Nothing New - Update

So far so good! 22 days in, and I'm feeling good. Other than groceries and other necessities (tp & meds) I haven't purchased anything that is new! Yay me!
AND I've even started my Christmas shopping. Take that! Yes, I've very excited. Can you tell?
First off, as you know, I was a bit concerned over how I was going to deal with birthdays. It was easier than I thought.

I enjoy going to, and shopping at, thrift shops. I don't mind getting things for my immediate family, but I'm always a little wary of shopping for gifts. You never really know how people would react to receiving a pre-loved item. However, let me tell you, Bramptonians (Bramptonites? Bramptonese?) are a generous group. In my thrifty travels, I have found so many new, never opened items at a fraction of the price you would find them in regular shops. Case in point:

The Boy is a reader. No, I mean a READER. We go to the library at least once a week (usually 2-3 times) and he takes out 7-10 "chapter" books. If I let him, he'll read for hours a day, but I'm the "mean" mom who makes him stop for breaks to set the table, play outside [although now I make sure that he leaves his books inside so I don't have to catch him reading behind the car instead of riding his bike!] and generally just do other things. I know that it's fantastic that he reads so much when other boys his age won't sit still for enough time to read a comic, or, ummm, graphic novel, but it really is quite the obsession. However, I digress.... so to fuel his love of reading (!) that's what he's getting for Christmas this year. I've heard good things about The 39 Clues, and I happened to come across the game - new in its package! - at Talize [one of my faves, but more on that later]. It was only $7.99! SCORE! I checked out the book section and lo, and behold, after much digging I unearthed book 1 of the series! SCORE! But, not only was it in excellent hardback condition, it still had all the cards! SCORE! [For those of you keeping track - yes. I just scored a hat trick. Thank you. Thank you very much.]

And so, for less than $13, the Boy has a giftie I know he's going to love! 

In the same trip I also picked up a gift for a birthday party that the Girl was invited to. She's terribly upset that she can't go, since we're off to the cottage that weekend, but I've mollified her somewhat by getting a fab pressie for her little friend. 3 items = less than $6. 

1. A never used My Little Pony Mad Libs book. 

2. A mermaid fairy princess beginner chapter book [doesn't look like it was even cracked open!] 

3. A "vintage" [1982 :) ] set of never used paper dolls. 

Not bad for a party that she won't be going to! I'm not gonna lie, I was tempted to break out the scissors and start cutting out the clothes for the dollies. I remember that feeling so well!

Some other great finds: a brand-new, never opened game ($4, Cousin's b-day), a brand-new, never-opened DVD game ($2.50, Uncle's b-day). 

This game...

...will find its way into someone's gift hamper this Christmas. ($5)

For a friend's birthday, I dipped into my Pampered Chef sample stash. She loves it all, so I was happy to gift her with some. It was worth well over $40, but cost me $0. : )

My father's birthday was a bit trickier. To make a long story short, I ended up purchasing tickets to a Toronto FC game. I got them on sale through AirMiles, and it's a non-cluttering gift so I think it's okay. Did I break my own rules? I don't think so. Technically they are new, but they weren't full price and besides... what use would used soccer tickets be? 

IRONY ALERT:

My wallet broke this month. Ha. Ha. The irony was not lost on me. However, it gave me the opportunity to purchase this lovely thing:

See, what broke on my old wallet was the change purse. I can still use it for my cards and such. Now I have a lovely new-to-me change purse to hold my actual cash and coins. It's nice and big so I can find it easily in my black hole bag.

More on my thrifty travels to come!

LadyBirdAtHome