Tough times call for so much more than tough choices. Tough times call for reflection on ones opinions and way of being. Growing up, Bella really frowned upon wearing hand-me-downs. Would not have been seen dead in a thrift store. Not in a million years. If she had to go into one she would turn around, do a double take and make sure no one spotted her. Snobbery at it's best. Vanity at it's worst.
But when the chips are down and you have $4000 coming in each month and $3700 going out, stretching the remaining $300 into savings and miscellaneous spending, really does make a person ask, what are they prepared to do (and not do) to make the budget work.
Last month, one of Bella's clients handed her a large bag of clothes for the baby. She graciously accepted and thought nothing of it. She purchased clothes for the girls at a yard sale and thought nothing of it. Yard sales are after all a great American tradition. However, stepping into the thrift store for Bella has been a struggle. For a long time it symbolized the epitome of being "poor". Not being as well off as her relatives that talked about flat screen TVs and whose kids drooled over the latest i phones. Whom travelled three hours to buy clothes from a far away mall, so they wouldn't be seen wearing the same clothes as their friends (the horror!). Nope buying from a thrift store in Bella's mind would make her and her family less.
This week, Bella asked The Husband, "Would buying my children clothes from a thrift store be a bad thing? Will people look down on us?". "Only if you let it be.", he replied. With this in mind Bella placed her vanity to one side, took a deep breath and purchased her children second hand clothes. Every item she bought, looked brand new, and cost $1.99 a piece. She can now proudly show off her children in their new outfits, and no one will be able to tell which were the new, which were the hand-me-downs and which were the thrift store bargains.
Vanity defeated. Pride intact. Budget kept. That's what happy Bella's are made of!
Happy budgeting and freebie hunting ...
3 comments:
Loved this! Currently i am on the (never ending) path to better money management..so far not so good. it really is hard!
I like to say its the thrill of the hunt. I frequently browse a few second hand (thrift) shops in the Memorial area of Houston mostly for books but also kids toys & such. I have been on the hunt for a gently used kitchen playset for my toddler & her cousins to keep at Grandma's, so much to my joy, I found a 3 piece Pottery Barn Pro-Chef set (gently played with) that was only $79 out of my budget, so I called Grandma, she agreed to pay me back and I had it loaded up. After some easy online research, I am proud to say that one's tax deductible donation is now my daughter's favorite toy and if I were slightly crazy enough to purchase it new, it would have only cost me $899.00
WOW Cheri!!
I guess I need to be more selective of the stores and which area. I have a small goodwill ... it is great for baskets and girls clothes ... toys, not so much.
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