clothing

August 5th Back to School Giveaway with Meet the Need!

Abby H.

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I’ve written about Meet the Need before, it’s a great outreach ministry from Faith Chapel in Spring Valley.

On the 1st Sunday of each month, Meet the Need offers a free lunch, free gently used clothes and household goods, and a bag (or two) of healthy groceries. During the holidays, they also offer needed goods, like backpacks and school supplies- just in time for back to school!

The Deets:

Registration for Meet The Need will be held in the church lobby at the top of the campus in the main foyer. Registration will begin as early as 8:30am and will be open till 10:30am. This is the same place you’ll register for the Backpack Giveaway. The earlier you show up (whether a first time guest or a returning guest) the earlier you can get your wrist band and will be called back into the boutique earlier.

Registration will be from 8:30-10:30am
Registration will be CLOSED from 10:30-12:00pm
Registration will re-open down at the Meet The Need building at about 12:15pm.
Doors open for Meet The Need at 1:00pm

There are Growth Groups which are essentially small groups that meet all over the campus and we’d love for you to get checked in for Meet The Need and then be free to enjoy a Growth Group beginning at 9:00am and then especially join Faith Chapel in the main service that begins at 10:30am in the sanctuary.

NOTE: You do not have to register early or attend services to attend Meet the Need. However, if you don’t it is advised that you get there about 12:15pm.  The line can be quite long during special events like this one.

This event is great for those in need who go back to school in Early August.

Upcoming Clothing Swaps

Abby H.

IMG_4703.JPGI’ve written about clothing swaps before, and I wanted to alert my local San Diego readers to a couple upcoming clothing swaps!

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The Skyline Clothing Swap is back! January 13th, 2018. Drop off in advance and receive credit for 5 extra items!

I love this swap- they always have TONS of great kids books in addition to clothes and household items.

It does cost $2 to enter, but the entry fee supports Skyline Church’s Youth Camps.

If Skyline isn’t your cup of tea, maybe you are looking for something a little smaller, Finders Keepers is hosting a swap the same day! January 13, 2018


Early drop off for 5 extra clothing items on Friday, January 12 6 pm – 7 pm.

$1 admission to swap. Location is The Shelter Church 8111 Orange Ave, La Mesa. They are looking for volunteers to help sort and put out clothes. You can contact them via their FB page if you want to help out.

Finders Keeps asks that you donate no event T-shirts, and no items with stains or holes. 50 item limit. You can purchase clothes too for $1 each.

If you are looking for a group that hosts clothing swaps more frequently, check it out the Thread Bumpin’ Meet up Group. They host a monthly swap in OB area.

And Finally, the Closet of 54th isn’t a clothing swap per se, but they do help those in need with new to them clothes. They are open once a few times each month. You can find them on Facebook. They are located at the Calvary Lutheran Church, 3060 54th Street, San Diego, CA. Contact The Closet at thecloseton54th@gmail.com.

 

Talk Back:  I’d love to hear about other San Diego area clothing swaps that you know of! Favorite swaps and/or what your best score has been!

Day After Christmas Traditions- Helping Others!

Abby H.

file0001189581306.jpgOne of the things that I like to do on Boxing Day (that’s the day after Christmas), is to clean out the fridge. It seems like a strange time to do it, but I like to end the year being able to start fresh. Here is a list of stuff I’ll be doing today:

  • Clean out the fridge and toss/recycle/compost (I have a friend who takes compostable stuff for her bin) the unwanted/expired stuff and containers.
  • Go through the oft neglected kitchen cupboards and pull out kitchen gadgets and stuff we don’t use. Figure out whether to integrate them into daily life or donate them. I’m in a Facebook group that brings neighbors together, so I’ll probably post the stuff there before I take it to AMVETS.
  • While doing laundry, I’ll pull out the kids clothes that is started to get outgrown. I’ll also pull out clothes from their drawers that don’t fit/they don’t wear and separate into two piles: pass along to friends and donate. I did my clothes a few weeks ago. I’m still waiting for husband to do his….
  • I’ll also go through the linen closet too. I donate old towels and sheets to the local animal shelter.
  • On the sly, I’ll go through the kiddos toys and pull out the ones that don’t get much play. We’ll donate those. The toys that are broken, missing pieces (oh hi, every puzzle in our house!), or are just junky will get tossed.
  • I usually start entering the tax info I have into Turbo Tax today, but I started last week, so I’m all caught up. I keep a manilla Folder in my desk with the tax year written on it, and I toss tax paperwork and receipts into it as we  get them, so at the end of the year, it’s not a huge rush to gather everything for tax time.

