ShopaholicSavers

4-29-16 Goodwill Finds- Michael Kors, Lilly Pulitzer, Nine West and More!

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on April 29, 2016 No comment

Pictured above are the Michael Kors, real leather, ankle boots that I found at Goodwill today. They feel like butter and fit me perfectly. They were $9.99 which I thought was a lot until I looked up what similar shoes were selling for on eBay (~$75-100) and on the Michael Kors website (~$100-$500). Then I suddenly felt like I got a bargain!

We live by several colleges and many students have to move this time of year. This is a great time to go to the local thrift shops that are packed with donations of items that students simply couldn’t or didn’t want to take with them.

I had a great trip to Goodwill today. I was looking for some stuff to sell on eBay since I will not be teaching the first half of summer and I also went with the goal of looking for some size 6 Nine West Heels to teach in. Nine West heels fit my feet perfectly and I can wear them for 12 hours straight without them hurting my feet.

I honestly thought I would be searching for those elusive and expensive heels for most of the summer and I can’t believe that I found a black pair and a white pair today (See below photo)! I LOVE these shoes because my feet love these shoes and I believe the black pair is real leather. I buy Nine West business shoes every time I find them in my size (which isn’t very often) and then they usually last a long time compared to cheaper brands but I spend almost all of my time teaching standing and walking back and forth between buildings, schools and classrooms so I’m rough on my shoes.

If you live in Central Florida and see any in a local thrift shop let me know!!!!!!!! No kidding.

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The above teal jacket (it doesn’t look teal in the picture) had such super cool lining and was in such a great color that I couldn’t resist. It’s Mossimo brand.

The above picture is of all of the items I found overall including Ann Taylor petite black dress pants, a maxi dress, assorted shirts, a Levi’s Polo shirt for B and a Polo Polo Shirt for B (he can wear polo shirts to his new job), a Mossimo striped dress, a Lily Pulitzer beach bag, the above pictured teal Mossimo jacket, a banana republic sweater and a really expensive winter coat for B.

The last purchase is really kind of funny because it’s close to 100 degrees in Florida right now but this is actually the best time to buy winter stuff from thrift shops because it’s already becoming difficult to remember what cold feels like.

Speaking of the best time to buy winter items I also added to my Ugly Christmas Sweater collection with the above beauties that I will store with the other ugly prize sweaters I will sell on eBay next Christmas. Or we might have our own ugly sweater party, who knows! I also purchased the Grey Herringbone J Crew jacket to sell and the completely crazy flamingo sweater that sells for a crazy amount on eBay. I’ll post an update on what it sells for.

I love Maxi skirts and the above boho skirt caught my eye.

Above is a picture of B modeling his new winter coat. Pickles added the cat hair when I brought it home. Below is a picture of the really expensive interior lining and pockets. Someone paid a lot of money for this coat but thankfully it wasn’t me!

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4-16-16 Community Garage Sale Finds

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on April 16, 2016 3 comments

A couple of days ago I happened to see a sign for a community garage sale for a nice community down the road from where I live. Today I woke up early quite coincidentally AND remembered the sale and ended up going. I was really excited by my purchases. Everything I purchased above was for .25 cents to $3 but most of the items were $1.

I was really excited about finding some Miss Me jeans for $1 that I plan to sell, as well as Guess jeans and Aeropostale jeans. I’m going to try selling jeans on eBay for the first time so I was excited to find a few deals.

I also bought some clothes for myself including a couple of maxi skirts, some cute tops for our beach vacation, and some Hippie type pants that are very popular right now. In the picture below, I also found a set of three IKEA woven baskets for $1 that I had been wanting to buy at IKEA for about $15-20 but never had.

I love community garage sales because you get to go to so many sales without driving long distances between sales. I really hope I can find a few more this summer!

3-27-16 A Few Frugal Things

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on March 27, 2016 No comment

– We were going to meet my Mother at Cracker Barrel for Easter today but instead Mom decided to make a big Easter dinner. She only spent $33 for a whole ham dinner because of discounts she receives from working at Target. We are bringing dessert. I wanted to make a Peanut Butter Pie but our Dollar Tree was out of all natural peanut butter so I am making a Devil’s Food Cake with chocolate icing for $2 from Dollar Tree. Cheaper and I didn’t have to make another trip to the store. And Mom said she is sending us home with leftovers!

– We have been using paper towels instead of snake bedding and a cardboard box with a door hole for her house for the snake’s tank because we are trying to get rid of mites. This is also significantly cheaper than her regular bedding. (See picture above)

– I continue to give my college students paper that was printed on one side but blank on the other to write their in class essays. This way the paper gets used on both sides and not thrown away. While this doesn’t actually save me money I feel that it is a good life lesson for my students and it does save the colleges a small amount.

– I was completely out of blank paper for copies but several of the schools I work for give us free school supplies. I asked about paper and although they don’t normally provide it they did give me an entire unopened ream of paper because I asked. Another school gave me free expensive pens. I LOVE new office supplies, something about being a teacher maybe! I try not to buy any that are provided for free from my jobs and I actually end up buying very little.

