"Wow I love your shirt!"
"Thanks, I got it at Goodwill!"
"Oh......."
When it comes to the ever popular thrift store Goodwill, you're either a fan of it or you're not. There's no in between. I have to say that in my past I wouldn't touch that freaking place with 5 pairs of gloves and a full-body suit. All that came to my mind when anyone mentioned it was: bedbugs, dirt, homeless people and junk. You couldn't pay me to say I was a customer and you couldn't drag me in there without a food bribe, surgical mask and a pack of disinfectant wipes.
That all changed when my girlfriend and I embarked on a stereotypical day of girl shopping. We pulled up in front of Goodwill and I thought "You've got to be joking, I'm not going in there!" She basically had to pull me in by my ear like a toddler having a tantrum. The OCD clean part of me screamed; tiles missing from the floor, light fixtures broken from the ceiling, zombie-like employees, clothing hung in disarray and OOOHH..... A BEBE DRESS!?!? The stream of disgusted thoughts was shattered by the most beautiful black bebe dress with leatherette panels on the waist, a body contouring cut and a perfectly plunging neckline. My hands grabbed at it before I could reason with the fact that a.) I didn't have gloves on and b.) I had no clue how many people's bodies it had been on. All clean instincts were gone; the brand new, tags still on bebe dress was too overpowering. My eyes caught the price tag and as I flipped it over, I gasped. $12.99. $12.99?! Thirteen dollars for a brand new dress with the tags on it that originally costs over $120.00?! I took it off of the hanger without a moments hesitation. I thought thrift stores were old musty stores filled with ancient clothing that is entirely out of style. Could I have been wrong?
I looked around me and was surprised to find that the store was no longer disgusting in my eyes. Sure, the aesthetic appeal was lacking, severely lacking in fact, but I had broken the ice and been initiated into the exclusive Goodwill treasure cult. And I wanted more. "Well, I DO need new work pants" I convinced myself swiftly as I shifted through the aisles of previously-loved clothing. I found a few pairs of black slacks, a pair of Abercrombie jeans and a few cute tank tops. That was the day that started it all.
Fast-forward a few years: My name is Karissa and I'm a Goodwill addict. I know every location of every Goodwill within 20 miles and I'd say I visit a Goodwill store (not the same one) AT LEAST twice a week. Now, before you go all Discovery Fit & Health calling the Hoarder's show, hear me out. I don't always buy something each time I go and my house is very clean and orderly. Most days I leave empty handed even though there are several items wishfully calling my name. Why do I go back so often? Because I'm such a little Goodwill addict that I know what times/days they put out new items and it's just fun to see what's there!
The thing that kept me coming back was the name brand clothing and dirt cheap prices. It was everywhere: hidden in between grandma sweaters and tacky 90's clothes. I've found so many designer brands over the years that I've either worn, sold or given away to friends. Why buy anything at full price without looking here first? I don't know about you but I don't mind saving a buck.
Besides clothing, one of my absolute favorite sections is the random objects section in the back of the store. DIY projects are something that absorb much of my free time and Goodwill is the place to find cheap pieces to work on. All of the shelving in my home, most of the furniture, candles, trinkets and decorations were all treasures found at Goodwill that I later revamped. I can spend an hour just perusing through the objects here and thinking of ways to change them into something modern and unique. Shoes are another section I love. I can't tell you how many cute pairs of winter boots and cowboy boots I've found that were hardly worn. Active wear, also a favorite. Where else can you find SO many styles of clothing that aren't necessarily that season's fashions for barely any money? Some things that other people don't want anymore are things that I want!
Then, when the good deals weren't enough to get you in, the coupons are. I get coupons weekly. 10% off, 50% off, $1.00 day. Coupons on top of coupons 'cause we ballin' like that. You can't reject a deal upon a deal, it's sacreligious. Those pants didn't look so awesome at $9.00, but with your 50% coupon that puts them at only $4.50, you sure love them now, don't you?
