Super Saturday II: Some Outdoor Play Goodies and I Need Some Advice...

Yes, this may all look like random junk that no one in their right mind would purchase from a store, but I promise, I had a good reason! The weather has started to get warmer, and my kids love to play outside, especially in the dirt and with our sand & water table. I've noticed that they love to have little toys outside to play with in the sand, water, and dirt, and they love to have containers to collect things like rocks, flowers, and sticks. So today we shopped with a mission: find some random little used toys the kids can use to be imaginitive outside!

We had heard earlier in the week about a Goodwill Distribution Center/Outlet not far from our home, and so we decided to check it out. When we got there, we found a large warehouse-type room with rows and rows of tables, and on each table were lines of bins. Inside the bins were lots and lots of stuff. Bins with clothes on one side, bins with random junk on the other side. And that was the extent of the organization! (oh, and shoes, purses, and belts had a section, and books had a section). 

Well, we went to work and started picking through the bins to see what we could find. The most interesting part was the pricing- it was by the pound. $1.39/lb for clothing, $0.99/lb for everything else. And purses were $1 each, shoes were $2/pair, kids' shoes $1/pair. We managed to come up with the following items for the kids to use outside:

- 1 plastic helicopter

- 1 metal airplane

- 1 plastic fire truck

- 1 little teacup

- 1 plastic grabber thing

- 1 plastic car

- 2 mini wicker baskets (one is not pictured above b/c my daughter has become very attached to it and has so far put her lunch in it, a rock she found and....)

- 1 mini My Little Pony (also not pictured because it's in the aforementioned missing basket)

- 1 plastic basket

- 1 plastic mini suitcase-type thing

- 1 doll shirt (a painting smock for my son's beloved teddy bear)

- 1 dinosaur hand puppet (I think they were playing with this and it got left in the car)

- 2 push-up grip bars for my husband

- And...

A Thomas the Tank Engine train car carrying case. Not for outside, but will get lots of use inside by this little Thomas fan!

The grand total for all of the above was....$3.74.

Like I said, really random stuff but it will all be used and loved (and probably fought over) outside in the dirt, sand, and water. :-)

For all of you who live in the metro Richmond area who are interested in visiting the Goodwill outlet, it's on Midlothian Turnpike, just a few miles east of Chippenham parkway on the right (if you're coming from Chippenham). It has a Goodwill sign out front, but it looks like a school. Just follow the road around to the right, keep going past all the big trucks in the back until you see a little parking lot and a door that says "Outlet". It's definitely hidden! I plan on going back again when I have more time and scouring their clothes bins to see what I can dig out. 

Now for the Advice I Need- after this fabulous shopping trip, I took some money I had earned from some babysitting and headed out to Motherhood Maternity to get some more maternity clothes I've been needing. I have never been big-pregnant through the summer before, so I needed some warm weather clothes (and the styles keep getting cuter and I want to look good!). Well, I found 3 pairs of capris, and I spent $90. 

AAAAAACCCCKKKKKK!

I definitely faced some "sticker shock" when I checked the tags. But really, the biggest expense was a pair of super, SUPER comfy cargo khaki pants that roll up and button to become capris. They were really lightweight and I love that they are convertible. But they were $40. I can't remember the last time I spent $40 on a single piece of clothing. Do you remember last week's post? I bought entire spring wardrobes for BOTH of my children for less than that! 

So my question for all you experienced bargain mommies out there is- how do you save money on maternity clothes without scrimping on style and comfort? I hate to admit it, but I am shallow, and my self-esteem is completely tied up in how I look, especially with the changes in my body that happen during pregnancy. So it's really important to me that I like the way I look, otherwise I'm a miserable depressed person. Sad, but true. Any advice for me out there? I need more than 3 pairs of capris, but my $100 budget just got cut to $10! (I think I may have to increase it just a tad!).

Anyway, that was my Saturday. Some steals, some sticker shock, some super shopping! How was your weekend? (And don't forget to leave me some maternity-shopping advice!)