– I have really been enjoying reading a few free Kindle books. Amazon offers so many books for free that I am trying not to buy any. It’s been a long time since I have actually purchased a kindle book.

– We really get a lot of use out of our Netflix and Prime Video streaming services and I just signed up for a free week of Hulu. Even if I keep the HULU subscription it’s still much cheaper than cable and I can cancel at any time.

– I just received another free $5 Amazon.com gift card from Swagbucks and did an activity that will earn another $5.

– I lost my nice stainless steel reusable water bottle so I have been using a disposable Gatorade bottle until I get another.

– I ran out of my chemical free toothpaste so I have been cutting open the ‘empty’ ones and this lasts a lot longer than you think.

– I wore out the wheels on my professor rolling bag, my father has some I can use to replace them, and in the meanwhile I am using my back up rolling bag that was less than $1 at the Goodwill Outlet in Austin

– There are a few things that I would like to buy to add to my teaching wardrobe but I don’t NEED NEED them and I am committed to not buying any NEW clothing for a year. So instead I looked on eBay but didn’t find what I wanted so I added them to my thrift list.

– I have realized that a gray pea coat jacket would make my life a lot easier because it doesn’t have to be lint brushed as much as my black one (I have a white cat and her hair is very, very noticeable on black). The exciting part is that I bought one at the Goodwill Outlet in Austin, TX when I visited my sister. I couldn’t bring it home on my last trip but she saved it for me.

– We bought a few things for the same price or cheaper on Amazon Prime. This saves even more money because then we don’t have to go to a store and possibly buy even more. We also get free shipping materials for our eBay business.

SWAGBUCKS INFOGRAPHIC: Spring Break – By The Numbers

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on March 20, 2016 No comment

Are you going anywhere for spring break? Maybe you’re taking the kids to DisneyWorld or visiting mom and dad or treating yourself to a fun getaway. Check out this cool infographic from Swagbucks on what 19,000 Americans are planning for their Spring travel. Let us know what you’re up to this spring in the comments. and sign up for Swagbucks to get paid for making your voice heard in surveys like these and getting Cash Back while you shop online for all your travel essentials!

Click the banner above to join Swagbucks through our referral link!

Antiques in Exchange for Moving Help – Antiques we will sell on eBay

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on March 11, 2016 No comment

A close family friend of our recently lost both of his parents. His parents had owned an antique shop and had collected many beautiful treasures over the years. Their collection was so massive that it will take years to sort through all of it. B and I went to help him clear out their house and he very kindly gave us all of the items in the pictures to keep or sell on eBay. We got some really cool things. Some of which we will keep forever but others you can find in our eBay stores HERE and HERE.

Men’s Suits from Goodwill

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on February 25, 2016 4 comments

I’m very proud that my father completed a 9 month very intensive training class and is transitioning to a new job. He already owns several suits but needed a few more. We had a huge amount of luck on the same day that I found all of these clothes. The suit on the left fit my father so well he doesn’t have to have it altered in any way!

Starting a new job can be stressful and buying a new wardrobe can be expensive but it doesn’t have to be. I’m proud to have a father who is a thrift shopper like me!

We also found this human to dog radio to play with his dog. Apparently, his dog can tell the difference between the radio and his normal voice so after being startled by it at first he started ignoring it.

Dad also found this Hard Rock cafe jean jacket! Apparently these sell quite well online but I think he might keep it.

2-13-16 Goodwill Shopping Trip Haul

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on February 20, 2016 2 comments

I had some fantastic luck last weekend when I went shopping at Goodwill with my father. The local Goodwill is right next to a huge university so there are generally tons of clothes. I really needed more sweaters to wear for teaching because we have had unusually cold weather this winter and I felt like I had already worn all of my winterish dress clothes several times (and I had). As you can see in the picture above I had great luck with sweaters and also some clothes for everyday life. I love trips like this where I have so much luck!

I got-

7 Sweaters for teaching ~ $3 each
6 Shirts for wearing in my daily life ~ $3 each
A pair of gray dress pants ~ $1.50 half off
A patterned dress skirt to wear regularly ~ $1.50 half off
I also was lucky enough to find a small cast iron skillet! (We have a large and medium one already) for $3.99
Two large mason jars $.99 each
A Wired Magazine book
A large basket that the cat quickly took possession of $3.99

Close up pictures of what I found below

Free Birthday Gift Items from Sephora and Ulta

Posted by Candice@Shopahoicsavers.com on February 8, 2016 No comment

My birthday as this past weekend so I decided to pick up my yearly freebies from Sephora and Ulta. If you are a member of both of their free rewards program you are eligible for a free gift for your birthday. These gifts are typically sample sizes of higher end brands. It is a nice way to try out an expensive product without spending any money.

