100th post AND Secret 6: I'm a thrift store mommy

This is a 30 Secrets in 30 Days AND it's my 100th post. I thought about making #100 something extra and all by itself but I think this secret is special since it's something that I share with all of my sisters and my mother.

Secret 6: I'm a thrift store mommy. Yeah, that's right. My kids own a LOT of stuff from Goodwill and St Vincent's and other thrift stores. I buy clothes, toys, sometimes furniture and a LOT of books. My kids don't yet understand that the stuff is used, or care that it is. When I was younger, but older than my kids are now, I was mortified to walk in there. It wasn't until after I moved out that I was able to see the value in thrift stores. The kids haven't yet figured out that some kids at school don't think it's cool and I'm not telling. Apparently credit card companies don't like it when you shop there either so I now pay cash or use debit only.

There are a few things that I won't buy there, of course, like underwear and shoes. And stuffed animals for the kids. The reason I won't buy stuffed animals is that my older sister, Middle-Middle, taught her dog that stuffed animals which smell like thrift stores are the dogs' toys, which I think was pretty brilliant really. I allow my dog the same rule because he ONLY chews on the animals with that scent. This way the stuffed animals that smell like the kids or like new don't smell like 'his' and he doesn't chew up their stuff, EVER.

My number one favorite thing to buy there is books. Today I got 27 books for the kids for $25 compared to an average of $5/children's book at a regular store which would have cost over $135. And, since I'm buying used preowned stuff I'm also helping to keep things out of landfills and help the environment. Yay, thrift stores!