So how are your holiday plans going?

I have already received one Christmas Card by mail. Some people are too organized!

As we are running about shopping, I want to throw this out to the community

The Big Money Question of the Week
What would you do with Military Circle Mall?

Back in November a panel of local business people sat down with the VA Pilot to discuss the future of Military Circle Mall. The topic was what should be done with it. Here are the facts:
They have lost the Double Tree Hotel and two of the anchor stores (JC Penny and Sears). There are a lot of empty shop fronts and traffic is low. It has a good location and it used to be a great shopping hub.
So what happened? Is it the internet? Is it the fact that people are in a hurry and don't want to have to walk the whole mall to get what they want? Other malls are doing well like MacArthur and Lynnhaven, so it is too much competition?
Of course the ultimate question is, what can be done with it?
What are your ideas? Can the site be reworked like Coliseum Mall in Hampton, or is it just over.

Thrift Store Review
One of the reasons for starting this blog was to share my thrift store experience. I have been frequenting thrift stores in this area since I was in high school and I have accumulated a lot of knowledge of where they are and what you can find where. While I do have my own list of favorites I want to share, please feel free to contact me about ones that you know and love.

Name of store and location Charity	Second Chance Thrift Supports the SPCA
Contact info and hours	Contact Info Web:  www.secondchancethrift4pets.com  5193 Shore Drive Virginia Beach, VA 23455 (757)318-7387 9 to 7 (I assume this is M-Sat, but the website doesn’t say.)
What’s nearby and how is parking	Lake Shores Plaza JEB Little Creek, Mexican restaurant Chinese take out Food Lion Taco Bell Arby’s Plenty of parking
Layout and organization	It is clean comfortable, well lit and organized but not spacious. There is a decent selection of clothing for men, but as small boys section They have beautiful furniture sets that are well displayed. VHS, books and households are in the second room; there is a lot of variety and the items are generally of good quality.
Special features
Special deals	Outside book table Outside clothing rack Military discount Punch card
Pricing base This is based on a hypothetical purchase of an interview outfit for a woman. I white button down shirt A nice jacket A pair of black pants _not jeans or dockers A pair of dress shoes And a good bag	Pants $4.99 Shoes $3.99 Bag $5.99 Coat $11.99 On the day I went I could not find a white button down shirt, so I chose a turtleneck sweater. This might work if you have a great jacket, which I found for $11.99. Turtle neck-$4.99 Total-$31.95
Score-7/7	6.75 out of 7. This is one of my favorite spots. It is just down from our favorite take out Chinese restaurant and I usually order dinner and stroll down to have a look. It is well worth the trip.

Happy Thanksgiving Week Everyone!

We are enjoying a week off right now thanks to having no classes and homecoming.

I know a lot of you are getting ready for the feast on Thursday, but we had our dinner last week when my in-laws were here (Thanks for cooking Nana!). Since we do not need anymore turkey leftovers in the house, we will be serving military members on Turkey day and enjoying the other great American holiday meal tradition, the Chinese buffet. Don't Judge Me.

I also realized that some of you are fixing your battle plan for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. I have never been a devotee of these practices because I am not convinced the deals are that good. So somebody prove me wrong,

Question of the week:

Do you go in for Black Friday?  Have you met with great success in getting good deals, or it is more about the experience?

Thrift store profiles

A lot of my friends have asked me to blog about thrift stores. I love them! I have gotten most of our clothes and a lot of our household furnishings from various thrift stores in the area. If you are discerning, you can find some great deals.

So what I plan to do is to profile a local thrift store once a month. I will be visiting each store to evaluate prices, cleanliness, organization, customer service, special programs and the  charities that they support. I gave a lot of thought to how to evaluate and compare pricing and this is my plan:I will go in to look for specific items and record the prices and brands in each store and give you the total.

So what will I be looking for? An interview outfit for a woman consisting of a pair of black trousers, a white button down shirt, a jacket, a pair of shoes and a bag. The clothing will be size 12 or medium since that is the average size for a woman in America. Now for those of you who are larger,so am I, and I will be looking for the availability of plus sizes. I will also be checking out the kids stuff, especially boys vs. girls. (It is so hard to find boys clothes at the thrift store.)

I have already mapped out several stores to check out, but if you have a favorite that you would like me to visit, please put it in your comments and I will try to get to it.

Have a great holiday and stay safe!

T

Hello Everyone,

Sorry I have been AWOL. We have been very busy with a lot of good things happening.

A couple of things for folks in Norfolk:

If you missed her column in the Sunday paper Jamesetta Walker was talking about one of my favorite programs Recycling Perks. This program allow you to earn awards for your trash. That's right.
Once you sign up at Recycling-perks.com you just fill up your blue recycling bin and put it out on the street before 7 a.m. on your trash day. The point are added to your account. You can then go online and print out coupons for discounts at places like Farm Fresh, Taylor's Do-It-Center and the Zoo. This is a complete no-brainer for the frugal folks.

By the way, if you don't catch Jamesetta's columns, you really should take a look. She has a column on fashion (Tuesday) and one called "Between Thriving and Surviving" on Sunday in the Business Section. If you only buy the paper for the coupons on Sunday, check her column out. It is well worth your time.

Retail News
I hate to see it happen, but I am not surprised at the closing of the Sears at Military. I have reported to you recently of the financial troubles of this shopping institution. They are set to close in the new year.

More Recycling news!

I love recycling because I hate waste. Ewww! Very few things gaul me more than to see people waste usable stuff.
Anyway,
On November 15, The city of Norfolk will be having Recycle Norfolk Day
10 plastic bags=a reusable bag
What can you recycle?
Clothing and household items
Technology
Plastic bottles (1 and 2)
Cans
TVs
Old paint
Batteries
Oil
Household hazardous waste
This is for Norfolk Residents only and you will have to show proof of your address.

While we are on this topic;
What is the recycling situation in the other cities of Hampton Roads? It seems that the people of Norfolk are the only ones interested in the environment.  C'mon Virginia Beach and Chesapeake!

Let me hear from you
T

When I was 11 years old, my mother set me down at the kitchen table. She had a piece of paper, a pen and a pile of bills. This was my first lesson in personal finance. She put my dad's income and her income on the top line then began by subtracting the rent, the electric bill, etc. When all those were paid, whatever was left would be used to buy food. If there was anything left, some could go for fun, some had to be set aside for future needs like new clothes.

For a lot of people. this is real world economics. They are getting by paycheck to paycheck.This is the blog for them. We will talk about the big picture and the big economic news but we will bring it down to the kitchen table level.

Here is an example:

This week The New York Times reported that Sears, which has been struggling over the last few years lost the backing of a major lender. Sears has been around for over a century, starting out as a strict mail order company. In 1984, it was the largest retailer in the country; today it is number four.

So my question to you, my reader, is do you shop at Sears? Why or why not? What do you think Sears could do attract customers?

I look forward to your comments

T