RSSCategory: Outside The Box
I Am A Value Villager
August 28, 2008
If I won $5 million, I couldn’t go back to spending $80 for jeans- and I don’t even want to talk about $400 jeans. I might drive to Value Village in my Nissan Altima – well, no, I don’t really notice cars. Would I arrive wearing a $2000 watch? Possibly, though I’m really loving this Eddie Bauer watch I’ve had for a year.
I bought it because it has a light beam that shines out the front and it has a magnifying glass. I thought it would be a good way to search for ingrown eyelashes on dog eyelids. Strange, I know, but it works. It’s also a good watch. Solid, no fuss or frills, a little menswear, great work watch. Here’s how the magnifier works:
Well, I’d be wearing $200 perfume.
Value Village is a used clothing store, but not just any thrift store. They first opened in California in 1954 and have since taken on a commitment to “provide the best shopping experience and selection of any thrift store in the world”. It’s certainly the best I’ve been in.
So, yes it is used clothing. Yes, much of it, you would never even consider, no different than any other store. Yes, it might smell like a used clothing store. Wear extra perfume and think about the big money you’ll save.
That’s 3 minus points. Here are 9 for the plus side:
1. They have fantastic sales and coupons, with a promo of some sort on almost all the time. The coupon calendar at the end of the year? At $1.99, I buy two.
The cords are Old Navy Bootcut , very light beige. My belt from I don’t remember where.
Isn’t this pattern on the shirt great? I know it’s wrinkled, but I don’t iron. Hey, I get peed and bled on at my work. Who in their right mind would iron?
2. Clothing is not just randomized, or worse, in bins. That makes me crazy. It’s all sorted according to type, size, and color in a system that repeats throughout the store. You can go through the place in 30 minutes once you get that it’s a very consistent landscape.
You can see where the T comes from. The pants are Bluenotes bootcut jeans. The belt is VV too, though I don’t know the make. The belt might be a bit much but I think it works in a Christian Lacroix sort of way.
3. AE, Gap, Banana Republic, Aeropostale, … The place is loaded with this stuff and it’s all less than $10. Sometimes the item has just been washed too many times and you wouldn’t buy it for 25cents. More often, it’s only gently used.
The zip fleece is a dark chocolate brown. The tank cost $5 at Ardene. The rest was less than $5 all together. OldNavy shorts.
4. I have learned about myself that I get bored easily and quickly, regardless of whether the item cost a fortune or not. If I paid $4.99 and wear it once before I decide I don’t like it, there is not a moment’s guilt in putting it in the clothes donation bag. And I don’t get aggravated when my kids do the same, but I sure do if I paid $40 and they decide it’s too tight after 3 wearings.
Gap shirt and great lined-waistband stretch work pants. Here’s a closeup of the shirt, sheer light cotton but not transparent. The belt is from whatever the Northern Reflections mens’ store used to be called years ago.
5. There is no better place for children. They can go off on their own with no fear of what they’ll bring back. There’s no arguing over what they want. At $4-9 for most items, they can have anything they want. In days gone by, my children left their clothes in puddles and their shoes in trees. Was I really going to buy matching little ensembles when the top would have goop on it before they were in the car? Are baby clothes not just a way to keep vomit off them?
Roxy Board shorts ; Old Navy racer back tank was new,cost $10.
6. It’s the best place for pants. 100 pairs, all your size, all pre-shrunk and broken in, Club Monaco, GAP, Garage, JCrew, Ralph Lauren, Old Navy, more Old Navy, all cheap. Pick out 10 pairs, cart them to the dressing room. You’ll find a great pair at least once a month.
This is one of those items I’m drawn to for some strange reason, but I know it’s as ugly as it is nice (some of you might say more so). I put it here because it (along with the header photo) provided the color palette for this website. My brother hates the color of the navigation bars. I’ve read that some degree of color blindness is common among men.
7. If your teens are into vintage or retro, or need a costume for a party, this is your destination. As preteens, mine have become painfully discerning about their clothing, so we have a deal : we look at the VV first. Most often, they find 3 items there that they didn’t know they wanted, and are so grateful that I bought them that they no longer need the original. I am so grateful that the whole bundle cost $22.
This photography gig is killing me. I cannot show you how gorgeous this shirt is. It’s washable silk, really beautiful. It’s the find you stuff in your shopping cart under all your other finds and don’t let it out of your sight till it’s in your car.
Here is a closeup of the fabric with truer colors. It must have cost a fortune new.
