Saturday, November 17, 2007

The Sweetest Things


(left: Me, Loo-Loo and Boo-Boo. Aren’t they adorable? And my new sweater is cute, too.)

Today I got to spend the day with three of my favorite people – my friend HaC and her two cutey-pie daughters. Loo-Loo (left) is 6 and her sister Boo-Boo (right) will be 4 next month. They are so stinkin’ awesome; they make me almost want to have kids. ALMOST. BUT NOT QUITE.

Sorry Ma, no kids for me. I prefer to borrow them for the day and return them when I’m done.

But enough about my potential child-birthing and on to shopping deals. Note the sweater in the picture – that is the Isaac Mizrahi I bought at Saver’s for $4.99. Nice, yes? The pants I got are being fixed as we speak, and I’ll be wearing them next week. So, a big thank you and shout out to Cheryl, my seamstress.

Tomorrow I’m heading to Elite Repeat and the Saver’s in Columbia Heights to continue my search for thrift gifts. I still have two girl friends, two of their husbands, and three God children to shop for. Then it’s on to my family gifts.

I think I’m going to need another job. Or perhaps I can knock over a bank. Even with thrift gifting, Christmas at the Cheap Chick household is not a free affair.

Two areas where I will be saving money this year are decorating and gift-wrapping. I discovered a great way to save and recycle. Al Gore is SO going to love me!

You can find fabulous gift bags at Value Village for only $.69 each – and that’s for any shape or size. This Chick HATES wrapping gifts. I prefer to throw them in a pretty bag with some tissue paper. And bags are reusable, unlike wrapping paper. Okay, you CAN recycle wrapping paper, but seriously. That’s like re-using tinfoil.

Value Village also has tree ornaments, set-out-on-tables-and-mantles decorations, Christmas stockings, and serving dishes for the holidays. Why buy this stuff new? Especially since you use them only once a year. Besides, the previous owners ALSO used them only once a year, so the stuff practically IS new.

Save on the decorations and wrappings I say. That way, you can spend more on gifts. And booze. Heaven knows we all need a little more lubrication when you’ve got to spend that much time with your family.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Ooh! If you need help shopping, let me know. I am feeling better and up to the challenge. Plus, my home will be filled with poker playing folks.

And I love Hac's Children. They are so cute. And not a one of them wears a bra, or tells her how lame she is. Such a nice age.