thrift stores

Black Friday Deals at Thrift Stores!

Abby H.Leave a comment

Thrift stores are getting in on the Black Friday Sales, too. And why not? With more people on a tighter budget, thrift stores are a great way to save money while shopping, support a charity, and keep clothing and home goods out of landfills.

Goodwill:

Black Friday (11/28)
Shop Goodwill SoCal stores and receive a free scarf with a minimum $30 purchase.*
All Weekend Long (11/28-12/1)
The first 25 people in line each day at Goodwill SoCal’s Retail Stores and Boutiques will receive a coupon for 20% off a future purchase of $30 or more.**
Enter for a chance to win a $2,000 gift voucher for our Goodwill SoCal ebay Shop!*** Learn more and enter to win at a Goodwill SoCal store near you.

Goodwill also has a VIP program where you can score a 20% off coupon- Sign up here. 

Amvets: All items are $3.00, excluding clearance items. This deal is valid all day on November 28, 2025, at all AmVets locations. Locations can be found here.

Amvets is one of my favorite thrift stores; they always have great clothes and craft supplies.

Salvation Army is also having a Black Friday sale, but theirs is limited in time, unlike Amvets. Enjoy 50% 0ff the entire store on Friday, November 28, 2025, 8am-12pm.

If you can’t make it then, but are on the hunt for clothes- GOOD NEWS! All clothing will be 50% off Friday-Saturday, November 28-29, 2025.  Find your location Salvation Army Thrift store here. 

 

There may be other thrift stores having sales, but my internet searches were not that fruitful. I was aware of both of these because I had seen signs in stores recently.

 

 

Staycation Getaway in Borrego Springs with Deals at La Casa Del Zorro Resort & Spa

Abby H.

The kids and I love La Casa Del Zorro Resort & Spa. It’s an incredible resort out in Borrego Springs, CA. Borrego Springs is about an hour east of San Diego near the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

Offer Details

  • Stay Two Nights, Third Night Free
  • $50 Daily Resort Credit (redeemable at The Fox Bistro, The Fox Den Bar, Casa Café & Market, and The Spa at La Casa Del Zorro)
  • Waived Resort Fee (includes parking)

Book with promo code CYBER25 and experience exceptional value wrapped in relaxation, adventure, and desert serenity.

The $50 Daily Resort Credit applies exclusively to The Fox Bistro, The Fox Den Bar, Casa Café & Market, and The Spa at La Casa Del Zorro. Credit may not be used toward room rate, resort service fees, parking, or taxes.

Offer Valid: November 1, 2025 – December 5, 2025. Stay Dates: November 1, 2025 – March 5, 2026

Borrego Springs is a Dark Sky Community, and that means amazing stargazing year-round. La Casa del Zorro has plenty of places on site to sit and stare up at the stars.

There are all sorts of things to do in Borrego Springs after your soak in the hot tub or swim in the pool!

And if your kids are anything like mine, after a long day of fun and adventures, only a pizza will do. And Borrego Springs has Calico’s– and they deliver to the Resort!

Calico’s pizza is really good- Lots of cheese, chewy crust, and it was delivered quickly!

Buying Sewing and Craft Supplies Frugally

Abby H.

I love sewing. I have been creating clothing, costumes, and home goods for decades.

Losing stores like JoAnn Fabrics means turning to online retailers or looking for supplies in thrift stores, apps like OfferUp, or even on Facebook marketplace. 

Brick and mortar fabric stores have been disappearing for about the last 10 years, and for some of us stores like JoAnn fabrics were the last place that we could go in person and buy fabric to make clothes, notions like thread and sewing machine needles, and patterns.

I love shopping at thrift stores for fabric and notions, but it can be hit or miss.  I frequently pick up flat sheets to make mock ups for fitted clothing, as they are less expensive than muslin by the yard. When I need something specific, I look online for deals.

Did you know that apps like Temu and Alibaba partner with small and local businesses in addition to large overseas factories? On Temu, you can select “local warehouse stores” to shop local companies. Not only will you be shopping locally but you may experience faster shipping times. 

I recently purchased bias tape, which I needed for some upcoming projects, and I was able to find a local warehouse store that had two of the colors that I needed. And in less than five days, I had two spools of black and white biased tape in my hand. And it was shipped from Indiana, which isn’t local to me, but was at least purchased by a company in the US.

In fact, if you look at the bottom of the front page of Temu, it has a link to click where you can learn more about selling your products on Temu. It’s not just gigantic faceless mass manufactured factories overseas, anyone can sell their products on Temu.

I have purchased T-shirts in the past that have come from a small business in Orange County California through Temu. I’ve also purchased 3-D printed items from a small company in the Midwest that sells via Temu.

Frugal Costumes!

Abby H.2 Comments

Halloween is coming, are you ready? If your family is like our family, there are times throughout the year when you need a costume. Prior to being mommy and Mrs. Bear, full time, I owned a costuming company, specializing in medieval and renaissance costumes, but I made all kinds of stuff, including a few wedding dresses (never again!), costumes for exotic dancers (helped me learn how to sew velcro in really well!), and pieces for local theatres.

Here are some tips on putting together inexpensive (and awesome) costumes:

1- Plan each costume.  Start with a sketch.  You don’t have to be Bob Mackie, it can be as simple as a stick figure wearing the costume you want or a collage of photos from magazines or the internet.

2- Make a list of everything you need, including accessories (shoes, hats, jewelry), and makeup.

3-Check your closets before you shop.  You might be surprised at what you alredy have and how it can be re-purposed.

4-Ask friends if they have anything you can borrow.  We were able to borrow a lab coat for one of Hubs Comic Con costumes last year and that saved us about $20!

5-Start at your local thrift stores.  Most thrift stores have a great selection of clothing, shoes, accessories, and even fabric!

6- If you find piece(s) that fit, but require minor alterations (hemming, shortening sleeves) and you have the skills, consider buying the piece(s).

7-Give yourself time to plan, sew, and shop. It may take a few trips to various shops to find what you need.

8-Set a budget and stick to it. If you are making an expensive costume, make sure that you will wear it multiple times.  You want to get your moneys worth!

9-Know your limits. If you can’t sew, don’t plan an ambitious costume without assistance!

10-Check estate sales, yard sales, garage sales and Craigslist.

11-If you are planing children’s costumes, check with your mommy friends to see if someone has a costume you can borrow. One of my local mommy groups does a costume swap each August. It’s a great way to score new to you costumes without breaking the bank!

12- If you are going to be sewing your costume, pre-wash the fabric, and follow the pattern directions!

Here is Mr. C. in his Dr. Jonas Venture Sr. Costume (thanks to the Frame Guy for the Pic):

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If you are looking for some books about easy costuming (and no sew costumes) here are a few titles that are in our collection:

Score $15 in Kid’s Clothes with Schoola!

Abby H.

Screen Shot 2015-04-21 at 3.18.20 PMIf your kid’s are like my guy, clothes never last long. rips, stains, oh yeah, and growing like a weed!

That’s one reason I love shopping at consignment shops, thrift stores, and online second hand stores like Schoola. Right now Schoola is offering $15 free and free shipping when you sign up here.

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!