So, while many people aren't a fan of thrift stores in general, especially Goodwill, I have turned from a absolute hater into a believer. And yes, while there may be some things that aren't worth anything, are dirty, ripped and downright pieces of crap, there are buried treasures if you take the time to look for them. But don't get in the way of my thrifting, I'll run you over with my cart ;)
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Most Annoying Things At The Gym
When someone doesn't know how to use a machine:
When someone is hogging a piece of equipment you want to use:
When people make grunting sex noises while lifting:
When girls wear basically no clothing to come work out:
People who check themselves out and flex in the mirror:
When someone is on the phone while "working out":
When someone brings a new meaning to the term "body odor":
Saturday, January 10, 2015
The Life of a Server - What Annoys Us
When someone takes food out to your table but doesn't get them the A1, napkins and Mayo that they asked for:
When the hostess triple seats you before you're even clocked in:
When your tables Medium steak comes out Well done and the cook looks at you like it's your fault:
When your table says they're ready to order and you sit there waiting for them to decide for another 5 minutes:
When you have to laugh at your tables jokes even when they aren't funny:
When you have a six top, need birthday singers, have a cook up and a baby throwing sugar packets around your table:
When a customer keeps telling you they are Gluten Free at every opportunity:
When a customer snaps their fingers at you to get your attention:
When your manager makes cuts and forgets you came in first:
More Dollar Store Valentine's Day DIY (Do It Yourself) Projects
Hey guys! Here are a few more Dollar Store Valentine's Day decorations for the party I'm having in February! I'll post a brief part about how I made them below the pictures.
These two signs were fairly simple to make. I purchased two plain wood boards from Hobby Lobby for $2.99 a piece. I painted the backs of them to give a little more depth. I also purchased one of those hollow heart boxes that has a bottom and a lid. I used the top heart for one and a heart one for the bottom. The large "U" shapes were $.99 each also at Hobby Lobby. I used glue and glitter for the rest. So simple but I love them!
Last but not least my little heart tree. I also purchased these supplies at the dollar store for a whopping $3.00. The two groupings of decorative sticks were cut to a manageable size. I used floss to tie the hearts to the sticks and a hot glue gun to secure the hearts. So simple but I absolutely love it :)
These two signs were fairly simple to make. I purchased two plain wood boards from Hobby Lobby for $2.99 a piece. I painted the backs of them to give a little more depth. I also purchased one of those hollow heart boxes that has a bottom and a lid. I used the top heart for one and a heart one for the bottom. The large "U" shapes were $.99 each also at Hobby Lobby. I used glue and glitter for the rest. So simple but I love them!
My next project was extremely simple as well. I wanted to make an arrangement of different size vases with different kinds of decorations. I picked up two small fake bouquets of roses at the Dollar Store and three vases also at the dollar store. I also bought the Kerr canning jar which I painted pink from the inside to make it look like a smooth texture and have no chance of chipping. To do the glitter vase I painted it gray and put a layer of glitter over it.
Last but not least my little heart tree. I also purchased these supplies at the dollar store for a whopping $3.00. The two groupings of decorative sticks were cut to a manageable size. I used floss to tie the hearts to the sticks and a hot glue gun to secure the hearts. So simple but I absolutely love it :)
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
DIY (Do It Yourself) Cute Valentine's Day Projects & Crafts
Hey Everyone! Valentine's Day is approaching and I'm dying to switch out my Christmas Decor for something different! Here are a ton of the projects I've been working on. Enjoy :) Please leave comments letting me know what you think!
This was my favorite craft of all! It was tedious painting and gluing glitter to all of the clothespins but ultimately it came out adorable! I added the touch of writing black and white notes to stick in the clothespins but it might look better without them.
The items I used! I did have to go to Michael's for the glitter and paintbrushes BUT the clothespins were at the Dollar Store! A dollar for a pack of 36, while at Michael's the same pack is upwards of $4.00!! I can't believe that but I was happy to find them cheaper.
These were also created completely from the Dollar Store. I purchased the glass containers, the stones, candy, ribbon and candle sticks. A little hot glue gun action and voila :)
This was made from a dollar store frame, gorilla glue (dries slower than glue gun glue) and glitter! I purchased a Valentine's Day card to put inside. Took less than 5 minutes :) I did the same with the 2nd frame but no glitter.
This was a very complicated piece. It took me upwards of an hour. I colored in the "&" sign in black sharpie because it was an easier alternative to anything else (I didn't want to buy any black paint when I had a sharpie that would work just fine at home). The rose design was cardstock paper for $.79 a piece). I outlined the block letters and cut to fit the letters, both sides and around it. It was a bit frustrating and I recommend a ruler and measuring precisely!
Last but not least, this turned out super cute! It was a dollar store frame with sweethearts purchased at the dollar store. It took less than 5 minutes and was fun :)
I made this Sweetheart decoration using a green foam ball, a pencil, valentine box and another green foam piece to put in the bottom of the box. I purchased everything from the Dollar Store! I used a hot glue gun to piece it together and it was really fun to make.
