Wednesday, July 19, 2006

screamin' deals

okay, so i am a mennonite and therefore predisposed to being thrilled at finding great bargains. really, i had no choice in the matter as, from a very early age, i proudly wore clothing from MCC and jelly shoes that were hand me downs from my second cousin. my parents were (and still are) awesome at scrimping and saving and getting great deals. i am not bothered that i inherited this gene from them. i love the little thrill i feel when finding a great t shirt at Ross that's been marked down half off from the originally low sale price. what i AM bothered by is my inability to keep from flaunting my findings to anyone who will care to listen.

i believe this started back when i found the Greatest Pair of little black maryjanes at value village for $4. never mind that they were a size too small; they were PERFECT for swing dancing! i started out "breaking them in" by wearing them to work. the breaking in part never really happened. i just began to tolerate the pain of perpetual blisters on my heels. i endured because OH! the compliments i receieved on those shoes! they were so cute and many people could not help but comment on them and every time i received a compliment on them, i would always throw back, "well, you KNOW, i got these at value village for four bucks!" pretty soon it became quite clear to me that not everyone shared my love at finding bargains. i began to get a lot of weird looks from people after telling them what i had paid for my shoes. the problem was, i found it nearly impossible to keep my mouth shut. i HAD to let them know what a great deal i got, whether they looked at me funny or not. (by the way, those maryjanes are still in my closet, though i'm sure i haven't worn them in years. i really just can't bear to let them go.)

this horrid habit has followed me and try as i might, i cannot seem to break it. granted, there are a few friends that are impressed when i tell them what a bargain i got, but, in general, people seem to find it odd that i like to tell them what i paid for an item after they've finished complimenting me on it. all of this rambling is to prepare you for what i am about to tell you: i just got some SCREAMING DEALS at a garage sale the other day!! okay, the greatest olive green maternity shorts for $2, plus a light green maternity tank top (that's roomy yet snug, so it makes me really look pregnant!) for $2 AND those darling little pink ugg boots that i posted of a picture of, never been worn, only $1! i just couldn't resist, and with all of the little boy clothes we had given to us from rob and jessica, i felt i just had to even things out. there, okay that's out of my system now.

in other news, my hair has decided not to follow along with what every pregnancy book says it should do (and that is get strong and thick and healthy). rather, it has decided to all fall out at once. okay, so not quite ALL of it, but it sure seems like it when i've got handfulls coming out in the shower and every time i run my fingers through it. i'm not complaining though, since my hair is kind of on the thicker side already (can turn into a frizz-ball in this humidity if not well taken care of) so i don't mind losing it too much. it just seems to be coming out at such an alarming rate that i wonder if i'll have any left by the time baby stew is done with being inside of me? guess we'll find out!

15 comments:

Tammy said...

Way to go on the Garage Sale finds! I, too, have experienced that some odd look after raving about my new found bargains...it must be a non-Menno thing!

Miranda said...

I love the little ugg boots :)

Jennifer said...

you won't want to know what I paid for my figurine then...baw, it was worth it to me.

Meredith said...

Hair falling out?! Take more vitamins.
Deals, well I don't usually let people know where I get my GREAT stuff not eveyone likes the VV Boutique as much as me.

Nicci said...

Hair falling out??? IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!! That is my biggest prediction yet. This time I think I am right.Ha

Alvin & Denise Engler said...

hair falling out is definitely a girl. it was totally like that with my girl vs. the boys. my hair still has not recovered -- or perhaps i need another boy to get good hair again. :)
-de

Marion McCready said...

you'd be right at home here in Scotland - there's nothing we Scots love more than a good bargain!!

Shannon said...

I love a good deal too!!


I have to try hard not to say "I made it" as soon as someone compliments something. They tend to look just as uninterested as if I had said "I pulled it out of the dumpster" ahwell, I have my blog to show all that stuff off.

Korinne Tjepkema said...

I can't say it's the mennonite blood in me that loves good deals - not a drop of menno blood in this girl! But good deals are my pride and joy. I just bought two beautiful jackets for Mercy for under $5, and an entire outfit for Brian under $60! I'm so proud!

We have a rule at my house. Everything that is bought for our home has to be used. Another rule? I won't buy my clothing unless it's on sale or on a marked down rack of some sort. I love it!

Kristal Sawyer said...

Oh I'm with you Heidi...Ross and Marshall's are my favorite place ever although I think I'm the only one that feels this way. =)

Jennifer said...

I like spending serious time at Ross too, but this has to be done without kids so you can go through all racks diligently looking for your size and have a pleasant fitting room experience.

Jennifer said...

oh and my hair didn't start falling out until 6/8 weeks after I gave birth.

Z-Mama said...

Yeah, Jennifer, same with me...it all started to come out a few weeks after birth...didn't loose any while preggo and I had both girls!

Anika Lacerte | The Handcrafted Story said...

From one mennonite to another - I LOVE DEALS! I love asking people to guess how much I pay for stuff. Like the chandelier I got for our dining room for $14.50, two wooden chairs for $7.50 total, and my husband's favourite pair of shorts for $4. My brother recently bought a record player, so for his birthday I found "Bull Frogs and Butterflies" and "Music Machine" on records, 50 cents each. My 3 year old nephew already knows about MCC, and I recently found him a Bob the Builder lunch box for $1 at Salvation Army, actually it was 75% off all toys that day, so, yes, can't beat 25 cents!

Thoughts on Life and Millinery. said...

Hi Heidi and Josh! Chris sent me the link to your blog. It is so great to be able to see pictures of your world and keep up with the next generation of Stewarts. Josh came to my wedding almost 30 years ago, (like he remembers), but family friendship is a wonderful thing.
Value Village shopping, I miss that! Texas thrift stores are horrible, everyone has huge houses so you don't need to get rid of stuff to make room for more. Ross and Marshalls rock...I'm the stylish reference librarian, unlike the rest of the MLS posse.
Love to you!
Jill from Houston