Welcome to the Sexy Side of Thrifty!

Welcome to the inaugaral edition of "Sexy Side of Thrifty." We all know sexy is what you make it!



I consider myself somewhat obsessed with being thrifty. If you feel the same then please share your great deals as well. I LOVE a good deal and I love to share it with my friends & family.



I am a mom of three boys ages 3-6. I have a wonderful hubby (that is sometimes my 4th child) who encouraged me to really push my thriftiness to new heights for 2010. While I am on this journey I thought it would be worth sharing the deals that I find & help others to relate to being cheap, without looking cheap.



For 2010 I have committed to only shop clearance sales, thrift stores & consignment shops for one year for clothing & other household goods for our boys, my hubby & me. The most difficult will be my husband due to his height--this will make it even more of a competition.



Deals I have racked up on since the inception of 2010 are as follows:

Target after Christmas toy clearance. Everything I purchased was 75% off at a minimum. Here's the great part--the receiver (child) doesn't care what you paid for it! They only care about how fun the toy is, or if younger, the box it came in.



I highly encourage you to shop clearance sales at the end of each holiday and the end of each season. You will get great deals ranging from 30-90% off. I personally wait until 75% off, unless there is a particular item that I must have.



What do I buy? I get that a lot, especially when I tell people that I begin shopping for next Christmas season on December 26th. Actually it's better to wait about a week or more after the new year to get the best deal.



Since my children are younger, it is easier to anticipate gifts they will want for their birthdays, Easter, and the next Christmas. These are the gifts I stock up on. If you have family or friends that are expecting, it's even easier to purchase toys. However, please purchase AGE APPROPRIATE items for children under 3. Choking is the main concern for children under 3 years old.



My sister has a daughter, my niece, that is the only girl in the family. I LOVE shopping for her & can easily go overboard. So what do I do? I go overboard of course, but I do it on deep discount.



To date, I have completed my niece's, my nephew's & parts of my boys birthday, Easter & Christmas shopping in February. I have also bought most of the gifts & clothes that we will be giving to the kids on the angel tree at Christmas.



Now some of you maybe saying, I just took the last of the Christmas decorations to the attic, I cannot think about next Christmas yet. That is understandable, but understand to get the best deals from retail stores, you have to reprogram your brain.



Start by buying for upcoming birthday parties you or your children will be attending within the next 6 months. Easter is only 3-4 months from Christmas, therefore, you can store these items & probably not forget about where you put them when Easter rolls around.



If you missed out on the Christmas clearance deals, not to worry there are still deals to be had you will just have to look a little harder. Winter clearance is going on for clothes--stock up for next winter now!



I am looking forward to navigating this journey with you in 2010!