8. On the days I find 4 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, a cool belt, 3 books, and a set of serving trays, I buy them all. There’s no choosing this over that.
You’ve heard of Isaac Mizrahi at Target. This is Anne Klein at Value Village. Good work shirt.
This is Banana Republic at the VV.
9. Hey! It’s good for the planet ! We all have too much, we buy too much, we consume too much. It’s a way to give a little back and get some for you at the same time.
-->If I won $5 million, I couldn’t go back to spending $80 for jeans- and I don’t even want to talk about $400 jeans.Value Village is a used clothing store, but not just any thrift store. They first opened in California in 1954 and have since taken on a commitment to “provide the best shopping experience and selection of any thrift store in the world”. It’s certainly the best I’ve been in.
Read moreTop 100 Women’s Health Blogs
August 19, 2008
Health and time … what woman doesn’t relate? These are two of the biggest concerns and interests in the lives of so many women. What if someone could hand you a list of terrific sites about every aspect of health and well-being over 40? It would save you hours and bring something greatly valuable to your life.
Kelly emailed recently to tell me that AGT had been included in Nursing School Search’s list of Top 100 Women’s Health Blogs. I’m sincerely honored.
I am also grateful to have that list because it has done the legwork for all of us. I’ve spent a lot of time at Google Blog Search and other blog directories looking for a list like that one, but been discouraged by the sheer number of results and not finding sites that I felt were written with me in mind.
This list is compiled precisely for women over 40. The topics include nutrition with 11 great blogs, exercise with 10, as well as physical and mental well-being, blogs discussing infertility, pregnancy, and child-rearing, and just being fabulous over 40.
On behalf of all of us, thank you, Kelly!
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Health and time … what woman doesn’t relate? These are two of the biggest concerns and interests in the lives of so many women. What if someone could hand you a list of terrific sites about every aspect of health and well-being over 40? It would save you hours and bring something greatly valuable to your life.
Read moreMy Mother Died
July 31, 2008
As many of you know who check in here now and again, my mother has been ill with Alzheimer’s disease. She was diagnosed in 2001. This week, she died in her sleep.
Read more6 Best Scents For Day, Night, and Work
June 1, 2008
Kristen at BeautyAddict does a feature on perfume now and again. She’s done spring , and summer. These are my favorite articles. I commented once on her site that I hope she does more. Old classics and limited edition fragrances are highlighted, and she has great taste.
I love perfume a lot. Considering the day job I have, I am grateful that scent has not been banned from my workplace. Some days, I tell you… it’s every woman for herself.
ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE HAS KIDNAPPED MY MOTHER
May 10, 2008
Six years ago my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. At first we didn’t know what to expect. This sounds naive, but it wasn’t really. We had no experience with the disease. Mother was just getting a bit confused. Somehow, she went from being confused to being frozen in a wheelchair and being spoon-fed puréed food. This is the story of what happened in between the beginning and the end.
Read moreHEY, CHRISTINE, HOW’S THE MAKEOVER GOING?
February 21, 2008
Now that you ask, it’s coming along pretty well. There are a lot of details but the learning has been worth every minute. It’s almost ready.
Here is a look at the current picture. This is what the inside pages, where the articles are posted, will look like :
The new look of Empowered Attraction
[...]
EMPOWERED ATTRACTION IS GETTING A MAKEOVER
February 6, 2008
Those of you whom I have the privilege to know personally know how much writing for this blog has come to mean to me. With no end in sight, and because “change” and “learn” are my two favorite words, this site is going to be getting a new look. Here is an idea of what [...]
Read moreTHE ABUSE OF PERMISSION MARKETING
January 6, 2008
What is permission marketing?
Seth Godin, hero to many, god to some, has written 7 books about what marketing looks like today and how it will change. Here he is on the cover of his most recent book.
Seth Godin on the cover of his latest book
If you have any interest in marketing, or you have [...]
CHRISTMAS 2007
December 24, 2007
Christmas
I wish for you to find time and calm, to reflect deeply on the direction you choose your life to take.
Christmas 2007.
May we all help one another find peace tonight, tomorrow, and always.
Christmas card.
Joyous Christmas to you and to the people you love.
JOSH GROBAN : THE BEST CHRISTMAS CD THIS YEAR
December 14, 2007
I love Josh Groban. How completely unoriginal.
The whole package just works, you know? Of course you know. Women fall to pieces over the guy. It’s the hair, right? The hair and the eyes. And the voice. I forgot about the voice for a moment.
The best picture is from the background on his [...]
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