We took a short trip to Edmonton this week. Hubby had to go for some work thing so we decided to make it a little holiday and go together.
Everything started out great, I booked our hotel through expedia and when we got there we were pleasantly surprised to learn that our room had been upgraded to a family suite for free! We had two rooms, a full kitchen, and a dining room.. all for less than $100 a night. It was awesome.
The kids hanging out with the prairie dogs at the zoo
We took the kids to West Edmonton Mall to ride some rides at Galaxyland which they loved, we took in the show at Sea Lion Rock which was also fun and then… we did some shopping. Well tried to do some shopping. Now before I go any further I should tell those of you who don’t know I used to LOVE to shop! Especially places like this that have a GAP and Old Navy and Mexx and Lulu Lemon etc etc etc. I loved shopping!
This time was different though. Every time I went into a store I found myself thinking “Twenty dollars? For that shirt!? There is no way I am going to pay that!!” I had been so excited to do some shopping but there I was, wandering around the stores not buying anything and getting more depressed by the minute. We left the mall with a hoodie for hubby. That’s it. It was on clearance at Old Navy.
So there you have it, I’m ruined. I can no longer bring myself to pay new store prices for almost anything! I love thrift store shopping, sifting through piles of people’s old stuff and coming out with little treasures. Hubby reminded me that this is actually a good thing, and that it saves us money but a little part of me was still sad.
The next day we stopped at a couple thrift store/antique mall places and it was so fun! I didn’t find much but I did find two books that I have been looking for forever, I’ll blog about them tomorrow. 🙂
Finding Joy in the Little Things 
aw, I know how you feel.
How do you have time to browse through thrift stores with 2 little kids? I've tried and the headache just isn't worth the savings. Especially since I usually manage to find great deals when we go to the States.
I had to chuckle to myself when I read this post. I'm proud of you Chelsea, really I am 🙂
Thanks Josee. 🙂
Tammy, it definitely takes patience. If possible I try to leave Luke with Nathaniel but if I have to take them I make sure I'm armed with snacks and I let them pick a toy to look at and carry around while I look around. I look at it as an outing and plan for it to take awhile, that usually helps me not to get frustrated when one of them throws a fit.
I am not a strict thrift-store shopper, but I agree that the prices of some new clothes are quite high. I don't usually buy new stuff unless it is on deep clearance or unless I have a large budget to shop with (like gift money). I like it better when stuff costs less than 5 dollars each at the thrift store better.