op til you drop

i washed our sheets and remade the bed yesterday and while everything was looking so pretty snapped a picture... i know so many people who still have this idea that everything from the opshop is smelly and old and gross. you know what, sometimes it is, but mostly, it's not. for example, everything on this bed is second hand, other than the sheets (that you can't see anyway). the doona cover is from sheridan australia, but i snapped it up at the morley good sammy's store for $2, the cushion was $1 from the good sammy's mega barn, and the pillow cases were from st. richards guild in midland for $1 each, whilst they were still current stock at bed bath n table. mum snapped them up a couple of years ago, but is yet to have a turn.

let's go further. my actual bed frame was given to me by a friend (who knew i was after a white one) when she got a new one. bed side tables were $20 for the pair one one of the local buy sell swap pages, painted to suit my room, with crystal knobs from ebay. even the amazing patterned glass bedside lamps (unfortunately out of the shot) were an absolute steal from the salvos store local to my parents house. 

so for all you people who don't opshop, i ask you again, why not? this should be more than enough motivation for you! ♥

national opshop week

for those of you that aren't in the know (as in, all you losers who haven't yet caught on to the fact that opshopping is the greatest move you'll ever make...) this week is national opshop week!! i saw this adorable little cartoon online this week and decided that would be my acknowledgement to it.

i have grown up being taught well in the school of opshopping run by my mother barbara. she is the queen of opshops and finds all the best bargains... you name it, we've found it, or can find it and we are well known for it. i think i could say quite safely that 90% of my clothes are opped - mum and i have often joked that the only things we buy new are food and underwear!

opshopping is often about the thrill of the hunt, but it is also so much more. it has enabled me to be able to afford things i may never have purchased, have a huge variety of clothes and have some awesome "opshop days" with my mum and friends. best thing is, my husband totally supports my addiction - seriously, how could he not when he's seen the amazing things i've bought home for me, the kids and even him! i love coming home and giving him a "concert" (best explanation ever, that i stole from my friend lauren, who used to say it about showing off her garage sale finds to her husband) when i've gotten some awesome stuff.

if you don't opshop, you should start... there is no time like the present to get more bang for your buck!

happy national opshop week! ♥

my all time favourite opshop buy

all of my friends know i am an addicted opshopper, so i am often asked what my all time greatest bargain has been. there has been many things i've loved over time, but i must admit, this takes out first place. many years ago at the salvation army jumble sale in york (i mean before madeline was even born and i used to make road trips out with my girlfriends) i picked up this gorgeous tooled leather satchel bag. its just the right size to hold my purse, sunglasses, keys and lippie. and... it cost me a grand total of about 20c. not even lying. it was back in the day when it was fill a bag for $5 and upon counting up my haul that day, my average cost was about that. i can't remember exactly (so long ago!) but definitely well under a dollar.

i have used it and used it and i can guarantee that without fail, every time i use it, someone will ask where i got it from. makes for a few sad faces when they discover it was opped many years ago. i have used it so much in fact, that last year, one of the studs holding the handle in place broke and i had to pay ten odd dollars to have it replaced, which enraged me, but even with that, it's still the best bargain i've ever had. no doubt about it!

megabarn (and a new opshop!)

i dragged my poor father in law out to the magabarn opshop in canning vale (33 bannister road, at one end of the good sammys headquarters). it's funny, i can't see that many father in laws that would be excited at the prospect, but the two of us always have blast opshopping. as per usual i got a great haul and was well pleased, 27 pieces for $17.50, making them just under 65c a piece. inlcuded in my haul was even a gorgeous george brand dress with the tags still attached. boom.

but the most exciting bit was making a last minute decision (so last minute that it involved me doing a u turn on a main(ish) road) to see if a new little opshop i had recently discovered was open... it was! ladies and gentlemen, may i present the "blue sky opshop" located at 252 benara road, beechboro. it was small and packed with stuff, just the way i like it. i walked out a while later with a vintage blue dress from the 70s that looks like something my nanna would have worn. woop. i will definitely be checking that one out in the future.

cheers! here's to new opshops! ♥

besties mega barn date

i went on a date with my best friend to the mega barn yesterday. it's been so long since we had time with just the two of us... but seeing as just the two of us doesn't exist anymore anyway since we had kids... off we went with our little boys. of course it goes without saying that they whined and messed about and (in my case) ran about the place but we had a good time. i got an awesome haul (i've not had a bad day at the barn yet, must be a good sign that i need to keep going on a regular basis) and we laughed and chatted and just generally had an awesome time! plus we may have even eaten hungry jacks on the way home, which is not something we do everyday and probably haven't done since we were teenagers... perfect bestie date. let's do this more often! ♥

on another note, same topic... how amazing is this lamp and shade that mum picked up as two separate pieces at her local opshop which now has pride of place in my room. on both sides... because there were two! the chances are so slim of something so glorious, but it happened and i am loving it. thanks mama!

my top 10 op-shop tips

my current favourite opshop is the good sammys mega barn in canning vale (44 bannister road if you are lucky enough to be a perth native!) and my mum and i hit it up earlier this week and got a pretty epic haul. their clothes are priced by the kilo (weird yet excellent) and we got 96 pieces of clothing between us for $82, woop woop. this pic is just my share.

it is no secret to anyone that knows me that i love to opshop... i'm forever being asked for tips of where to go and how to find the good stuff - so here is my 10 best tips to getting the best of the opshop and the best of your day!

