Category: Good karma

Look at my new flip flops!!

Today I spent the afternoon with co-workers volunteering & picking up trash on the beach. Getting a head start on celebrating Earth Day I guess. We were at La Jolla Shores– fortunately it is now one of the cleaner beaches. After the beach cleaning I was in the mood for some retail therapy so me and KC (a fellow beach cleaner) strolled over to a few shops by the beach in search of inexpensive and fashionable flip flops.


We scored! I found some cute and cushiony– and highly colorful Reef flip flops for the bargain price of $24. My shopping cohort came in at just $26 for her cushiony dark brown flip flops. Who needs shoes when you can just wear flip flops all summer?? ( maybe if I hide at my desk all day I can wear them to the office???)

Cheers & Happy (early) Earth Day! A beach clean up and new flip flops make a great start to a fabulous weekend!

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Wordless Wednesday – March 7th

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UCP Thrift Store – Pacific Beach

Fashion without limits for all people on a budget! I was thrilled when I stepped into the United Cerebral Palsy Thrift Store in the Pacific Beach neighborhood of San Diego.  Boots, jeans, cute shoes, jackets galore and awesome dresses.  They also had a decent selection of kitchenwares and miscellaneous household items.  Of course, this is one of those places where the fun is in the thrill of the hunt.

United Cerebral Palsy Thrift Store

1454 Garnet Avenue

San Diego, CA  92109

Phone: (858) 490-6400

www.ucpsd.org

Looking good and helping people is always a good combination.  United Cerebral Palsy is one of the largest and most efficient health charities in America.  Their affiliates in San Diego County spend approximately 85% of total income on community programs and services.

It’s a sure thing I will stop by this place again– there is plenty of selection and the store is clean and well-organized.  Happy Shopping!  Below are some photos I took of different  items I found while shopping at the UCP Thrift Store.

Pepper Spray Center – Defend Yourself for $38!

Pepper Spray Center.com

PO Box 435

Springfield, MA 01119-0435

Toll Free: 1-800-344-0650

Have you ever felt like someone was following you? Seen the same car a few too many times? Tird of feeling scared and powerless?

Typically I write about shopping for great deals on clothes or home items but today wanted to get some good information out to my readers on self-protection– while still  staying true to my “thrift shopping” theme. I’m planning to touch on this self-protection them periodically as I feel it’s an important topic.  I recently came across a statistic saying that 75% of stalking victims know their stalker!! (It’s not always “stranger danger” out there)

I found a well-stocked source of “tools” to help anyone feel a little bit safer.   The Pepper Spray Center is a great site to shop for stun guns, pepper spray and home protection items.

How would you feel if this happened to you??

March 3, 2011. Derry, New Hampshire Police reported that another store robbery was thwarted by simple pepper spray.
A man walked into convenient store in Derry, NH and demanded cash from the store owner. The store owner sprayed the would-be robber in the face with pepper spray instead.

What happened next illustrates how pepper spray affects people’s physiology, reflexes and behavior. The store owner was able to contact police and give a description of the robber and vehicle used.  So you see– a simple tool like pepper spray seriously disoriented this would-be robber.

Here you have it:
When hit with pepper spray a person is seriously disoriented:
– it’s hard to open the eyes, it’s hard to see what’s around, some report nearly complete blackout;
– it’s hard to breathe, pepper spray dilates membranes in nasal passages that may restrict air flow into the lungs;
– sharp acute pain does not allow to concentrate on anything, everything is burning and demands immediate relief as first priority.

Check out this fabulous self-protection tool I found at www.pepperspraycenter.com:

Pepper Blaster II, Kimber Pepper Spray Gun, Guardian Angel - Click Image to Close

Pepper Blaster II, Kimber Pepper Spray Guardian Angel $38.97 (27% off)

This item is available in Red or Gray (pictured).

The Pepper Blaster shoots pepper spray (actually pepper gel) towards the attacker using its own drive. Women love it!  Because the shot is so quick it is impossible for the aggressor to dodge it or block it.  It is impossible to run away.

Cash Mobs!

Show me the money! $20 to be exact.

What in the world is a cash mob? The idea is to get people to visit small, local businesses and spend money. In essence, it gives a local business owner a mini economic stimulus. “Cash Mobs” isn’t exactly a political organization– rather its simply folks trying to make a positive impact on their local surroundings. And, of course, buy some really cool stuff in the process. Each participant needs to spend a minimum of $20.

Put together by many different groups of people, these “cash mobs” have been sprouting up all over the place. Organizers use Facebook and Twitter to get the word out. For example, two of these “mobs” in San Diego were at “Make Good” in South Park and “Bluestocking Books” in Hillcrest with both bringing in approximately $750 and $900 in sales respectively and 30 to 40 folks in attendance.

From what I understand, at these “mobs” there are three rules:

  1. Spend $20
  2. Meet three people you didn’t know
  3. Have fun!

I read about this concept in the San Diego Union Tribune on 01/17/2012. Seems like a fun way to mix my favorites– shopping, meeting new people and supporting local businesses.

