Day 83: Frugal randomness

I'm in need of window shades. Admittedly, I thought briefly about going to Menards. We have a rebate gift card and it would be the easy thing to do after a busy morning of cookie baking and "reasoning" with a toddler why we weren't going to go swing in the freezing rain.

However, I don't need them for another week so I decided to stop by Goodwill. I needed to drop off some stuff that had been rattling around in the back of the van, and who knows? I have certainly found the needle in the haystack on many occasions.

Unfortunately, the only thing Goodwill had in the way of window coverings was one set of very dated miniblinds.

I did pick up a Crochet World magazine and half a package of swim diapers.

I subscribe to one crochet magazine but this one had some cute patterns, it was seasonal, and not too out of date (hope nobody has a fashion conscious two month old who realizes her hat is a year behind the times) ;-)

I thought magazines were fifty cents and I was shocked to find they are actually 99. I went ahead and bought the crochet magazine, though I think they need to either lower the price or price them on a value system rather than across the board. For a pattern magazine, I'll pay a buck. For a four year old copy of Woman's Day, not so much.

The swim diapers were also 99 cents, and although I can't find anything in the YMCA handbook expressly prohibiting cloth swim diapers in favor of the throwaway counterpart, I fear the day an employee arbitrarily decides to enforce this rule. When/if they do, I'm ready with my less than a dollar stash rather than having to go out and buy some for upwards of twelve dollars a package.

If worst comes to worst and we don't need them before they're outgrown, I'll pass them along.

I also stopped at CVS to hopefully pick up some cheap milk. Unfortunately this was an off week for the sale milk. I almost bought some laundry detergent because we are almost out and they sell a brand that's as cheap as anything I've come across. Embarrassingly to my frugal/eco-friendly self, I don't use homemade laundry detergent because I have to wash clothes three times to get the sweat smell out. My cloth diaper detergent works great and has no additives but there is no way I'm using my $17 a bag detergent on all our laundry. It lasts over six months only using it on diapers.

The laundry detergent got put back on the shelf because I remembered I have a 25% off coupon for next week. Save $1.25? Yes, please.

I'm still looking for window shades or a non-tacky substitute, but I have time. I hold out all hope that I will come up with the crafty substitute of the century or stumble across some secondhand. Because Goodwill seems to like me extra special.