Thursday, July 23, 2009

Preaching the Gospel.....One Book at a Time!







Well....maybe not actually preaching the gospel....but today I AM going to talk about the Union Gospel Mission thrift store and also Barnes & Noble....a pairing up of retail stores that I never thought I would speak of together!!



Union Gospel Mission thrift stores are located in the DFW metroplex (as well as other cities in the US and Canada). I came upon this thrifting mecca entirely by chance! I had taken the wrong exit while picking up my kids from school, and spotted a gentleman on the side of the road wearing a double sided sign that said, "New Thrift Store Now Open"!! Never one to leave a stone unturned, I decided to make a quick run through...never expecting to find one of the cheapest thrift stores that I have ever visited. First....the prices are still not tainted by the recent recession, which has sent many people who only donated to charity before, actually shopping it, and causing the prices to rise! AND....they have a constant markdown of tags. Depending on what color stripe your tag has it will either be 30%, 50%, or 70% off. Or...you may get nothing, but not to worry...it is super cheap anyway! They have really great stuff for adults and kids, and I have found some jaw-dropping bargains there! Prada pants $6.99, Gucci shirt $5.99, J Crew cashmere sweater $.50...the list goes on and on.... SO next time you are in need of a shopping fix...don't waste your time at the Mall, carve out an hour or two for your local thrift shop. You are helping yourself....and others too!



Now on to the book store.....my youngest daughter has been DYING for a copy of the "Hannah Montana Backstage Pass" book for at least 2 months now! She was made to wait until she had some $$$ of her own saved up, as those books don't come cheap ($19.99). Yesterday, with a bit of cash in her pocket we headed off to 1/2 Price Books to try and locate a second-hand copy (the only way to buy books). Apparently Hannah is in hot demand, as there was not even 1 "Backstage Pass" book to be found in the whole store. As a last ditch effort, I stopped at their buy counter to make sure one had not recently been brought in to sell. Lo and behold, we were rewarded with an "almost new" copy of the book for $7.98. I was ecstatic that $12 was to be saved UNTIL my daughter noticed that the all important purple plastic guitar pick had been thoughtlessly taken from the book!!! Apparently the purchase of this book hinged on the presence of the guitar pick. She said she would rather pay full-price than miss out on this piece of purple fabulousness! Off to Barnes & Noble we go!! It has been quite a while since I have been to a full-price book store. All of my books are bought at the Salvation Army for $.50, but this was my daughters $$$ being spent, and she didn't want any crappy book that was missing her prized purple pick!!!! Turns out, B&N had the books marked to $7.98 BRAND NEW. I was just starting to get excited, when it was brought to my attention that they were ALL missing the guitar pick. What now, you might wonder???? I enlisted the help of a trusty B&N employee who found a new (untouched by thieving hands) copy of the book. He presented my daughter with the holy-grail of little girl guitar picks and we went on our merry way! The whole point of this story was to get me to where I am now!! Apparently B&N is running a summer reading program for kids entering 1st through sixth grade. If you fill out their form (which they will happily provide), and your child reads 8 books....they get to pick a book from the provided list for FREE!! That's right...free books! Your kid gets something for free, and you get to be a good and responsible parent at the same time....everybody is a winner!! This program runs through Sept. 7th at ALL Barnes & Noble stores. So get your kids to reading...it's what they should be doing anyway!!



And one last thing....I was informed by my best friend Kristin of a couple of good deals being run today. One I knew about...one I didn't!



-In Houston....James Coney Island hot dogs are $.86 ALL DAY! James Coney Islands are apparently only located in the Houston Metroplex, which is a big fat bummer as a hot dog sounded delicious!!



-Estee Lauder is offering a small bottle of their Advance Night Repair serum tonight from 5-9 at their makeup counters for FREE.






My dress for today was purchased at Union Gospel Mission (check out how the rings on the sides match my shoes!! :) )



Nanette Lepore dress $5.99



Manolos....full price!






Also pictured:



Gucci shirt purchased at UGM for $5.99



Ripped jeans- $9.99 Ross



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