This year Sephora is offering a mini Marc Jacobs lipstick and eyeliner or a facial cleanser with a face mask. I chose the Marc Jacobs mini gift.

Ulta’s birthday gifts change every 3 months. If your birthday is in January, February, or March you will receive a sample size of Benefits Roller Lash mascara.

Remember to get your freebies this year!

Recent Salvation Army Thrift Store Finds

Posted by Candice@Shopahoicsavers.com on February 3, 2016 No comment

Every Wednesday the Salvation Army Family Store near my house has a 50% off clothing sale. I think most Salvation Army stores across the country do this. When I was living in Florida the stores participated in this sale too. Ive been trying to go every Wednesday since one of my goals this year was to only buy my clothes from thrift stores. Here are a few of my finds. Some for me and some will go up on eBay!

Victoria’s Secret Yoga Pants $2

A Gap T-shirt Dress $1.50

Romeo & Juliet Couture Shirt $2. This brand can be found at Nordstrom. It is one of the new to me items I have bought to wear to my new job!

A sleep dress by Maidenform $1.50

A cardigan from The Limited $2. This is for my new job also. As you can see the back is almost transparent.

An As u Wish dress $2. This dress is from Dillards.

Kenneth Cole Reaction Flats $5.99. Also for my new job!

$2 Massimo dress for my sister. I actually own the same dress just in a different size. It is the perfect go to summer dress!

.99 Cent Wide Mouth Ball Mason Jar. I’m not sure if this is a good deal of not, but I am trying to redo my pantry and use glass jars instead of plastic.

The next few items are things I found I am planning on selling on eBay!

A PJ Salvage pajama top.

I bought a grab bag full of stamps for $2.99. There were 17 total. Here are a few.

Blanket Binding found in the grab bag.

I didn’t buy this couch, but I thought it was a really nice couch in great condition. They were selling it for $400.

What have you found thrifting lately?

The 2016 Best Chemical Free Household Products- What Chemical Free Household Products Do We Use?

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on February 2, 2016 1 comment

As some of you know, I have been on a journey to make my household as chemical free as possible! This change was spurred by health problems and a greater understand of the harm caused by the chemicals filling our homes and products. For those interested in finding out more I highly recommend Toxic Free by Debra Lynn Dadd and you can buy it used on Amazon for $4 including shipping (link right below) or the documentary The Human Experiment (also linked on Amazon below) but free on Netflix.

 

It took us several years to convert to an almost entirely harmful chemical free household, mostly because we started before the products were widely available. However, now you can walk into most stores and find a selection of excellent chemical free products.

I will warn you that I do find some chemical free products work better than others. I have tried MANY of them to find products that work just as well as their chemical filled equivalents. While we can’t guarantee that ever item on this list is perfect, they are better for your household than chemical filled products. Here are our 2016 Best Chemical Free Household Products.

Hand Soap- Dr. Bronner’s Almond Scented Castile soap – This soap is made from olive oil and highly concentrated. We only have to buy a bottle a few times a year and we fill up all of our hand soaps (foaming works best) and body washes.

 

Shampoo- Renpure Originals Argan Oil – This shampoo works great for my thin hair and the matching conditioner isn’t bad either just not as moisturizing as the one below.

 

Conditioner- Loreal Oleo therapy Conditioner- This is a deep conditioner treatment but I have been using it as a daily conditioner for over a year and it is the best conditioner I have ever used on my thin, dry hair.

 

Bar Soap- Shugar Soap- I found this soap at Dollar Tree for $1 a bar and it’s so much more expensive online. It’s made entirely of vegetables and smells amazing.

 

Face Wash- Alba Botanicals- This face wash is great and works really well. You can also find it at Target.

 

Face Wash- Baking Soda– As you know, baking soda is cheap anywhere but I use it as an exfoliating face wash a few times a week.

 

Kitchen and Bathroom Cleaner- Rubbing Alcohol- A neighbor once told me that rubbing alcohol used to be used to clean hospitals. I use it for sanitizing and cleaning.

 

Toothpaste- Trader Joe’s or Tom’s of Maine- I suffer from horrible canker sores but I have realized that I almost never get them when I use Tom’s of Maine toothpaste. It’s about $5 a tube but I have read that Trader Joe’s brand is the same thing and it’s about $2 a tube and it works the same for me.

 

Body Wash- Trader Joe’s or Dr. Bronners- This is much cheaper from the actual store but I like the scent.

 

Dish Soap- Honest Dish Soap- Although the one in the picture isn’t the one that we buy we found it at Target for $3.99.

 

Dishwasher Detergent- Seventh Generation Automatic Dishwashing Gel Lemon Scent– This 7th Generation dishwasher detergent works great and you won’t be eating chemicals.

 

Hand Cream- Esos or Coconut Oil

Bathroom Cleaner- Ology Bathroom Spray

 

Perfume- Hugo Organics

 

Deodorant- Tom’s of Maine Natural Deodorant Stick, Apricot