vacation – Page 2 – Thrift Shopping Buzz

Guess how much??

Can you believe I found a super cute handbag for a mere $9.99 this weekend??! In need of a little retail therapy, I stopped by my favorite thrift store “Like New” in San Diego’s Clairemont neighborhood. I tried on a few jeans and dresses– no luck in that category. I was pretty much ready to admit defeat and walk out the door when I spotted this cute handbag hanging on a rack by the jeans. Better yet it was priced under $10.

It sounds like this shop has a new addition to their website too– you can shop online. They are in process of adding photos and inventory to the site for easy shopping and purchase.

Like New… a tres chic consignment boutique
4425 Genesee Avenue
San Diego, CA 92117
Phone: 858-278-1960

Time for Summer Retail Therapy at My Sisters Closet

Hello Everyone! As far as I’m concerned, there’s no therapy like retail therapy. What better way to beat the heat than in an air-conditioned store, right?!

Why not unwind with a little retail therapy at My Sister’s Closet located in the UTC neighborhood of San Diego. My co-workers came back recently from a quick lunch break with several fantastic “finds” and were kind enough to let me take some photos. Look at this really cute Juicy Couture wallet that LD scored for a mere $17.

This wallet is so cute… why hide it in a purse??!

Okay…but wait, there’s more… KC scored three (yes, you read that right– three!) super amazing tops for a grand total of approximately $22 out the door. These are bargain friendly tops that can take you from workplace to wine tasting on a budget.

Hopefully there will be something left in the store for me…. 🙂

This blue top will be so pretty on a summer day. And the fluttery coral top pictured below is perfect to wear on a hot day. Like I said, hopefully there will be a few cute things left for me. Cheers– and happy shopping!

Happy Flip-Flop Friday!

How can you go wrong with a fun pair of flip-flops on a Friday? Or any other day for that matter? Too bad they aren’t legal at the office! I went on a little stroll thru the mall tonite in search of… you guessed it… flip-flops. I love flip-flops which means there might be another Flip-Flop Friday in my future. Cheers and happy Friday everyone!

My first stop was Nordstrom to “visit” my friends the fabulous Tory Burch flip-flops pictured below in some festive colors. These babies ring up at an impressive $50– which is why I only “visit” them and have not officially busted out my credit card.

Moving on thru the mall and on to Macy’s, I found these beachy white flip-flops from Michael Kors.They come in a variety of color choices including white, orange and hot pink. A bit more economical, they ring up at $29. We’re getting closer to my price range….

The last stop in my flip-flop Friday shopping adventure was Cathy Jean. I found these cuties for $22.50. Not bad. I really liked the animal print version pictured below. They also come in several other shades.

I’ll have to keep shopping– I’m determined to come in under $10…. wish me luck.

Brighten up your summer patio!

It’s not a secret– I love candles! I have an abundance of tea-lights in my cupboard and was looking for a creative way to use them on my patio. And, much to my surprise I found the black candle holder pictured on the right– in Target of all places. (I’ve really been trying to shop in small locally owned stores lately…) But I must say spending $4.99 on this cute candle holder to use on my patio table was a pretty good deal. The small heart-shaped candle holder on the left was purchased at the La Jolla Festival of the Arts many many years ago from a local artist– it also fits a tea light perfectly. As far as the glass & black wire candle holder– I’ve had that so many years I can’t remember where it came from. All together, this group is what will be out on my patio table.

Happy summer and may your patio table be bright!

Thrift Shopping Adventure at the Library!

Where can you find a bookstore that sells paperback books for 75 cents or $1 DVDs? I regularly visit my local library and it didn’t dawn on me until this week what a really good thrift shopping buzz can be found… at the library!

Yes, the Friends Bookstore at North University Community Library had me at the first hello. I shop there regularly– especially for my summer “beach reads.”

North University Community Library
8820 Judicial Drive
San Diego, CA 92122
Phone: (858) 581-9637
Web: www.sandiegolibrary.org

And when my computer was on the blitz– I used the computer room at my local library to write-up my blog posts.

Look at the cute children’s story area. And the computers. On Wednesday night when I stopped by there was a lively bluegrass band– “Old Town Road” playing for patrons. For free.

