Christmas money, but will allow me to continue painting after the sun sets. The previous lighting situation was not conducive to neat work. Walmart, $24.98.

These aqua glass knobs and satin nickel drawer pulls are an attempt to complete a project. Amazon, $23.37 for all seven pieces.

Two years ago I found a nice used computer desk for $35, sans hardware, that has been hanging out in the garage ever since. It will take the place of the student-sized desk we've always used. The plan is to bring it inside, paint it black, and add the hardware this winter yet. (Say a prayer for me.) With the hardware here there's only my procrastination in the way. And apparently a couple gas cans, a ladder, a stroller, a bunch of bittersweet, and a table full of garage sale things. Oofda.

Aidan has been asking for roller skates for quite a while. New skates were not in our Christmas budget, however. Amazingly I found these not quite skates at a thrift store for $4.00....and they're exactly the right size! Apparently they no longer make them because I can't find them anywhere online. They should get him through this phase, at least.

Aidan was also in need of a new pair of shoes. Same thrift store, perfect-size Nikes in great condition: $4.00.

Again, same thrift store: a Columbia coat in Gavin's favorite color, the next size up: $7.00. I just hope the zipper life is longer than other Columbia coats we've had.

I found these statues of St. Joseph at the 11th hour (about 3 minutes before the doors closed, to be exact) at a flea market last year, both for $2.00. One is about 10 inches tall, the other about 6 inches.

I also found this Sick Call Crucifix set for $7.00 from the same vendor. Quite a deal considering I walked through the doors with only $10. Sick Call Sets are not very common anymore, but are an important sacramental for Catholics to have in their home. The front slides off, which sets into the base so it becomes a stand-up Crucifix, with the base holding candles, a holy water bottle, and cotton balls or a little piece of linen. It can be used as a little altar and aids a priest when he is summoned for a "sick call" or to administer the Last Rites. We had a Sick Call Crucifix already on our living room wall; this one went into our bedroom.

Update: An unplanned trip "to town" to replace a broken pair of glasses resulted in an unplanned trip to the thrift store in search of more big boys shoes because of unending growth spurts. I came across this gorgeous Last Supper in excellent condition, that looks so much like one my grandparents had. It's about 17"x30" in size. Some day I'll have the perfect dining room wall the hang it on! Thrift store, $25.00.

And because of the new stuff Christmas added to our already over-stuffed home, and because of the deals I've found, I am working on a post all about the purging I'm doing to compensate for this! I feel another garage sale in my future....

Garage Saling

Our town has city-wide garage sales this weekend, so the crazies are out in full force. Of course, I was among them. I followed two different garage-sale gawkers today, weaving and zig-zagging their way all over the street, nearly taking out parked cars and then driving British-style with their heads turned completely the other way. I tried to keep about a half block's distance just to be safe.

Forming an attack strategy.

Our boys were warned not to leave our garage door open this weekend. My husband ended up doing just that when he pulled the lawn mower out to mow this afternoon. Immediately cars started braking as they drove by, trying to see if we had anything good laying around. Yes, we should have a garage sale. Our garage is in desperate need of a major purging. Boys going in and out (especially with their awesome organizational skills) and being a catch-all for house clutter all winter has taken it's toll.

This is just half of it.

Every year I rely on garage or bag sales to supply my boys' wardrobes for the next year. We've also benefited greatly from the generosity of family members. Thankfully we've had to buy very few items of clothing at full-price. We have a large supply of clothes already in totes in the basement, but each boy is very different in size during different seasons and I find gaps in my stockpile. Ian, for example, is tiny for his age, and when the others were his size it was cold out. Their destructiveness is another issue. I'm finding that most of the big boy's pants will not make it to the little two; they are mostly knee-less and some have lost their legs completely.

I had a pretty good run this year. Most of the clothes are name brands such as Nike, Gap, Old Navy, and American Eagle. For what I spent, I paid an average of $1.00 an item.

Not pictured are several puzzles and toys that the boys grabbed right away, the clothes I found for Eli, and an ottoman ($1) that will need to be recovered.

This calls for more totes!

On This and That and a Prayer Request

I just could not get my coffee right this morning. I am not normally a morning person, but in my recent campaign to better myself I've resolved to (try to) go to bed earlier. This allows me to get up earlier (6-7 am), giving myself oh-so-necessary quiet time to say my personal prayers, read, and write. (Most of the time I'm thankful that my boys have inherited both their father's and my late-to-rise tendencies.) Coffee is a necessary drop kick to my brain in order to make all this work. When it tastes like water I've got a serious problem. I made it the same way I do every morning. I checked the basket and even added more grounds. It's a mystery. It did lead to a terrifying thought that maybe all my taste buds went dead overnight.

A couple days ago I ran some errands with Ian. He was such a good baby and took two naps while we were gone. My parents offered to watch the other three boys, giving me a wonderful afternoon to recharge. I spent two hours in a local thrift store and found some supplies for more craft projects: more fabric, an old wood box, green pint Ball jars. Hopefully some of this ends up in my Etsy shop. If I keep falling in love with the stuff it'll never reopen! I'll post as I finish projects. Since the weather has not been conducive to planting or outdoor activities I hope to knock out as many of my indoor projects as I can.

There is a plan...

I found Mojo a new kennel blanket while thrifting. He kept getting caught in the holes of his old afghan. 

I found a new diaper bag/church tote on clearance for $13! Our old diaper bag had served it's purpose. It's zipper was broke and there we're small holes in it. Plus, it was time to downsize a little since Ian is no longer a tiny baby needing an arsenal of baby things and back-up this and that.

Vintage books! The three on the bottom are by William Faulkner.

And a "haunting" discovery, tucked in the pages of Faulkner....

We're getting so close to wrapping up our school year. Both boys only have phonics and religion left (which we pretty much do all year round anyway), and Aidan has a couple lessons of handwriting and science textbook to read. I can't believe we'll have a 3rd grader and a 1st grader next fall! Liam will join his brothers with "official" school work in the fall of 2016.

Finally, I would like to ask for prayers for our grandparents. My Grandpa Clem, who will turn 92 this year, recently had surgery to remove spots of colon cancer. He had complications resulting from the surgery and is currently back in the hospital. He's beaten this before, but surgery is harder the older you get and he could use all the help he can get.

Grandpa and Grandma (Bernice Julia, my namesake and godmother), early 1970's. This picture makes me happy, and I have it framed on my "gallery" wall.

I'd also like to ask for prayers for Eli's Grandma Vivian, who will also turn 92 this year. She took a nasty fall and broke her arm and hip, and is in need of surgery. Her heart went into a-fib before they could do surgery, so they had to delay it until this afternoon.

Grandma Vivian with Ian last spring (2014)

They are our last living grandparents, and we'd really appreciate prayers offered for them.

Update: Grandma's surgery went well and she is now recovering.

Grandpa is also back home and doing well. Thank you all for your prayers!