Today my BF and I went to the Goodwill on Fairview Ave. in St. Paul.  Generally I am reluctant to go to this thrift store because it is stressful.  In the past I have seen lots of broken goods, for example, and stuff is thrown all over the place.  Today, things were looking a little more organized.  One thing that is odd to me is that their clothes are organized by color rather than size.  Now today I happened to want to look for a white sweater, so that was ok.  But if I’d wanted khaki pants for work, I would have had to comb through all of them for my size.  My BF found women’s clothing in the men’s section.  Also, you have to check the clothing very, very carefully.  Many items are soiled or torn.  The prices are kind of high for what you’re getting.

Now the bright side.  I have scored some deals here, mainly on stuff from Target.  Seems they must give all their we-couldn’t-sell-it-on-clearance stuff to Goodwill.  And it’s ok to pay a little more, I guess, because they do good work.  They have a lot of dressing rooms, which is awesome and a positive thrift store anomaly.  And they do have a large selection of merchandise, especially compared to other Goodwill stores we’ve been to.

I do, however, like donating to Goodwill, because they have a really easy system.  You just pull up
in the back, they help you unload, give you your receipt, and you’re on your way.

All in all, I would go back, but Goodwill on Fairview Ave. would not be my first choice for regular thrifting.

I’m sitting around today and am a little bored.  I hate to admit that.  So I figured I would cruise the net for free and cheap things to do and then share them all with you

1. Nordic Calendar MN Events Calendar. I was looking for where I can take a Swedish class and what I came upon was this.  Lots of interesting events related to Swedish/Norwegian, and a suppose Danish language and culture throughout Minnesota.  Cheap or free.  Contact them before showing up though, as I know one of the entries is outdated.
2. The Motherload:  Parentzone’s Twin Cities Free Things to Do. This site has a TON of ideas and some are interesting even to people like myself who are childless.  Really good ideas.  Wants to make me get on my bike, head up to the library to see if there is a Museum Adventure Pass for the Minnesota Zoo, since I’ve been wanting to go but dear BF is none too interested.  Maybe I’ll go tomorrow!
3. Coffman Union Information Desk has a list of free and cheap activities geared for U of M students.  I did not know, for example, that I could get in free to the MN Landscape Arboretum with my ID.
4. Explore Minnesota Festival & Events has a great search feature.  Most events are cheap or free, but you take what you get with the great variety that is offered.
5. Twin Cities Folk Information has all kinds of obscure folk-music and dancing related events.  Looks fun, doesn’t list costs but I bet they are cheap.
6. TwinCitiesMom.com Free Stuff is another kiddie site, with a ton of kids-eat-free places.
7. Riverview Theater. Fun retro ’50s theater (but with stadium seating ) and with $2-$3 tickets!
8. St. Paul Public Library Programs for grownups and kids.  Most are free.  Ranging from storytimes (including PawPals where kids read with DOGS!) to small business workshops, free  outdoor movies, travel seminars, and more.

Well, now it’s time to get going and DO something!!  Let me know if you come across more good directories of free things - this is like a directory of directories, since there are so many good lists out there

My boyfriend has this great way to make popcorn. It is eco-friendly because you avoid acquiring the packaging of the microwave stuff and you can recycle your own paper bag when done popping. It’s cheap because you buy the popcorn in a bag or in a bulk section, resulting in many more servings for your dollar.

Here’s how:

1. Obtain paper lunch bags and plain ol’ popcorn. You probably also would want some luscious, real butter. Mmmmmm, butter.

2. My BF and I usually use a little more than a quarter cup of popcorn. Place it in the paper bag and fold the bag over. All you need to put in is the popcorn; no oil or anything like that. You can adjust to find the amount of popcorn you like to have. We put it on the popcorn setting on the microwave, about 2:00? Experiment with your microwave, just make sure you listen carefully to make sure it doesn’t go too long between pops. It can burn somewhat more easily than store-bought microwave popcorn.

3. Melt some butter and drizzle over your popcorn. Add salt to taste. Devour.

Delicious!!!

From the DNR website:

“Mark your calendar for a visit to any Minnesota State Park and Recreation Area for “The Great Minnesota Picnic” on Sunday, June 1. This is annual Open House Day when you can visit any of Minnesota’s 72 state parks and recreation areas for free - no permit is required. More information“

St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, 461 W 7th St, Saint Paul, MN 55102, phone 651-227-1332

Today we went to the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store on West Seventh in St. Paul.  I like this store.  I have not really checked out their clothing, though today they had 50% off on certain colored tags.  What’s really nice about this place is that it is extremely organized.  For the crafty side of me, I enjoyed searching for my sewing notions in well-labeled drawers that actually contained what the label said they would.  The greeting cards were organized just like if you were buying them new.  Also, they have everything.  We found two boxes of vacuum bags.  Those are expensive!  If you had the time and knew your vacuum number, you could find a bargain.  In this store, be sure to search in every nook and cranny.  For example, tucked in one corner there were several ironing boards in excellent condition.  It’s not so obvious, but they do have a back room.  The only two drawbacks to this store is that it is kind of musty-smelling in the back room, and parking can be a little hard.  I didn’t ask or scope out the situation on dressing rooms.  However, if you want to support charitable work directly and would like to experience an extremely well-organized and well-stocked store, it’s worth a visit.  According to their website, there are also stores in Minneapolis and Duluth.

