Thrifting 101: Five Tips

I would say that about 90% of my closet is thrifted. Clothes, accessories, and all. I've been told that I have a knack for finding good deals and awesome finds, and people are always asking me how I do it. Well, I'm here to tell all you fine people that it's not much of a science, BUT lucky for you there are some simple tips you can follow to make your thrifting more successful!

Go on sale days.
My favorite place to thrift is Savers. It's not so classy that it's as expensive as shopping new but it also has a ton of gems. One of my favorite things about Savers is their sales! Every Monday the whole store is 25% off and on holidays that fall on Mondays (Labor Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, etc) their clothes, accessories, bed and bath, etc. are 50% off! If I can, I try and hit up their 50% sale days and get there right when they open since it can get super busy. Also, if you get there in the afternoon everything can be pretty picked over.

Have a plan.
Just like how most things in life go more smooth if you have a plan, it's always a good idea to have some kind of strategy in mind when you head out to go thrifting. What will you be looking for? If you have a short time what is the most important thing to look at? You can waste so much time just aimlessly wandering the aisles of thrift stores if you don't know what you are there for. [Which is fine, by the way, but only if you have the time for it!]

Try on a lot.
If you're going to succeed at thrifting, you're just going to have to accept the fact that you will need to try on A LOT of clothes. I pretty much go with quantity for the first round of trying things on, and if something looks even slightly interesting, I'll put it in my cart to try on. This is how you find those items that you might not have bought at an actual retail store. Plus, since everything is different brands they will fit differently so I usually look in sections that might be a little smaller or bigger than I normally wear. You never know what you might find since the sizing is done in the store and might be a little bit off.

Have a pattern.
Pretty much every time I go to Savers I always check out a few key areas. For me that's books, home goods, shoes, purses, and most recently, skirts. Oftentimes I won't even go through any of the shirts, pants, or other clothes if I'm just stopping in for a short trip. I just look at the things I'm most interested in and know I can find the best buys in.

Try out different things. 
I see thrifting as a way to try out different things that I might not choose otherwise. Go ahead! Try on that 70s style dress! Spot a leather fanny pack? Try it on! Some of my coolest finds were things that I wouldn't ever think I'd wear, but once I tried it, I liked it. Plus, it's all about confidence! Chances are, if you think you can rock it, then you can!

Bonus tip!
Sometimes thrift stores will give you a discount if you bring in donations! Check out if your local thrift shop offers this promotion... if so, it's a win-win! Spring cleaning to make room for more AND a sweeter deal! Happy thrifting!

Catch-Up

Wow! It has been absolutely FOREVER since I've posted on the blog. I guess life just got really busy and blogging took a back burner. But I'm back! I've got a couple posts up my sleeve and am excited to share life with you guys again. But for now I thought we could just play a little catch-up on how my "14 in 14" is going- the 14 little hopes and dreams [maybe even sorta goals] I have for myself in 2014. So thus far I have completed or made significant progress on five out of the 14!

#1. Run a 5k
I signed up for The Color Run in EC on April 27th! This run is known as the happiest 5k on the planet so I figured it would be the perfect one to start with! [I've also heard that there is a lot of walking due to the nature of getting colored chalk thrown at you... so let's just say it's a very good one to start with.] :)

#2. Learn a new song on the guitar
One of the lovely ladies I live with recently showed me how to pick "Counting Stars" on the guitar. I might not be a pro yet, but the fact that I know how to pick anything definitely warrants bonus points. 

#3. Live on a budget
It's happening! Since the beginning of the year I have been keeping a budget and it's actually pretty neat. Of course, I'm only in my second month of it, but it seems to be working well and actually giving me more freedom with my moolah.

#8. Make [at least one] art journal, mini-album, or scrapbook
A couple weeks ago I purchased a Project Life core kit along with some Sn@p products and started a 2013/2014 super easy scrapbook. I'm excited to continue working on it throughout the year... now I just need to remember to take and print photos!

#9. Wear my hair in a style I've never done before
Funny story. A few weeks back we had a Navigators conference in my hometown. This is literally the only place I will get my hair cut because the lady there just knows my hair so well and I haven't had an awkward cut since I started going to her years ago [prior to her I had a pretty long string of unfortunate haircuts]. So of course I made an appointment since I'd be in town and after she got done cutting my hair she asked if she could braid it and I told her that she could do whatever she wanted. So she did! And I ended up going to this conference looking like I was headed to prom- poufs, braids, twirly bun, the whole nine yards. It was pretty excellent. 

14 in 14

Happy New Year! What better way to ring in a new year than by creating some new goals?? [Well... besides celebrating with family and loved ones, of course.] Here are 14 goals I have for the year of 2014... if they happen-- they happen, if not-- nobody's the wiser (besides all of you lovely people). So maybe these are more hopes and dreams rather than goals. I'm hoping for 2014 to be a bit more healthy, a tad more responsible, and a lot more creative! 