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Affordables – Mason City, Iowa

Affordables

315 N. Delaware Ave.

Mason City, Iowa

Phone# 641-423-7071

You gotta love Affordables in Mason City! I stop by this place every time I’m in town.  Affordables does restock over 300 different items daily and serves an average of 150 to 200 customers each day. For me during this trip, I saw some older style sweaters, holiday stuff (after all I was there during Christmas break), and there was some odd kitchen items. This trip I didn’t walk out with any purchases. But that’s okay since the fun of thrift shopping is the thrill of the hunt!

However, last year I walked out of Affordables with a fabulous jean jacket that I scored for a mere $5.00- how cool is that!!  That’s me wearing the $5 jacket. It’s so cute and I wear it all the time!

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This shop sits near the North End in Mason City and all proceeds benefit the North Iowa Vocational Center.  Affordables is a resale shop that provides training and employment for people with disabilities.  The people working there are friendly and it’s just good karma to support their cause.  Last year the store contributed donations to 25 families and 2 agencies to help people who suffered losses from fires and natural disasters.

Bravo! I’ll be back the next time I’m in North Iowa!

Making Bath Salts – Relax After the Holidays!

Making Bath Salts.

Check this out– very yummy idea. And quite possibly a great way to relax and unwind after the holiday season!

Happy New Year!

Walgreens- another holiday shopping hot spot?!

Picture this– it’s 5:25pm on a Monday night and you receive a last minute text message from co-workers reminding you about the team “White Elephant” gift exchange at work the next day.  You’re stuck in traffic, it’s kinda rainy outside and you text back a real quick THX– then the panic sets in.  Where to stop for a quick gift??!!  (then you ask yourself– what am I gonna get?!?)

 

Then inspiration hits when you see the friendly flashy lights of your neighborhood Walgreens store.  (Walgreens– really?)  You think– hopefully it will be more than balloons and prescriptions.

Newsflash– there’s a serious amount of stuff in this place!  Bring on the White Elephant gift exchange.

  Water Bottles – $9.99  (under the $10 limit)

Nail polish– great gift if your team is mostly women

A gift basket of stuff in case anyone is sick

  Look– a little sock for your new iPhone (priceless)

  More gift ideas at the magic price range of $9.99

Mission accomplished– plenty of White Elephant type gifts in Walgreens. You are back in the car with the perfect gift (you imagine yourself getting to keep your own gift!).

Lavender Frosted Cupcakes

Lavender Frosted Cupcakes.

You have got to check out this yummy blog post. The lay-out is amazing and the look of the actual cupcakes is divine.  Definitely this is a fabulous holiday treat.  Cheers!

How to Spend $10 for What You Wear Every Day

How to Spend $10 for What You Wear Every Day

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

The average woman spends $2000 a year on clothes.  Here’s how you can spend less and dress better than the average woman.

Steps

  1. Check on the Internet for the current designs, the colors and the look for the year 2011. This information will help you to know what to buy.
  2. Think thrifty. Most thrift stores have new clothes on their racks. They get new clothes that are donated by well known stores. These donations are tax write offs for the stores and give savvy thrift store buyers the opportunity to BUY NEW for pennies on the dollar. If you know the current styles and colors you will be able to buy a fashionable outfit, including shoes for around $10. Visit the thrift stores regularly as merchandise can change daily.
  3. Color matching of skirts and tops may be a problem. This may be the reason the clothes were given to the thrift store. The styles are current but the colors are hard to match. If you cannot find a top in a matching color you can always use a basic black top.
  4. Prefer the plain to the fancy. If the shirt or blouse is fancy you should match it with a plain skirt or pants. If the skirt or pant is fancy you should pair it with a plain blouse or shirt.
  5. Learn about fabrics so you can buy quality. Examine the garment labels carefully. They will tell you what the garment is made of and how to care for it. You may find a great bargain such as a blouse made of 100% silk or a 100% cashmere sweater.
  6. One of the advantages of shopping at thrift stores is that you are recycling. Not only that, you are helping people who need work. Many stores hire disabled people or others who need employment.
  7. Don’t shop by the size on the tag only. If it looks like it will fit, try it on if possible. If it’s a great bargain, buy it anyway. Many times it can be altered by a seamstress for a low price.
  8. Shop on the sale days at your thrift store. Many stores have senior discount days, tag color sale days, 50% discount sale days or other bargain days which allow you to save even more.

Tips

  • Choose one of the colors in a pattern garment to match. If the top has a pattern, choose one of the colors in it to go with a bottom in that color.
  • The hot styles in 2011 are Bohemia, the vintage and retro look of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, Sophisticated Glamour, wedge shoes, flat shoes and boots. The thrift store is the perfect place to look for retro clothes. Look on the Internet for the colors that are hot for the season.
  • Beauty on the outside attracts the eye. Beauty on the inside is more important. Be kind to others, be trustworthy, be loving and concerned about others needs and their welfare and you will be truly beautiful. The heart of a woman is more important than the clothes on her back.
  • The median income for a family of 4 is $46,326, $67,348 for a dual income family, and a high income family has an income of $118,200. The high income family is only about 17% of the population. That means that spending $5000 per year for clothing is out of reach for much of the population.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual.  All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.