The library is the ultimate! When I lived in Mexico, I came to appreciate that libraries are a privilege and not everyone just has one. We all know there are books, but you can also get movies, magazines, online learning, programs, and probably more I don’t even know about. It is the pinnacle of frugal and green: lots of people sharing materials, rather than all buying copies - and all for free! How much more frugal can you get!?

I love the convenience: At the St. Paul Public Library (I’m sure at all of them, actually), once you have a card, you can search the whole catalog online and make online requests to pick up at the branch of your choice. I always choose Sun Ray so I can stop by on the way home from work, saving gas.

On top of that, there are a ton of services. One that is close to my heart is the online Rosetta Stone language learning access for patrons of SPPL. Using your card, you can access this service to learn Mandarin, English, French, Spanish, or Russian.

There is also the Electronic Library for Minnesota (ELM), which I have not played around with but looks awesome. Especially for kids, there is a ton of info here, and any resident of Minnesota can use it. As a teacher this is going in my mental file.

SPPL also offers a ton of free programming for people of all ages. I personally think the most fun one looks like PawPals, where kids read with “dog and human teams.”

Of course, you may be thinking, “Well, it seems free, but the money has to come from somewhere.” If you want to do your part, you can become a member of The Friends of the St. Paul Public Library. I just joined recently, feeling like since I am able to pay something, I should. If there’s a moment where I can’t, I’ll be overjoyed that this rich intellectual service is free for all.

What do you love about your library?

I just found this site called Community Connection Calendar. It has a good number of mostly free different kinds of events happening in the Cities. Browsing the calendar, it looks like as of today, the majority are politically-oriented, but some are related to the arts, literature, parenting, etc. This looks like it could become a really powerful tool for sharing events - and a neat way to learn something new - for FREE

Twin Cities Free Market is a kick-butt website run by Eureka Recycling. It’s like virtual classified ads of free stuff (both wanted and available). I have obtained a USB cable, beads for crafting, and other craft supplies on the Free Market. My sister even got a tuba! There is some good stuff on the Free Market ranging from baby stuff to furniture to home renovation materials.

I think it is frugal to use both features. It’s kind of obvious how getting free stuff is frugal, but not so much how giving it away can be. My boyfriend has unloaded doors, a broken motor, shelving, and a broken camp stove on the Free Market. All the people knew these things were broken and wanted them so they could fix them and use them. Now, if he’d just hauled them to the dump, he would have used his gas getting there and paid a dump fee. Even if he’d just left them out by his garbage, he may have been charged by his hauler. So this was a perfect for both parties, and it was kind to the Earth!

Here’s how you use it:

1. Go to Twin Cities Free Market.

2. Click on “View Listings.” You will probably have to register in order to view listings. They track their users this way, my guess is for funding reasons. So have no fear! Register and search on!

3. Use the search features to narrow your results, or browse everything! There is all kinds of stuff on here! If you want something, contact the lister according to their directions. Pay close attention to the email addresses. Some people insert REMOVEME or spell out the “at” in order to avoid junk, and you will need to make it into a proper e-mail address in order to reach the person.

4. If you are going to list something to give away on the Free Market, I can share how I prefer to do it. First of all, don’t be surprised if you have no shows. Almost every time I list something, there are no shows. This kind of amazes me, because the items are free. I guess on the other hand, it’s understandable that if people haven’t paid for something, they feel little commitment to it. Don’t let that stop you, though! Lots of people do show up and are glad to have the items you are listing.

In the body of the listing itself, I prefer to specify the situation in which I will return e-mails. “If being offered the item” is what I usually say, so people aren’t left wondering. Don’t feel like you have to respond to the first person. You may want something gone right now, or you may want to see what people want it for. (People WILL tell you, whether or not you want to know!) For example, I once listed three formal dresses that needed some cleaning/repair. I gave them to a woman for her young daughter’s dress-up box, but then another mother e-mailed me that her daughter had won a city Queen or Princess title, would be in a ton of parades, and the dresses were in her size. She would have used them much more than in the dress-up box. Of course, you can’t control what happens to your stuff after it’s gone, but I learned from that one to just wait for a few messages to see what’s up.

Another thing I do is never commit to sticking around so someone can pick something up from me. Life happens and people are delayed or don’t show. What I do is put the items, well packaged, outside my house. I used to put them on the porch and once someone took something else, too! So now I just say “The xxx will be hanging from the mailbox in a Target bag after 6:00 on Friday. Please pick up within 24 hours or I will offer it to someone else.” I also always put it in the original ad if I expect someone to come right away. I usually say within 24 or 48 hours.

When you have given away the item, go back to the site and click on “Edit Listings.” Indicate what happened, save, and it will disappear from the listings. Otherwise people will continue to contact you, and I’m sure it’s valuable to Eureka to have accurate information about the effectiveness of the service.

Happy Free Marketing!

My favorite, favorite, favorite thrift store Valu Thrift in Sun Ray Mall (off of McKnight road and 94 in St. Paul, on the edge of Maplewood).

Occupying the former Penney’s store there, Valu Thrift is always extremely neat and the merchandise, especially clothes, is in really good shape. Very rarely will you find something with a stain or something that’s very worn. The prices are reasonable and on Mondays they have 25% off of everything. There is a huge selection. Unlike some other thrift stores, there are fitting rooms, but beware if you pull a bunch of stuff: you can only take in three items at a time. They mostly know when their goods are worth money, but we’ve found a gem or two to resell online.