Thrift Store Reviews - if I can get through them without having to

go to the bathroom. I've got the stomach flu bad, but I'm trying to distract myself from it by sitting at the computer.

Oh, and by the way, I've discovered a great way to read books, especially in the summer. Buy them at a thrift store. 1) They are super cheap 2) If you read it slowly, you won't have to worry about overdue fines from the library 3) If you hate it, you are only out 29 cents. I have the best luck with books at, of course, my new favorite home away from home, Mission Mart, and then Goodwill, and then the Hospital Thrift Store. The Simple Kids like the book selection at the Hospital Thrift Store, otherwise, I swear I wouldn't go there. I never find anything.

Anyway, here's my review about the local thrift stores (I know you've all been dying to hear this).

#1) Mission Mart - I love, love, love Mission Mart. They have the best overall items (I was going to say junk, but it is junk that I love and want to buy and put in my house, and I don't put junk in my house, so therefore, I'll say items. It sounds classier.) They have the clothes arranged by sizes (one of my biggest beefs with Goodwill - they don't organize the kids' clothes by size.) They have classic children's books, and adult fiction books besides Danielle Stelle and Tom Clancy (no offense to people who read these books, I just would like to have a wider selection than that), non fiction books separated into categories (what a concept!), funiture, and overall just more of the "items" that I like (retro glass, wood toys, wool clothing, etc.)

#2) Goodwill - This store is way closer to me than Mission Mart. It used to be the only thrift store that I went to. I still find some things here, in fact, I picked up a bicycle for Jelly Bean not too long ago for $3, and I usually end up with a book or two. But overall, the selection has been not great for months now. They upped their prices about a year ago too, and so now, I find myself saying "Is this glass dish really worth $3?" which I'm sure it is, but I didn't question back when it would have been priced at 97 cents.

#3) Hospital Thrift Store. I went to this store once in, oh I don't know, 2000 maybe? I was underwhelmed, and hadn't been back until this summer when I decided to expand my thrifting opportunities. The first time I went there, I found 3 or 4 things, and I thought "Well, this place has possibilities." I've been back three times since, and zippo. Like I said up there, I wouldn't go if it wasn't for the kids.

Oh, and not a thrift store, but a consignment store, #4) Cute As A Button - This store just makes me mad. They only take clothing if you are one of the first 10 or something of the day, and everything there is way overpriced, and the quality isn't that great. I'm still mad about the day I went in there, and Super somehow ended up there without shoes on, and we were going to be doing more shopping that day, so I had to buy him some there. The only shoes in his size were some junky sandals that I would have maybe paid 25 cents for at a garage sale, and they were priced $4! They were very worn, and Super wore them maybe 5 or 6 more times before they broke. Grrrr. I didn't go back there for at least a year after that, but then last summer I bought a couple of things there that I really needed for the baby I was watching, and couldn't find them at garage sales. That were, of course, overpriced. Grrrr. I went there a couple weeks ago when I was on that side of town and needed to kill some time. They wanted $5 for hardcover kids book. Seriously? Don't they know that I could get the same book, in hardcover, at Mission Mart for mere 49 cents?

But here's the deal: Now that I've given this review, you have to promise not to buy all the stuff that I want at Mission Mart, o.k.?