I will never forget the first evening I ever drove to Carol's house. She lived in one of the most expensive areas in Tulsa (for those of you that live here, near 61st and Yale, that neighborhood around the pond, yeah, you know which one!), and I thought, great, she is NEVER coming to my house! I followed the directions and parked in front a mansion, yes a mansion, not just a big house. I rang the bell and was greeted warmly, as I have always been by Carol. She is a wonderful woman and I just adore her.
She offered me a tour, and I was mesmerized by the decor! Her house was INCREDIBLE! After raving for a little while, she winked at me and said, "Can you keep a secret?" I said, "Yes." And she confided...
Everything in this house was bought at GARAGE SALES!!
Essentially, the old wives' tale is true, rich people get rich by BEING CHEAP!
I was all ears to hear her secrets!! She then proceeded to share with me her family's Christmas tradition. These are the rules!
1. You cannot buy anything new!! Everything else is fair game--garage sales, handmade items, ebay, antique shops, swap meets, flea markets, even making a memory for a person, as long as the item is not new!
2. Start looking early and you WILL find the perfect gift. Right now is peak garage sale season, so start your list and get out there!
3. Tell everyone you shop for your plan and invite them to join the fun. Otherwise you will come off as the cheapskate friend or family member! Besides its just more fun when everyone does it! You will never believe what people come up with!
I was really skeptical, but thought what the heck? I can try it for one year. I started calling friends and family members. I will tell you this, I had people think it was ridiculous and wouldn't participate, so I just told them we wouldn't exchange gifts that year (more money saved!) I had other people who thought it sounded like fun, and even more people who were just up for saving money!
I started my hunt this time last year. And you wouldn't believe my finds!
1. For my sister-in-law obsessed with Disney, an antique wind up Mickey Watch in mint condition-$1
2. For my niece, who truly wishes she was a princess-a trunk of dress up clothes and the learn to skate roller skates that she had been wanting-FREE!! The lady at the garage sale gave them to me because they were too hot and wanted to stop for the day!
3. For my mother-in-law, one of those beautiful fabric photo albums filled with pictures of her grandaughters-10 cents
4. Coach Bag for my mom (looked authentic to me!!)-$10
My daughter had so many presents under the tree that we had to open them in phases because she got bored!
I maybe spent $50 tops on Christmas last year!
So tomorrow marks my kick off for Christmas shopping season! If you care to join me, please share the deals you score! Also, if you are a personal friend, want to join me??
Be blessed!
The Freebie Junkie :)
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