This was made from a dollar store frame, gorilla glue (dries slower than glue gun glue) and glitter! I purchased a Valentine's Day card to put inside. Took less than 5 minutes :) I did the same with the 2nd frame but no glitter.
This was a very complicated piece. It took me upwards of an hour. I colored in the "&" sign in black sharpie because it was an easier alternative to anything else (I didn't want to buy any black paint when I had a sharpie that would work just fine at home). The rose design was cardstock paper for $.79 a piece). I outlined the block letters and cut to fit the letters, both sides and around it. It was a bit frustrating and I recommend a ruler and measuring precisely!
Last but not least, this turned out super cute! It was a dollar store frame with sweethearts purchased at the dollar store. It took less than 5 minutes and was fun :)
Monday, January 5, 2015
My Life Without Facebook
It seems that nowadays we are a population of technology driven zombies; our faces constantly in our phones, thumbs fervently moving across our shiny smart phone screens. I always told myself "I'm not like that, I don't need my phone all the time. Turns out, no matter how many times I told myself that, it simply wasn't true. I was completely addicted to my Facebook account. Every spare second of the day I found myself with my face in my phone. Every moment I felt awkward walking somewhere, waiting for someone, or just didn't know what to do, I clicked that little blue app on my phone to see what else the world was up to at the moment. It was a constant stream of pictures, status updates, links and videos that numbed me to the real world.
One day while I was at lunch with my boyfriend at a restaurant one of our friends work at, they both started heckling me about using Facebook so much. I had my Facebook open and even though there was someone there for me to talk to, I still felt the need to have it open. Neither of them have a Facebook and I just couldn't believe that they didn't have one. Our friend, Jennifer, told me I didn't need it and that it was a stupid attention hoarding thing that didn't even add anything to our lives. I thought to myself "No, I really NEED my Facebook! How will I talk to people? How will I know what's going on in the world? How will I connect with people"?! When, in reality, Facebook was what was making me unable to connect with anyone in the real world.
So I decided to go far beyond my comfort zone and that day, I deleted my Facebook. For the first few days it was extremely uncomfortable. Being a creature of habit, I noticed that every few minutes my hands would reach for my phone and search for the blue app; but it wasn't there. I was like a heroin addict needing a fix. My fingers itched, I felt anxious and uneasy and I was kept telling myself "what if I just take a little look or just use it 5 minutes a day". It was clear that Facebook was my heroin and I decided to go cold turkey.
Now it's been almost 3 months since I gave up Facebook and after those first few initial days of struggle, I've never looked back. I can't believe how much my life has changed simply by getting rid of an app like that. I no longer feel the need to record every minute detail of my life and find that the things I didn't like about Facebook are no longer on my mind. One of the things I didn't like about Facebook is that it seemed like all I ever saw were people's "perfect" lives; because that's all people share on Facebook. It makes it look like people's lives are so pristine and untouchable: showing vacations, holidays, births, nights out, promotions, new cars, graduation, etc. But it never shows the everyday struggles that people deal with. It never shows the bad days, the tough work days, the depressed sad moods or anything that would tarnish your "perfect" page. To put it in simplistic terms, it shows the kind of life that you want to portray, and not necessarily your real life. For me, that was something that I struggled with. I always saw people's "perfect" lives on there and compared myself to them. Though I know it's a very skewed vision of life, basing it off of what people post online, I still found myself wondering "Why aren't I doing that yet? Why don't I have that?" The negativity that it constantly brought to my life is one of the reasons why I chose to ditch Facebook ultimately.
Another reason I decided to stop using Facebook was because of all the time I wasted on it. Who needs to check an app 20-30 times per day? I noticed that I was sitting on my butt looking at life instead of living life. That's what really got me. Why was I wasting my life looking at other peoples' lives instead of out doing the things I needed and wanted to do? I was looking at my 500+ "friends" lives, when I guarantee I only really would want to keep in contact with possibly 50 people. I decided that if I really wanted to keep in contact with those people, they would have my number and be able to talk to me. Plain and simple.