I noticed there is a knitting group that meets at the library. For free. You can meet your neighbors and learn to knit… at the library. Looks like there are quite a few books on textiles and knitting– more cost-effective to check out the books rather than buying them.

By far my favorite part of the library is the Friends of the Library bookstore- filled with those $1 hardcover books and 75 cent paperbacks.

So… have fun at the library.

Recycled Bike — New to Me & Ready to Ride!

I’ve been talking about getting a bike now for close to a year. Finally on Friday I couldn’t take it anymore and decided to take action. I’d been randomly “bike shopping” on Craigslist for months. (Always the looky-loo and never the buyer.) I had a short list of bikes at the ready and when I got home from work I started calling. Lucky for me a UCSD student answered the phone and agreed to meet near the local mall in a well-traveled parking lot with– you guessed it– a bike! Even more lucky– the bike was in good condition and I decided to just go for it. So… $100 later and I was the proud owner of a blue mountain bike.

This thing seems to be “more bike” than I probably need but I’m slowly figuring out that 24 speeds and gears are all good things. My neighborhood has just enough hills to keep things interesting– and painful. Speaking of painful– I did have a few minor mishaps with the mountain bike. It’s a heavier bike and I accidentally dropped it on my toe (ouch!) and then tried to hop off and banged up my knee and leg (another ouch!). Considering I haven’t ridden a bike since I was in high school– so far so good.

The best part about the whole thing is– I bought the bike off Craigslist which means I got to “recycle” a bike. To me this was much better than buying a new bike. And more cost-effective. I figure if I get sick of this one I’ll just sell it myself on Craigslist and swap out for a different bike. See you on the trails (or maybe the stores or maybe both….) Stay tuned to see if shopping and mountain biking can mix! Cheers!

From Trash to Treasure…bookends from A to Z

Dumpster diving is sometimes viewed as an urban foraging technique.Dumpster divers typically scour thru dumpsters for items such as clothing, furniture, food and…my good luck… bookends… in serviceable condition.

Imagine my surprise and delight when my friend BC found these cool bookends near his dumpster in the North Park neighborhood in San Diego. Location to be kept secret– I have to protect my sources! BC is an avid “dumpster watcher” who is always on the look-out for trash-to-treasure opportunities. What a score!

As you can see, I had books all in disarray in the living room. Well, maybe not this bad but you get the idea, right?

So… the bookends look really cute on my shelf in the living room. And the books look a little more tidy as well. Not bad for a dumpster diving find! Bravo!

Unique Gifts – 4851 Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach, CA

Oh wow– what a treat when I stopped by at 4851 Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach recently. The shop is called Unique Gifts. Of course, like me you will likely want to keep everything in sight for yourself! When I visited, the store was just in process of getting set up. It looks like the idea is for small shops of independent merchants selling their wares.

I found unique items ranging from jewelry to jackets to small plants. This shop was a true pleasure to browse.

Unique Gifts – over 50 different vendors
4851 Newport Avenue
Ocean Beach, CA 92107
Phone: (858) 222-0223

What $33 Gets You at Old Navy

I’m supposed to be on a “shopping fast” right now. Yeah… about that… didn’t really go so well this weekend. Friday was the day of the flip-flops and yesterday was the day of $33 at Old Navy. Yes, you read that correctly– I spent approximately $33 at Old Navy and got 4 super cute items– a flirty summer dress, 2 basic t-shirts and a fabulous yellow recycling bag. And because I used my store credit card I saved 30% on my purchases which made the t-shirts ring up at the ridiculous price of $4 roughly. Of course, I went online right away and paid off the balance (wow, that took discipline!).

Old Navy
Fashion Valley Mall – San Diego
Phone: (619) 299-4329
Web: www.oldnavygap.com

I hadn’t been in an Old Navy store in a long time so just happened to browse thru for nothing more than a quick peek. I gravitated to the dresses where I was lucky enough to nab the last one in the particular style in my photo below– and it fit better yet! And, who doesn’t need a few cheap summer t-shirts?? In fact, I might go back for a few more. That chipper yellow recycling bag was just a wonderful “gift” and something I can use this summer. So much for the “shopping fast”– I’m hopeful this will be a better week… Cheers!

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.

Rusty Boardhouse
2170 Avenida de la Playa
La Jolla, CA 92037
Phone: (858) 551-0262
Web: http://www.rustyboardhouse.com

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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