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