thrift haul: books

I continually moan and groan about how large my To Be Read pile has gotten, but I repeatedly scope the books out every time I got to a thrift store. I've gotten better about only picking up books I really want or I've been looking for, though. I snagged these two books for $1.49 each!

A couple years ago I gave my mom a copy of The China Study* and I've been wanting to read it ever since. Now I can! And of course, as a Yankees and memoir fan, I had to pick up Bat Boy*.

These haven't been started yet as I'm still working my way through Haunted* (that's a slow go) and I started Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry, too.

I linked all of these to Amazon, but if you don't mind secondhand books and want a discount, check them out on Thriftbooks* and get 15% off!


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mini Sephora haul

This is a super small Sephora haul because I'm still trying to use up the massive amount of beauty products I have, but I couldn't pass up the birthday gift and a points redemption! I chose the Tarte set, which includes the Tarteist Creamy Matte Lip Paint* in Birthday Suit and the Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush* in Paaarty. I'm not a huge blush fan, but my face does look better with it so I thought I'd start somewhere.

Since I'd racked up some points, I redeemed some for the drybar Triple Sec 3-in-1* dry shampoo. I don't wash my hair every day and it normally handles that well, but I've wanted to start using a dry shampoo for a little boost, so I snagged this one.

This will probably be the last of the beauty supplies I buy for a while, but at least it was a fun, frugal haul. ♥

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thrifting tips

I'm a big fan of thrifting. Not only for the savings but for the opportunity to find some great quality items that are sometimes unique. If you've ever wanted to start thrifting or just get a bit more efficient at it, here are some tips that I utilize whenever I go.

Keep a running list and know what you like.

I typically keep a mental list of things I'd like to look for at the thrift shop. I've been hunting for a denim jacket for forever, but I've yet to find one I like, so that stays on the list. It's a lot easier to go in with a plan than to wander around looking at every piece in the store (unless that's what you want to do). I know that I tend to go for oddball patterns, stripes, and sweaters, so I visually scan and find most things that way. I do have days where I just go through the racks, but on quicker visits I've gotten it down to an art.

Learn your fabrics.

If you're looking for clothing, learn to identify fabrics just by sight. When I was sourcing for vintage a lot, I'd learned what polyester and linen looked like just by walking by and seeing them. Granted, there are exceptions as rayon can look really similar to cotton, but with a general knowledge of knits and such, you can easily find things you're looking for.

Have a buddy.

I'm fortunate that my two best friends are thrifters, too! Jess and I meet up for thrifting trips and always find some amazing stuff. It really helps to have someone with you for when you pick up that odd piece and want an opinion on it, or you need someone to talk you out of an absurd wall hanging.

Don't always go by the tag size.

Clothing sizes vary wildly and so do folks' laundry habits, so don't always go by what the tag says. Don't be afraid to try things on or hold them up to your body. Look through all of the size racks and remember, especially if you're looking for vintage, that a size 14 could really mean a modern size 4.

Follow thrift store etiquette.

Don't take things from others' carts, replace items where you got them or on the fitting room return rack, don't bombard the workers that bring new carts of merchandise out, don't eat in the store and then touch merchandise with your greasy hands, and be polite.

If you have any more tips, leave them in the comments! :)

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currently: reading

I've been really slowly making my way through a couple books here lately. I finished A Head Full of Ghosts* by Paul Tremblay earlier in the year, which was a great read if you're into horror and thrillers. I'm currently working on a couple books, The Stand* by Stephen King and Haunted* by Chuck Palahnuik, which are both at slow spots, but I'm still chugging along.

Did you know that the cover for Haunted glows in the dark? I didn't until I woke up at 3am one morning to a glowing face in bed next to me. It was terrifying and I didn't realize what is was until my sleepy brain had cleared. Just a heads up.

My TBR stash is growing and I need to get it under control. I have an entire two bins of books to read and send to new homes. There are quite a few little informative ebooks I've gotten into that need to be finished, and I really need to clean up my 'currently reading' list on Goodreads. I'm very behind on my 2017 reading challenge.

Speaking of Goodreads, are we friends on there yet? :)



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link love

Candle from Toadily Candles in Cantaloupe

I recently stumbled upon Flatter Me Belts and I really want to try one.

Do you like bats? I love them! Bat World in Texas has LIVE Bat Cams! Check out these furry flying mammals!

This is a pretty good article on finding clothing at thrift shops.

Vegan chickpea tuna melt? Yes, please.

Here's an interesting article about when unprocessed becomes a moot point in food. It delves into "unprocessed healthwashing", which is something everyone should learn about.

This muscle shirt is how I'm justifying not exercising.

Bob's Burgers is one of my favorite shows ever and they're releasing a soundtrack! PULLING DOWN THE PANTS OF THE NIGHT!

The bees need our help - here's an easy way to make a bee waterer!

Totally drooling over this ziti.

Here are 14 signs you have an unhealthy attachment to your dog. I don't think it's unhealthy.

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