I come from a long line of bargain shoppers. I was brought up to believe that there is a big difference between buying something cheap and buying something cheaply made. Cheap means having good luck and "right time, right place". It usually refers to outlet shopping, which I've done a lot of in my day. Cheaply made means…fake wood furniture from Target (that I think is so, so pretty but Scott won't let me buy because it's "not real" wood or whatever). Or clothes from Old Navy. I swear that some of the clothes I have from there hold up like champs, whereas others are garbage after one wash.
I love stores like Homegoods, Marshall's, T.J. Maxx, etc, because they have great goods and brand names for lower prices. I have some issues when it comes to paying full price, so I rarely shop at more expensive chains (like Pottery Barn or Williams Sonoma) because I really don't think a lot of that stuff is worth it. Also, I get quite a high from finding a bargain.
While I could probably go into a little bit of credit card debt over decorating this place and my husband would be none the wiser, I won't let myself. You see, I thought ahead: my in-laws gave us money for Christmas and I've been hoarding it away with the idea of "the new house" since December. I wasn't going to waste it on stuff for a rental that may or may not work when we finally settled in our own home (I'm not crazy; I knew we were moving in the spring.)
So I had a list of things I wanted and needed and there's still more to get, but here's what I got at Homegoods and Jo-Ann Fabrics. I don't have the receipts, but here's approximately what $147 got me.
Rug for the kitchen (top): $20
Rug for the guest bathroom (bottom): $20
Shower curtain rod for the guest bathroom: $15
Storage basket: about $8
Shower curtain: $15
Shower curtain liner: $5
Dog toy: $5
Shower curtain hooks: $6
Stemless wine glasses: $10
Basket: about $6
Vintage-looking hat boxes for the guest room: $8-10 each. They were originally FIFTY DOLLARS EACH. Who in their right mind would pay that much for decorative cardboard?
Treat jar: $10
It came out to about $31 at Jo-Ann Fabrics and $116 at Homegoods. I actually steered myself away from the clothes in the Marshall's portion, telling myself that would be a separate trip. You can see that my splurge was probably the rugs, but I like having different rugs to choose from and I needed something without rubber on the back for the hardwood floor. Plus, I liked the patterns.
I also took a spin through Kirkland's because they do a great military discount and we're in the market for wall art, but I didn't see anything I just had to have.
Where do you like to shop for "home goods"?