I’ll also be doing the meal plan for this week, as we were busy with family yesterday.

ModCloth Stylish Surprises Starting at just $10!

Abby H.

(This post contains affiliate links, I may earn a commission if you purchase something from a link I post).

I love love love a good surprise!

So when I found out that ModCloth was launching Stylish Surprise, I had to share it.

I’ve already ordered 2 of the dresses, and I’ll be posting pics on Instagram when they arrive. What piqued my interest is that the mystery items with retail values up to $149.99. Dresses in my size ain’t cheap! I’ve got my fingers crossed for a couple cute Retro dresses!

Supplies are limited, so if you are interested, order soon!

Deals as low as $1 at Schoola!!

Abby H.

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Schoola is at it again! This weekend they have two great promos!

The first, and my favorite: Four days of deals as low as $1, so keep checking back. There will be new items added daily. No code needed.
Starts: Friday, February 17th, at 12:00 am Pacific Time
Ends: Monday, February 20th, at 11:59 pm Pacific Time

The second deal is pretty great, especially if you need to stock up on new to you clothes!

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60% off $60 or More
Starts: Friday, February 17th, at 12:00 am Pacific Time
Ends: Limited Time, Act Fast
Code: PREZ60

If you are new to Schoola, sign up here and you’ll receive $10 off your first order! That’s a pretty sweet deal!

In addition to offering awesome gently worn kids clothes, Schoola also gives a percentage (40%) of each sale to a school. So you can feel good twice: Once while your saving $$, and again because you are helping support a school in need.

To get started, click here. And I can’t wait to see what you have scored! I got Lil’ Man 3 shirts!

**Fine Print: Offer valid for a limited time. Discounts and credits do not apply toward the free shipping threshold or promotional minimums. Discounts are applied to the post-credit order value. New-with-tags items are not eligible for purchase with discounts or credits.**

Saving Money in the New Year on Clothes!

Abby H.2 Comments
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The tote of clothes to grow into!

I’ve written about clothing swaps before, but I wanted to share some additional resources and tips.

Last night I was pulling out the 24 month clothes for Bitty Bird, and making a pile of 18 month clothes that she had outgrown and I thought about how there were probably other moms (and dads) doing the same thing!

I try to keep clothing in the next size up for Bitty, but Lil’ Man hasn’t bee growing very much, just wearing his clothes out, so I only have a few outfits in the next size up for him. Everything lives in a tote in her bedroom. But don’t worry, she can’t get into it. It’s part of her changing table set up.

We rely on clothing swaps and hand-me-downs for the bulk of our kids clothes. There is no reason that you have to spend thousands of dollars on dressing your kids!

Here are some tips to how we save big on kids clothes:

Trade with friends!

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The Pile of outgrown clothes!

We lucked out that a lot of our friends had girls about a year before Bitty was born. We received a bunch of hand me downs prior to her birth, and we continue to as well. This is great because I turn around and share them with friends who have kids after Bitty has grown out of them!

Handing down clothes or trading with friends is a great way to keep costs down and keep unwanted/outgrown clothes out of landfills!

Some of our favorite outfits have been hand me downs!

Check Craigslist Free Section! 

I have found tons of clothes (not just for the kids) in the free section of Craiglist. People move, or don’t have time to sell or donate clothing they no longer want. Instead they post on Craigslist! I’ve scored Jack and Janie, Gymboree, and even Nordstrom brand kids clothes all for free!

And in a similar vein:

Check out Clothing Swaps! 

Here are a few in Eastern San Diego County:

  • Finders Keepers Dates change. Usually quarterly in La Mesa
  • Skyline Church Clothing Plus Swap Takes place twice a year.
  • Pathways Church Clothing Swap Takes place once a year.
  • Foothills Church Shop and Swap Once or twice a year
  • Miss Charity’s Closet Monthly swap at Sonrise Church 8805 N. Magnolia Ave Santee, CA 92071 (2nd Saturday of each month)

And these two, while not specifically clothing swaps, do have clothing available for those in need

  • The Closet on 54th: Open 3 times a month on a Tuesday, Thursday or Friday 11:00am to 2:00pm. Located at Calvary Lutheran Church, 3060 54th Street, San Diego, CA 92105. Men, womens, and childrens clothing.
  • Naomi’s Closet: at Santee United Methodist Church 8964 N. Magnolia St. Santee, CA 92071 Wednesdays 10 AM – 12 PM and every 1st & 3rd Saturday, 9 AM – 1 PM (ladies clothing only, men are not permitted)
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My Helper, making soup for her babies.

