Making Mom happy and my thrift store find

I was a spoiled child the first few years of my life, at least where material things were concerned. When my parents divorced and my Mom moved us to Chicago. In addition to my parents’ marriage, gone were the pretty custom dresses and elaborate birthday parties. In their place were trips to the thrift store for second-hand clothes and birthdays celebrated with homemade cakes. For an 8 year old child who doesn’t understand the concept of money, or even divorce, this was an adjustment. Trips to the thrift store went something like this:

Mom: Mira. Te gusta este sueter?  (Do you like this sweater?)

Me: No!

Mom: Y porque no? (Why not?)

Me: Porque esta viejo y feo. (Because it’s old and ugly)

Mom: Aye, vete a ver los libros, orgullosa. (Somewhat loosely: Go to the book section, prideful girl.)

Mom reminds me of these conversations (they were a regular ocurrence)  every time I am at her house, see something new, and make the mistake of asking where she got it. “Ya tu sabes, orgullosa. En la second. Donde tu no te gusta ir” (You already know, miss prideful. At the second-hand store. Where you don’t like to go.”)

Now mind you. I totally disagree with her assessment of me. Though I like brands, it’s not what I look for and I prefer the TJ Maxxes and Marshalls of the world over fancy department stores. I simply prefer to spend a little more for new, rather than old. But as I’ve decided that I want to settle down somewhere and LOVE my apartment enough to make it a home (more on that later) I decided that I have to decorate. Being broke, I have to decorate cheap, and inspired by my friend Luz and her DIY projects, I headed to the thrift store to see what I could find.

Unfortunately I didn’t find anything for the home. It was a bunch of crap. Actually, there wasn’t enough crap for a bunch, so it was just some crap. BUT not all was lost. I decided to wander into the clothes section and found the cutest jacket. All it needs is new buttons.

You can imagine how excited I was to share the news with Mom. She was definitely shocked by the news and is currently making a list of the best thrift stores in Chicago, and what I can find there. Finally, years past childhood, I’ve redeemed myself from the ‘orgullosa’ days.