Now life is a lot easier. I go to bed earlier because I'm not losing track of time on my timeline feed, I wake up feeling more rested because I didn't stay up doing that, I spend more time out of the house versus sitting at home on my phone/computer, smile and talk to strangers and ultimately live a fuller life. Time no longer slips away and I have time to do the things I want to do. It also isn't rare to put my phone down and not even check it all day. 3 months ago that would have been impossible for me. I do still use the applications Twitter and Instagram, but I feel that those social media sites are far less addicting, less frequented and more positive. It seems like Instagram especially brings so many positive people and motivational things together. Everyone posts motivational things, daily struggles, and it is just so raw and real. You may say that I'm switching one for the other, but I truly ENJOY Instagram and don't get the comparative feelings from it; I never really enjoyed Facebook.
So no matter how many "come back to us, you have more friends here than you know!" Facebook emails I get from the site, I don't think I'll ever go back.
Why don't you take the challenge? Delete your Facebook for even just a week and see how you feel! I can say it's been eye-opening and inspiring from my personal experience and I hope we as a society begin to realize that we don't consistently need technology as a distraction from life.
#mylifewithoutFacebook
#nomoreFacebook
One day while I was at lunch with my boyfriend at a restaurant one of our friends work at, they both started heckling me about using Facebook so much. I had my Facebook open and even though there was someone there for me to talk to, I still felt the need to have it open. Neither of them have a Facebook and I just couldn't believe that they didn't have one. Our friend, Jennifer, told me I didn't need it and that it was a stupid attention hoarding thing that didn't even add anything to our lives. I thought to myself "No, I really NEED my Facebook! How will I talk to people? How will I know what's going on in the world? How will I connect with people"?! When, in reality, Facebook was what was making me unable to connect with anyone in the real world.
So I decided to go far beyond my comfort zone and that day, I deleted my Facebook. For the first few days it was extremely uncomfortable. Being a creature of habit, I noticed that every few minutes my hands would reach for my phone and search for the blue app; but it wasn't there. I was like a heroin addict needing a fix. My fingers itched, I felt anxious and uneasy and I was kept telling myself "what if I just take a little look or just use it 5 minutes a day". It was clear that Facebook was my heroin and I decided to go cold turkey.
Now it's been almost 3 months since I gave up Facebook and after those first few initial days of struggle, I've never looked back. I can't believe how much my life has changed simply by getting rid of an app like that. I no longer feel the need to record every minute detail of my life and find that the things I didn't like about Facebook are no longer on my mind. One of the things I didn't like about Facebook is that it seemed like all I ever saw were people's "perfect" lives; because that's all people share on Facebook. It makes it look like people's lives are so pristine and untouchable: showing vacations, holidays, births, nights out, promotions, new cars, graduation, etc. But it never shows the everyday struggles that people deal with. It never shows the bad days, the tough work days, the depressed sad moods or anything that would tarnish your "perfect" page. To put it in simplistic terms, it shows the kind of life that you want to portray, and not necessarily your real life. For me, that was something that I struggled with. I always saw people's "perfect" lives on there and compared myself to them. Though I know it's a very skewed vision of life, basing it off of what people post online, I still found myself wondering "Why aren't I doing that yet? Why don't I have that?" The negativity that it constantly brought to my life is one of the reasons why I chose to ditch Facebook ultimately.
Another reason I decided to stop using Facebook was because of all the time I wasted on it. Who needs to check an app 20-30 times per day? I noticed that I was sitting on my butt looking at life instead of living life. That's what really got me. Why was I wasting my life looking at other peoples' lives instead of out doing the things I needed and wanted to do? I was looking at my 500+ "friends" lives, when I guarantee I only really would want to keep in contact with possibly 50 people. I decided that if I really wanted to keep in contact with those people, they would have my number and be able to talk to me. Plain and simple.
Now life is a lot easier. I go to bed earlier because I'm not losing track of time on my timeline feed, I wake up feeling more rested because I didn't stay up doing that, I spend more time out of the house versus sitting at home on my phone/computer, smile and talk to strangers and ultimately live a fuller life. Time no longer slips away and I have time to do the things I want to do. It also isn't rare to put my phone down and not even check it all day. 3 months ago that would have been impossible for me. I do still use the applications Twitter and Instagram, but I feel that those social media sites are far less addicting, less frequented and more positive. It seems like Instagram especially brings so many positive people and motivational things together. Everyone posts motivational things, daily struggles, and it is just so raw and real. You may say that I'm switching one for the other, but I truly ENJOY Instagram and don't get the comparative feelings from it; I never really enjoyed Facebook.
