Cutting Corners- The thrill of the Hunt.

It has not been a secret among my close friends and family that this summer has been a struggle for Kent and I, financially.
We had a new home to furnish and new baby. I did my share of going to Target and buying novel and shiny items from the store. However, then comes the time when the gift certificates die and the excitement of a new person in this world wears thin.
I have prided myself at becoming quite thrifty with a little extra work when it comes time to buy our Lucia a new toy, to put new work clothes on Kent's back, or to curb an ever so needed retail therapy session for me.
First of all, I'm not ashamed to say that I am about a weekly customer at Goodwill and Stuff, Ect. They have promotions like "25 cent" Tuesdays for certain color tags. Stuff has a very nice clothing collection and I have found almost brand new items/never worn for dirt cheap. They have a running promotion that items that are a certain age are either 50% or 80% off.
Garage sales are fun when I can remember them or have time to plan to go to them. Kent and I have scored patio furniture that people just wanted to get rid of before moving for $1.00. Today, I went to the Regina school's Garage sale. I scored Kent some very nice brandname work shirts and some Christmas decorations all for no more than a dollar a piece.
Lastly, I've just started to really look on line. Websites like Craigslist and groups like Freecycle on Yahoo are really interesting prospects. Everyone really benefits by this kind of acceptance to the not shiny out of the package brand new stuff idea. We keep garbage out of a landfill and I don't stress too much every time I want or need something for my family.