Books for Cheap

...at the thrift store! 

For me to be such a money-saver, I don't do thrift stores very often (though we do have a nice desk in our office that was a thrift store steal, and lamps in our living room that were thrift store finds of my aunt's).  The problem is I'm not really a fan of hit-or-miss shopping.  So thrift stores, and even places like Ross and TJ Maxx, aren't places I have a lot of patience for.  I am JUST now starting to get clothes for my daughter at consignment shops.  And even then, sometimes, I'm not impressed with their prices because with my couponing and deal-seeking resources, I can find those same items NEW at the same (sometimes better) prices.

Anyway, my mom, a thrift store junkie, came to my house this weekend and I knew she'd love a visit to a thrift store.  So off we went.  If you can't tell by my blog, I'll tell you now:  WE LOVE BOOKS in this house.  So naturally I navigated to the book section expecting to see a messy pile of old, yucky books.  I was pleasantly surprised to find clean* books neatly stacked on shelves, and plenty of them!

And the prices?  Like 39 and 49 cents!  The most I paid for one was $1.99, but that book was almost new and retailed for $10.  I grabbed several board books for my little one.  Then I found this:

Which was cool since I already owned this:

And then I ran across the book below and thought it was cool (though we can't use it until Morgan's a little older):

A few seconds later, I realized it was a SIGNED copy (by just one of the authors, but still)!

How awesome is that!

Now I could have gone to a thrift store that only takes nice books or maybe it was just a good day to drop by -- I know thrift stores are hit-or-miss -- but I was pleased with the selection and what I brought home.  But not more pleased than my little one.  Which makes it even better!

So, though I have my favorite spots to shop for books (a little company mentioned more than once on this blog), I may start paying a visit to the thift store more often!

* ...though they still got a good ol' disinfecting wipe down. :)

Image Sources:  BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon.com 

Zulily

One word for you mamas out there  -- Zulily.  Some of you are saying "Girl, yes!" while some of you haven't gotten a chance to check it out yet.  If you haven't been there yet, what are you waiting for?  Awesome stuff, awesome prices.

When it comes to clothes, accessories, shoes, etc., I don't do full price.  I'm a couponer (not the crazy kind -- though I secretly wish I had time to be) and a person who looks for the best deal all the time.

So when I found out about Zulily, I was in awe.  LOVE.  I recently bought spring clothes for my little one -- bishop dresses, jumpers, my husband bought her a pair of shoes (he likes the site, too!), and I'm going to browse their books soon.  Yes, they have deals on books and toys as well as stuff for mama.

So, what's the negative?  Well, this is relative, but you typically won't get your get stuff in just a few days.  In a nutshell, this it how it works:

1. Sale opens.
2. You order from Zulily.
3. Sale closes (usually within 72 hours).
4. They submit their order to the brand/manufacturer.
5. The items are shipped to Zulily.
6. Then the items are shipped to you.

So common sense will tell you that your order won't be shipped to you in the same week.   And with that being said, you shouldn't order something you need quickly.  But other than that, no real negatives.  When I had questions about the process, I emailed them and someone responded promptly (which is the source of the information above).

I'm very much in love with Zulily now.  If that changes, I'll be sure to come back and update.  If you're a mama, soon-to-be-mama, future mama, or have kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, etc. get on over to Zulily, check out the awesome selection, and save yourself some money!

Oh! One last thing (how could I forget?) -- the stuff sells fast!  Early morning shopping gets you the best selection!