So no matter how many "come back to us, you have more friends here than you know!" Facebook emails I get from the site, I don't think I'll ever go back.
Why don't you take the challenge? Delete your Facebook for even just a week and see how you feel! I can say it's been eye-opening and inspiring from my personal experience and I hope we as a society begin to realize that we don't consistently need technology as a distraction from life.
#mylifewithoutFacebook
#nomoreFacebook
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Is Happiness Really Just a Frame of Mind?
While going through a package of inspirational-type greeting cards today, I stumbled on one that had the message "Happiness is a choice; You can choose it or not". It was everything a motivational saying is supposed to be: extremely over-generalized, thought-evoking and just a little bit cliche. The phrase rang familiarly in my mind being that I've heard that phrase over and over, though paraphrased differently each time. I wondered, is happiness really and honestly a choice that people can make? Why is society so set on thinking that we can MAKE ourselves happy, almost in terms of instant gratification?
Coming from someone who has struggled with severe depression, the fact that someone thinks you can CHOOSE to be happy is mysteriously pompous. Don't you think that if people could choose to be happy, they would? Why is this world full of outwardly miserable people if choosing to be happy is as seemingly "easy" as picking out which combo dinner you want at McDonald's? Truth is, it's not that easy and happiness is not a simple "choice".
Before you stop reading, hear me out. I do agree that though our individualistic actions we can CHOOSE to have a certain frame of mind, but I do not believe that "happiness" is one of those frames; And we shouldn't be made to feel guilty because of this. We can choose to be positive, hateful, patient, and even choose to be kind. During the day we have free will and the ability to choose how we will respond to certain circumstances and situations. Yes, those are choices we conscientiously make and that will ultimately affect how positively or negatively our day will go. However, those are difficult choices as well depending on factors that affect people differently. For example, if you have a night that you get poor sleep and wake up feeling unrested, chances are, you're not going to be the most patient person. This isn't necessarily a choice given to us though due to extrenuating circumstances. No one chooses to get poor sleep, thus how can they choose to have a frame of mind that is being affected by that poor sleep? Their reaction is instinctual based on their environment and factors regarding personality, elements and uncontrollable happenings (ie: sleep example). Also, if someone has depression and wakes up just feeling sad, how is that mind-altering disorder a choice? Are they choosing to be sad? Does the fact that they are having a miserable day due to chemical imbalances in their mind mean they are not choosing to be happy and have a happy day? Hm.
So though it is a nice thought to say that happiness is a choice, I don't necessarily think that it's fair to judge yourself too harshly on this theory. You can choose to do things in your life that may lead to happiness, but being happy, in and of itself, is not a simple, instantly gratifying choice.
#thoughtoftheday
Coming from someone who has struggled with severe depression, the fact that someone thinks you can CHOOSE to be happy is mysteriously pompous. Don't you think that if people could choose to be happy, they would? Why is this world full of outwardly miserable people if choosing to be happy is as seemingly "easy" as picking out which combo dinner you want at McDonald's? Truth is, it's not that easy and happiness is not a simple "choice".
Before you stop reading, hear me out. I do agree that though our individualistic actions we can CHOOSE to have a certain frame of mind, but I do not believe that "happiness" is one of those frames; And we shouldn't be made to feel guilty because of this. We can choose to be positive, hateful, patient, and even choose to be kind. During the day we have free will and the ability to choose how we will respond to certain circumstances and situations. Yes, those are choices we conscientiously make and that will ultimately affect how positively or negatively our day will go. However, those are difficult choices as well depending on factors that affect people differently. For example, if you have a night that you get poor sleep and wake up feeling unrested, chances are, you're not going to be the most patient person. This isn't necessarily a choice given to us though due to extrenuating circumstances. No one chooses to get poor sleep, thus how can they choose to have a frame of mind that is being affected by that poor sleep? Their reaction is instinctual based on their environment and factors regarding personality, elements and uncontrollable happenings (ie: sleep example). Also, if someone has depression and wakes up just feeling sad, how is that mind-altering disorder a choice? Are they choosing to be sad? Does the fact that they are having a miserable day due to chemical imbalances in their mind mean they are not choosing to be happy and have a happy day? Hm.
So though it is a nice thought to say that happiness is a choice, I don't necessarily think that it's fair to judge yourself too harshly on this theory. You can choose to do things in your life that may lead to happiness, but being happy, in and of itself, is not a simple, instantly gratifying choice.
#thoughtoftheday
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