The Finale.... Or Is It?

A year has passed. The end of the Thrift Store Diet has arrived, and most unexpectedly too. We wanted it to be grand. We would have loved to showcase something awesome about our journey like the total amount of money we saved this year. Or some super awesome thrifty find that trumps all others. But when we really think about it, the reason there's nothing too grand in our challenge's finale, is because thrifting has seriously become our way of life. When shopping, we think in terms of thrift stores and the day-to-day wonderments they can provide each of us with. And sometimes, there's just nothin' "grand" to report about that! For us, the finale is all about the fact that we indeed rose to meet our goal and our challenge.

Even more importantly, we can look back over the year and see how drastically each of our lives have changed. Through it all, SalVal, Goodwill, and our favorite second-hand sources have never let us down! Adele's biggest news this year was all about a baby on the way. And all of her favorite local thrift stores (and friends) provided her both maternity and baby items on the cheap. In fact, Adele can honestly say that to date, she has NOT spent a DIME on baby clothes (and probably roughly 90% of baby items overall) OR maternity clothes outside of second-hand sources. *glee* And for those interested, Adele is now 34wks along. :)

Sarah Jane's happenings include both a major move to a new state (where many a thrifting adventure remains to be discovered!) AND some more recent excitement that will also provide her with more thrifting opportunities. Sarah Jane is super thrilled to announce the grandest news of all in this, our final *official* post, that she is 12wks pregnant with a little, squirmy bundle of joy of her very own! (She has been a bit under the weather with some bad bad morning sickness for the past several weeks, and that is one of the reasons for the general lack of posts.)

So the two besties and Frugal Friendzies move on to mommyhood together in the coming year. And in the midst of all of these life-altering changes, we are both committed to continue updating this blog as we go, to show you what wonderful ways you can still be super frugal and still have the best-dressed kid in the neighborhood! No longer does our official challenge remain in place; however, we both know that shopping retail will never feel quite the same again, and so this blog (and our lifestyle) must go on! Continue to check in on us now and then to see what local treasures we've uncovered as thrifters, besties, and mommas.

Before we close out this year, here's just a few more pics of the very latest finds...mostly baby-related at this point....so that you all may be reminded of just how wonderful and rewarding the thrill of the thrift can be!

Tired Adele at her baby shower sporting a consignment store find: Motherhood Maternity dress for $8.00.

gDiapers cloth diaper loot. Got 10 of these babies (8 with liners included) for $80 on Craig's list (second-hand). They retail for ~$18 each!

All my second-hand baby clothes finds. Found at yard sales, thrift stores, and a few hand-me-downs. All in excellent condition, and ALL gender neutral. Has actually been super easy to find quality second-hand baby clothes around central PA. Don't think I could ever shop retail for this stuff!

Here's a closer picture of the clothing piles. Since this was taken, a few more items have made it to the stash as well including some more clothes and many fun baby toys for mere change!

Since I'll have a newborn this winter, I HAD to snag this great find at a local consignment store. It was $9, is adorable suede with a matching hat, and is fuzzy on the inside.

Here's a close-up of the hat that came with it.

And the best part is, it's Baby Gap brand, which means it retails for a LOT more than $9! :)

Here's a baby bathtub I found for $8 at a local consignment shop. It retails for around $20.

This Boppy I found at a yard sale for a mere $.50. Yes, FIFTY cents! It is in very good condition and came with the cover pictured.

See? It's legit!

I know it's not fully assembled here, but this is a year-old Graco brand Pack-N-Play I got for $80 (with a wipe warmer thrown in as well). This would retail for over $120 easily. And despite being used for multiple babies, it looks like it's in brand new condition.

And with that, our year-long challenge officially comes to and end. To recap: neither Adele nor Sarah Jane has bought ANY clothing or accessories (barring shoes, if you recall ;-)) from retail since September 9, 2010. We have even extended our thrifting beyond our original goal to include basically finding ANYTHING we needed second-hand if possible (especially baby items as of late). We hope, through this little journey, that we have shown you how the world of frugality is accessible, practical, and worth every penny! Happy thrifting, fellow frugal friendzies!!

~The Frugal Friendzies :)