The Art of the Find

If you know me at all, you know I am ALL about a good deal! But I am also very particular. Most of the time the two are mutually exclusive, but when I know what I want, I am usually willing to wait until I can find it for a steal. 

I am a garage sale and thrift store junky! Why pay full price for something from a store when I can find it for a fraction of the cost somewhere else? Buying things this way also means that I can also get a much better quality product then I would otherwise be able to afford. My house is full of awesome finds from here, there and everywhere and I LOVE the eclectic look. But I have to say that after having two babies so close together, this has been a lifesaver when it comes to baby clothes and toys!

The main thing I have learned with this kind of shopping is that patience is a virtue, but once you find it you'd better grab it fast! 

Here are a few of my most recent wonderful finds.

This sweater was a STEAL at a garage sale. It was Baby Gap and still had the tags on it and it only cost me a couple of dollars! I know you can't really see the golf clubs and cart in the background, but the lady was so desperate to get rid of her stuff that she just gave them to me. Daddy was very happy with that "purchase" since he is an avid golfer. These clubs are always strewn about the backyard and one of her favorite outside toys, and they were FREE!

I found this rocking horse at another garage sale- Pottery Barn Kids! It was in perfect condition and I paid next to nothing! Oh and her cute little cowgirl boots.... a consignment shop. It may sound silly, but I'm always praying for good deals on fun things.

I will say that this Little Tikes car has been one of her most favorite toys. I had wanted so badly to get one for her birthday, but it just wasn't in the budget. I had looked at this EXACT car in BuyBuyBaby a number of different times, but just couldn't do it. Well that same week I went garage saling and found this little baby for FIVE BUCKS! I'm pretty sure I teared up when I saw it. I would not let it out of my site until I paid for it and walked away.

It was God's gift to me! He loves to give good gifts to His children, just like we want to give them to ours.

She has been pushed around the neighborhood (and the backyard), more times then I can count. She just laughs and sings every time! It makes my heart so happy.

After we found out that we only had a few weeks before the arrival of our second little girl, I went on the hunt for a perfect dresser/changing table. I searched and searched and was down to the wire. I wanted to have the table before baby girl arrived. I wanted a yellow dresser. It needed to look like an antique, but be functional and it had to be the right height to work as a changing table. That was a tall order for a short timeframe! But look what showed up. This was a Craigslist find. It was perfect and the previous owner took almost half what they were asking which made it fit right within our (extremely limited) budget.

Well I could go on and on. I love the thrill of the hunt, and these are just a few of my finds. I feel like this is part of my household contribution. I don't provide a source of income, but this way I can get what I want and save us money at the same time!