Hi from Jacksonville Florida

[marthavmuffin]

Hi everyone I am Martha, Im an older first time mommy who loves to thrift. I got into it in a bigtime way while waiting for our first foster child to be placed with us. I knew we wanted a baby girl, but that we may get a boy so I collected baby clothes for 6 months or so before we got placed with our foster baby Jamie who was four months old. i probably had over 300 items by the time Jamie was placed with us. Today Jamie just turned 3 yrs old and we adopted her when she was 18 months old. I have tons of clothes for Jamie including 6-8 Large Pampers boxes filled with her outgrown clothes. I have a hard time giving them back. I got involved in a twice yearly childrens consignment sale and I can actually make money on the clothes after Jamie wears them! But is it worth holding on to all this stuff and the time it takes to mark it and store it to make a couple hundred dollars twice per year? I am struggling with that idea right now.

I am currently trying to do a 'No Buy' January to try to purge some of the stuff out of this house and to not bring anything in. I am finding it extremely difficult but I have made it half way through the month without going into any thrift store. And that is a challenge in this town - the thrift stores surround me every where I go and I am an outside sales person.

I may post this topic elsewhere as I really need input on how to handle the purging part and whether others are so addicted they find it difficult to go a week without going to a thrift store!

I am glad I found this site, at least I can live vicariouly through this month by reading about your good buys!

[SplashsMom]

Welcome Martha. After reading your other post about how many thrifts you have to choose from I can feel your temptation.

To purge you must think about the others who will benefit by your generosity, even if you decide to sell used items.

And believe that  by making room in your home you are making room for better things to come into your life.

Even if you must wait a while for those better things to arrive
you will have more time to enjoy quality time/activity with your most precious gift, and more room to do things together. And invite friends over without being embarrassed.

See- you are motivating me already. 

[floridarecycled]

Welcome to the boards!

To help with purging...watch "Clean House"...that show helped me a lot!  Knowing I didn't want to get like that (and it wouldn't be hard)...and then seeing how it seemed difficult for them to let go of stuff in the beginning yet how relieved they were that it was gone at the end!

No regrets...

[genuineimitation]

welcome martha!

i found when our kids were little, we had more stuff than ever before. try not to sweat it too much - enjoy the kid!!!! there's always time for cleaning later

[oceangurl]

Hi Martha and welcome! I also live in Florida...have you ever heard of Lady Lake? That is where I live...anyhow I understand about accumulating to much stuff. I say if you have the storage I would hold on to the items to consign twice a yr. half a loaf (moneywise) is better then none...as long as there is a profit. I redonate all my things, some things I never worn but still had to have to the local humane society, I like to help the animals and for me its good karma. I think alot of us here have this need to shop because the prices are so awesome and we cant resist a bargain. I have found myself many times turning into the Catholic Thrift when I really had no business being there, for me its almost compulsatory at times wondering "what I am missing" So I can relate to your post, btw enjoy your baby! Ciao!

[Nancy]

I read this and laughed! I have also made a deal with myself not to go in any thrift stores the month of January. I hit them really hard in December! But I will say I am addicted. However I have come up with a solution...I am over a volunteer department at the hospital I work at  ;Dand I am in the process of trying to open a thrift store run by the volunteers and all the profits will go back to the hospital. This may do me in... I may need to be hospitalized myself for addition treatment. As far as the the stuff you are done with, I have done consignment in the past but use that money to buy more stuff! lol ANyway, hope you have a great day.
Nancy

[oceangurl]

Nancy your so funny! I have done the consignment thing also with stuff I didnt wear. It was a combo of donating to various places and consignment. Then I got so exhuasted from that (because as you know everything has to be extremely clean and pressed and on hangers) that I stopped doing the consignment, ran out of time and energy, but I got to looking at my overstuffed closets and knowing they need cleaning for the zillionith time and was thinking "hmm maybe I'll make an appointment with the consignment for some of these dresses and nicer things"  fully knowing that I dont really have the time etc. So when spring hits here I know that that will be in the back of my mind....

[marthavmuffin]

Wow I posted the other day in reply to all of you but it got lost somehow!

Nancy I do the same thing, this childrens consignment sale is at a huge venue and they allow the sellers to come in before the sale and buy stuff, and then Sunday is 1/2 price day. Although I didn't spend all of the $200 I made I spent a good part of it!

I have a blog about my adoption of my little girl, well really its a mommy blog, but recently I started a blog called Piles of Stuff to help me track what I have given to Goodwill and what I have done to purge.

jamieandus.blogspot.com is my main blog if anyone wants to check either of my blogs out.

Oceangurl I have heard of Lady Lake, but not sure where it is...in the middle of the state?

Thanks for the input about purging from you all. I really need to take it to heart. Its very difficult for me to part with stuff for some reason!

I am having a difficult time with not thrifting this month. Wednesdays are especially hard as my favorite store does half price on most everything in the store. I am trying to stay busy on Wednesdays, well really every day to avoid temptation to drive to one of the dozens of store we have in this town!

And how do you put a picture of yourself on your profile?

[oceangurl]

yes Martha Lady Lake is in the middle of the state of Florida, about 45 minutes North of Ocala and l hour and a half south of Orlando!

[DianneK]

Hi Martha,
Welcome aboard.I also am from Central Florida,Kissimmee.Its nice having another Floridian here.