Merry Wind and thrifty recycling

In December Adele and I stopped in to our favorite Tea Shoppe in central Pennsylvania- One Good Woman. (If you are ever in Camp Hill, PA, you must stop in, it's truly one of the jewels of the area!) While shopping, we happened to find out that one of the employees, Merry Wind, has started her own business called Next Life Design. She uses old sweaters and suits she's not using anymore or clothes from thrift stores to make pillows, handbags, scarves, and tea cozies. We thought that was pretty green and pretty thrifty! She also creates soft and sentimental pillows upon request from loved ones' clothing. Oh, and because all of her pieces are made from old clothing, everything is machine washable! We at Frugal Friendzies thought this frugal innovator well worth a post of her own. Here are some pictures we snapped:

The artiste with her creations

More pillows!

Two of her tea cozies. Note the large selection of delectable tea in the background :)

So, if you ever have the chance, stop on in, get some great tea, fresh ground coffee, and one of Merry's awesome creations!

Lauren's Finds

Lauren is my (Adele's) friend, a mommy-to-be, and a fellow thrifter. She's located in the Philadelphia area, and boy, has she found a goldmine! She sent us a bunch of info about a second-hand shop near her called The Nesting House. It specifically sells baby and children's items (both new and used), including *gently* used cloth diapers! (And here at Frugal Friendzies, we're huge fans of cloth diapering, so this is an AWESOME find for Lauren!) Cloth diapering can be pricey in terns of start-up costs, so kudos to Lauren for finding a frugal way to make it happen! She got a variety of used items for her little Tidbit, and here's what she sent pics of:

Carter's brand Little Layette sleeper with hat, booties, and bib - tags still attached! Originally $17 - got it for $6.

Inserts for Fuzzibunz cloth diapers. Cotton inserts were $.50 each - and their more expensive hemp friends were $2 each. Lauren says cotton inserts found online go for around $9 for a 3 pack and hemp liners about $15 for a 3 pack.

In Lauren's words: "gently (and for something that holds poop, I mean gently) used Fuzzibunz brand diapers." She got them for $4 each. They retail for $17 - $20 depending on the store and quantity you buy them in.

Way to go, Lauren! You sure did hit a baby jackpot! The Frugal Friendzies wish we lived near Philly to have access to this awesome store. Maybe we'll get to take a visit out there some day. ;)

The Peda's Finds

Sickness and work have overwhelmed one or both of us friendzies for the month. Hence the posting delay. But here we go with our first official "guest finds" post! Sarah Jane's sweet cousin and her husband have been out and about thrifting around Central PA and found a couple of great, non-clothing-related steals! First:

Here, Brian is modeling skis and poles found at the Blue Mountain Thrift Store. Poles = $6, Skis = $8.

And their second frugal find:

Dresser and mirror from SalVal for $79. And in great condition, Erin tells us.

Awesome finds, Erin and Brian! And to all of our frugal friends out there, keep the pics coming our way (frugalfriendzies@gmail.com) so we can feature YOUR thriftiness too!

New Year, New Ideas

Welcome to the new year! If you haven't committed to a great resolution or goal yet for this year, we (of course) would suggest you consider a thrifty challenge of your own. With that spirit in mind, the Frugal Friendzies want to extend our blog posts to you, our loyal fans. We have decided to include our readers' frugal finds along with our own. SO, send us what you've got! We want to hear from you!

You can reach us at frugalfriendzies@gmail.com. Send us pictures, and any information you'd like us to share regarding your finds. We'd love to see what you can come up with, be it clothes, household items, gifts, or something totally and completely unique! Only rule is it all HAS to be second hand, naturally. ;)

Ready? GO! We're excited to show off as much thriftiness as we can this new year.

~The Frugal Friendzies

The Real Deal

Here it is, fellow frugal folks! The link to our debut on local television: http://www.abc27.com/Global/story.asp?S=13727094. Enjoy reading snippets from the interview and watching the segment that aired on TV this week.

May our story inspire you all to more frugal endeavors! Happy Holidays!

~The Frugal Friendzies

News! News!

Attention all Frugal Friendzies fans in the central PA area!!!

Tomorrow, Wednesday, December 22, ABC27 News will air an interview of the Frugal Friendzies on the 5:00pm news! Tune in to see us talk about our blog, our challenge, and our love of thrifting! 

And if you happen to miss the segment, ABC27 tells us that the clip will be available online for viewing on Dec. 23rd. Make sure you check it out!

Merry Christmas, and Happy Thrifting!

Love,
The Frugal Friendzies

Home for the holidays :)

A thrifty blog shouldn't look shabby! So, to spice things up, here are some fun pictures of our latest finds. And the best part for these besties: Sarah Jane's "home" for the holidays and we can thrift together for the first time since we started this in September! : D

Just a nice, basic GAP T-shirt. Can't get enough GAP!! Especially not for $2.99!

Henry can't keep his paws off of good deals either. ;) What you can't see in this pic is the cute, rope-like detailing along the bust and necklines. SalVal find for $2.99...and it's Ann Taylor!

This long sweater has the label torn out, but it is soo warm, soft, and light that I think it's cashmere! SalVal for $4.00!
The pants are actually a chocolate corduroy, and are from The Limited originally. Super warm, which I need for winter.
Only $4.99 at the Salvation Army :)  Btw, as always, both pieces were in perfect condition.



tag of above pants





Got this super velvet coat at Salvation Army for $24.99. The tag was ripped out though, so I
don't know the brand :(





Franco Sarto large purse/carry-on sized bag. Totally like-new condition!!! Salvation Army for $5.99.




My (Sarah Jane's) beauteous sister Rebekah got this cute and warm BMoss sweater for $4.00 at Salvation Army.





Rebekah also got this vintage 80's cashmere sweater for $2.50 at SalVal.




My (Sarah Jane) brother Ben got himself a vintage sweater for $4.00 at SalVal.







Found this wallet (in unused condition!) made of Eel skin at Salvation Army!!



Wet Seal hot pink pumps, $7.99 at Salvation Army.



My (Sarah Jane) Mom even found a cute new sweater (Relativity brand) for $4.99 at SalVal.

 

Fun little Christmas find. These gold nesting boxes (perfect for gift giving OR decorating!) were $0.49 for all four at SalVal.

  

We are having so much fun being together for the holidays, not to mention winning over family members to the idea of shopping at thrift stores!

Black Friday at the thrift store!

This Black Friday Salvation Army had a 50% off sale. Yay! People were literally leaving the store with arms and carts full of huge bags of clothing and what-not. I (Sarah Jane) also braved it and did a little shopping myself. Got a few sweet deals, and here are the pictures to prove it. The tag says the original price, but I paid half that because of the sale.

Tulle brand long sweater, tags still on, paid $1.75.

Gap brand super soft striped sweater, $1.50

close up of the tag

Gap brand jeans (these go for at least $50 new, by the way) $1.75.

New York and Company wool dress coat, $7.50. This was my best find.

Gap brand black cardigan, $1.50.

Forever 21 super cute shirt- $1.50

No label shirt- $1.50.

By the way, any spots seen in pictures on the clothes are from my camera, the clothes themselves are in very good condition.