Last night after separating and pulling out all of the outgrown clothes, I made two stacks. One was clothes to pass along to friends, and the second was clothes that were in play condition. A little wear, some staining, but still in ok shape (good for playing outside).

The play clothes I posted on our local Buy Nothing Group on Facebook.

I’m really looking forward to some clothing swaps this year! I have a bunch of clothes in my closet that I want to swap out!

Sweet Deals on Bathing Suits at ModCloth!

Abby H.

Screen Shot 2015-05-21 at 3.51.20 PM**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.

It’s a pool party over at ModCloth, and you’re invited! With so many bikinis and one pieces to pick from, you’re bound to find a standout look that suits your style. And while you’re at it, check out ModCloth’s exploration of so-called “ideal” beach bodies in their new Swim-fographic!

It’s an intriguing look at how arbitrarily beauty standards have changed over time. Of course, ModCloth knows that every body is a beach body — the only requirements are a beach, your bod, and a swimsuit you can’t wait to flaunt!

And in case you were wondering, this is my fav. suit…

Screen Shot 2015-05-21 at 3.54.38 PMAnd if you’ve never shopped with ModCloth, make sure to join their email list to score a $20 off $100+ purchase coupon code!

Shopping Online to save big!

Abby H.3 Comments

One of the ways I am able to keep us so well dressed (or in kiddos case, just dressed- that kid grows like a weed!), is I am always on the hunt for a good deal on clothes.

Here are a few ways we save:

I am always looking for coupons for department stores. JCPenney’s and Kohl’s are notorious for having dollar off (for example $5 of $25+ purchases) or percent off coupons. These coupon are either paper coupons mailed to you, or available to print on their website. In the case of JCPenney’s, these coupon codes can be used online too! Both Kohl’s and JCPenney’s give you the option of ordering online and having items shipped to the store closest to you for either free or a reduced shipping.

I order most of our clothes online, for a few reasons:

  • Better selection than most stores, in terms of sizes and clearance goodies.
  • I can search for extra discounts and coupon codes while I’m online.
  • I can shop whenever (yes, even at 2am!).
  • I can go through a shopping aggregator for extra savings.

Which brings me to my next tip: Use a Cashback/Points site. Two of my favorites are Topcashback or Mypoints. You will earn cash back in the form of a paypal payment,  an Amazon.com gift card, or points that can redeemed for gift cards. You can use these sites along with a coupon code to save even more!

Most of these sites work with thousands of stores, so you’ll find a store that you like to shop!

If you have a rewards credit card, use that too.  I do not ever use ATM/Debit Card online. While our bank account is FDIC insured, there is a long process involved in getting your money back in cases of fraud, whereas with our American Express, I make a few calls, and fill a form out online, and it’s done. PLUS- I earn extra cash back when I shop online at certain retailers or types of retailers.

Use Gift Cards (or Paypal)! If you have a pre-paid gift card from a rebate or gift, or if you have a Paypal Balance (I usually have a few bucks in my paypal account from doing surveys online), use it! Most online retailers accept Paypal.

Screen Shot 2015-04-08 at 8.08.32 AMHere is one of my last JCP.com purchases, using some of the tips above:
Kiddo needed new shorts. He keeps growing, so it was time for new shorts!

 

 

 

3 pairs of shorts $5.49/each
Polo Shirt $8.99
Subtotal: $25.46
Sales Tax .80
S&H: $3.95
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Discounts:
-$10/$25 purchase coupon code (was available on the JCP website)
-$10 Gift Card (from the JCP rewards program)
Total Out Of Pocket $10.21 (I used my Paypal Balance to pay this)

I shopped through Topcashback to earn an extra 3% cash back (approx. .15.  Every penny helps!)

Now hopefully the kid will stay the same size long enough for him to wear these new clothes out!