1. take cash. always take cash, because not all the opshops are going to be equipped with modern technology like paypass and often it's the best (and cheapest!) ones, hello local parish opshops!

2. do not wear those awesome zip up boots you love, or lace up shoes or anything difficult that could make the day harder than it is. wear a simple dress or jeans and a tshirt, with flats, no laces, no zips, there's no time!

3. take baby wipes or hand sanistiser or something to clean your hands (this should have been my number one tip!) and clean them whenever you leave an opshop. things are not always clean and ew, germs!

4. check that the zips work in whatever it is you are buying. the number of times i have gotten home and realised a zip didn't work (a total of one, before i realised i needed to check them everytime)

5. take a friend! your mum, your best friend, but never someone who is the same size as you! this person must not be able to find something perfect in your size that they want, that just wouldn't be right! they are there as a wing man, to find something and say ooooh i love this, but it's your size. you get me?

6. dig. dig and dig some more. do not be afraid to do so. the best bargains are those that have not yet been uncovered... the ones that were waiting there for you!  so what if your hands get a little dirty? you have hand sanitiser! (see tip 3)

7. go country! they have the cheapies! low rent (normally out the back of a church) and brimming with bargains and "fill a bag for x amount of dollars" days

8. don't take your kids! hahaha. if you can find a sitter, run, opshop and be merry. let the grandparents enjoy them for the day

9. if it's super cheap and amazing and cannot be left there but isn't your size, think of someone that it will fit! the possibilities are endless

10. smile and chat to the volunteers. chances are if the items are not pre marked with a price, your dazzling smile will knock off a few dollars from your total

but most important, have fun! i'll be thinking of you all next time i'm grabbing the bargains! ♥

bargain central...

anyone who knows me will know how much of a bargain hunter i am, and how i completely and honestly detest paying full price for anything. so much so that i live to op shop (that's thrifting for you peeps in the u.s. that may have stumbled upon my little blog) and always make a beeline for the sale rack when shopping. i don't see why people waste money when you can get good things that are cheaper - but of course every now and then there's that "must have" item, but to be honest, i still try to get them cheap too!

just last week i had some amazing luck getting two things that we've been needing for a while, on awesome sale... it was amazing, we had a capsule for baby joseph - but he was already starting to grow out of it rather quickly and we could tell he would be needing a seat in the very near future. maddie had a car seat that i picked up second hand from ebay which was nice but getting a little ratty. then we got our junk mail and instead of throwing the catalogues in the bin which i do when i am trying to save moolah, i flicked through the babies r us catalogue and found this great baby seat! suits 0-4 years, starts as a rear facing laying down seat, with baby inserts - then goes to the sitting up no insert seat suitable for a babe until they are into their booster seat. one hundred dollars off. i am not kidding. it was amazing!! we snapped up two of them quick smart and they go beautifully in our car. yay! if you need a new seat, these are great, i am super impressed with how nice and safe they are, so go go go while they are still on sale! you can find them here!

my other steal of the week was this baccarat knife set, with a rrp of $399... which we got for $80. legit. doug and i were walking through the shops and saw them for a $100. cool... let's go back and get them... we ran out of time and when we passed the store again it was shut. stink. thennnn we were at kambo's picking up tickets at their ticketek centre and i happened to spy them for $80! score!! the knives we bought from k-mart when we got married were really and truly starting to fall apart. so this was great. especially with the free chopping board. woohoo. you can get them here!

your personal shopper jade signing out... but if you need either of these, get on it peeps!

o-p-p yeah you know me...

just recently i had the most amazing weekend opping and got some awesome stuff. if you're new to my blog - then you should know, now... that i am op-sessed. i cannot think of a way that i would rather spend my day than digging through a bin of old cast offs from someone's place. can't help it - that's my hobby (disclaimer, i am extremely ocd and my mum thinks it's hilarious, but that's what hand sanitiser and baby wipes were invented for right?)

so the above dish was bought at the local st vinnies warehouse... an anchor glass cake dome... brand new, in the box. i crap you not. i was so flipping excited and snapped it up instantly. $25 was well worth it, especially once i had googled it and discovered they were $90ish in the states and who knows how much shipping would be to get it here...

and this? this gorgeous, combination lockable black travel case (complete with an internal swivel mirror and all) was the best bargain in ages for only $2.50!! i was stoked and snapped it up for my beautiful sister in law to stash her kilos of makeup in.

i know there are so many bargains to be had and can't help getting out there pretty much every weekend. can't think of anything better and i am gradually converting all my friends too... so stay tuned for more bargains - cause i do love to show them off. x

find of the week

yesterday i went opping with my three favourite girls in the world - mum, my niece laura and my little baby girl maddie! i found this fabulous cardigan. now i am a sucker for a good cardi... and this one took the cake! straight off the dummy, for just $3!! the pic isn't that good - but i'm certainly excited about it, just disappointed that it's almost summer :(

i don't understand why anyone would pay full price for anything, give me a good opshop and a couple o' bucks, and i'm set! woooo