Thrift store goodies...

Now that my kids are getting a little older and are able to comprehend some more abstract concepts (maybe), I am trying to teach them some basics about finances, responsibilities, and a little about our environment. This seems to be a daunting task in our consumer driven society. It is often difficult for me to reconcile as an adult, so I cannot imagine trying to teach young children this, even though it will soon become second nature to them. Hopefully it can rub off on my techie husband as well. :)

As a child, I was an only child to a stay-at-home mom and a dad who worked for our local chemical company. We had a comfortable life, but were by no means wealthy. My mom was a spender and my dad was a saver. That is just the way it worked in our family. Also, my dad could look at anything and just build it. He can make something beautiful out of completely nothing. My mom is a hire-someone-to-finish-this-project kind of woman, and my dad was a I-can-fix-this-myself kind of man. I think I got the best of both of these traits, but married a if-you-have-it-spend-it kind of man. There is nothing wrong with that. It is merely a personality trait he possesses that at times drives me crazy, and at others makes me blissfully thankful.

Anyway, the last thing I want to do is raise my children to be ungrateful brats who live their lives with their palms up, saying "gimme, gimme, gimme." This recession has been a true wake up call for so many Americans, and especially now being on one income, it is my job to be a conscious consumer. I have to set the example, which means I have to become a better person. This is a daily struggle for me, but anything worth doing takes time. When I take the kids out, we always talk about coupons, prices, discounts, etc. This week, they had some really good lessons.

I took Caleb to Hobby Lobby with me to get some crafting supplies. Each section we went to had percentages off, and I had Caleb do all the math and keep track of our budget. He did great! I got this little vase for $0.50 in the discount and broken section, but didn't like the finish on it.

Would have rather had white to match some dishware I have...presto!

Today we talked about what a thrift/resale store really is and why we shop there. (Side-note: When I was 5, I used to take a shoebox and go treasure hunting in our subdivision. I have always loved thrift stores and garage sales. Maybe I was thrifty before thrifty was cool. But don't expect me to go all granola and start using baking soda as deoderant, throwing out my Blackberry to reduce my carbon footprint, or composting. Congrats to those who do....but I don't.) ANYWAY, we went to one of our local thrift shops and started digging for projects. I found some great things that I can work on and things we could really use. Caleb even found something to spend his money on..surprise!!!

Here is my loot for the day.

Gift bag.........$0.10
Wrapping paper...$0.10
Ceramic bowl.....$0.50
Caleb's game.....$2.00
Glass canisters..$2.00

Total............$4.70

Canisters before....


Canisters after.....

I am not completely finished with those canisters. I am currently saving to buy a Cricut machine to make vinyl embellishments and want to add monogram to the glass.