1. Run a 5k
2. Learn a new song on the guitar
3. Live on a budget
4. Try a recipe outside of my comfort zone
5. Repurpose something
6. Get a job (after EDGE Corps ends in May)
7. Finish reading the Divergent Series (and see the movie of course.)
8. Make [at least one] art journal, mini-album, or scrapbook
9. Wear my hair in a style I've never done before
10. Actually print and use something from my Printables board on Pinterest
11. Purge my closet
12. Memorize The Navigators' Topical Memory System (60 Bible verses)
13. Knit something- scarf, blanket, headband...
14. Keep up with the blog! 

What are your goals, your hopes and dreams for 2014?

Guest Post: Ministry in Nursing

Editor's Note:
I met Becki through the Navigators in college (how else would I have any friends?!). She is a joy and cares deeply for others. Becki is a registered nurse in Eau Claire and is currently working in oncology. She loves drinking coffee, playing Scrabble, and dancing. She hopes to be able to travel the world, meet interesting people, and become a wife and mother someday. Becki can do almost any impression of Kristen Wiig and she has seen every episode of The Office multiple times. Whether for a laugh or a good cry, she's your girl! -HB

Ministry in Nursing

When Heather asked me to be a guest blogger, she told me to write about something I’m passionate about. My first thought was, “Would anyone really read a whole blog post about how much I love coffee?” 
[I’m sure there would be a few interested readers.] 

But the thing I am really passionate about is my ministry in nursing. I say ministry in nursing because I decided a while back that I never want to view nursing as just a job that pays the bills, or as a career that runs my life, but as a ministry that God has chosen, prepared, and designed me for. While many of my fellow RNs would say that they chose nursing (for the patients, for the intellectual challenge, for the job security…), I would say that God chose nursing for me. 

I am thankful that in months of applying for nursing jobs and waiting, God corrected my mistaken identity. You see, for a while I thought my identity was in being a nurse. I felt like if I didn’t do what I had gone to school to do, I wasn’t living out my calling. But then I realized, I would only ever live out my calling if I understood my identity as a beloved daughter of Christ. 

We can choose to live in God-centered identities that pursue His mission or we can choose to live in self-centered identities that wear a “Jesus is my homeboy” t-shirt. 

I have been an oncology {cancer} nurse for about two months. Being a novice at anything is unsettling, but especially so when it revolves around other people’s lives. When I tell people I work with cancer patients, most people’s first response is:

“Oh, that must be so sad! Isn’t it difficult?”[To this question, I have no easy answer.

If I’m being flat out honest – yes. It is extremely difficult. But it is also extremely rewarding. One day I might be holding a patient’s hand while they cry and the next I might be singing Christmas carols with a patient who loves to sing. One day I might see someone on the edge of death and the next day I will send a patient home ready for another day of life.  

It is a rollercoaster of emotions and a mess of mercies. 

In the short amount of time I have worked as an oncology nurse, I have learned so much from my patients. One man gave me this simple advice on his 87th birthday: “Be honest. Work hard.”As a dying woman wrote her own obituary, she told me the best thing she ever did was ‘marry a good friend’. 

Each patient teaches me the value of life. Every person deserves dignity in life and in death. [After all, Christ died an undignified death so we might have LIFE!]

They are teaching me to live a life that is worthy of the calling I have received (Ephesians 4:1). A life that brings hope, peace, and unconditional love. A difficult but eternally rewarding life. 

So while I know it is difficult, I would challenge you to live this kind of life. Remember who(se) you are. Allow God to show you why you’re here. And as my good friend Heather puts it,
Live Loved. 
Becki

Woah.

Psst... to give you can click on the "Support hb" link to the right or click here.

Dangerous Women Pt. 2: Grounded in Love

So remember when awhile back I wrote a post on being a dangerous women? [Guys, if you've gotten this far, stick around... this applies to you too- the quote is just directed at women]. Here's a reminder of the quote I was writing from:

“A dangerous woman is alive! She knows she is deeply loved by God and grounds herself daily in that love. She delves deeply into the truth about who she is and claims her unique temperament, gifts, passions and dreams. She refuses to let fear stop her as she responds to God’s calling on her life. And out of her fully alive heart, she radically engages with the needs of the world.”- Lynne Hybels

I want to explore the next aspect of living a life that is dangerous to the kingdom of darkness- knowing you are deeply loved by God and being grounded in that love. 

If you think about it, this is the very same concept that I sign off with every post- live loved. So you might as well just read the post that describes why I sign off with that and be done with it. Just kidding. I'll give ya a little more.

You are deeply loved by God. You are deeply loved by God. You are deeply loved by God. I cannot say that enough, and you cannot hear it enough. So how do we root this truth so deep down into our hearts that we are grounded by it, that no earthly thing can tear it away?

Pray and ask God to open your eyes to His incomprehensible love for you. Ask Him to show you in new and big ways. Ask Him to make you aware of the little ways He loves you. Ask Him to cultivate in you a deep gratitude for His love.

Renew your mind and meditate on His Truth. Spend time in God's Word, keeping a look-out for truth about how much He loves you. What we spend time thinking on is what we start believing. If the thoughts you are thinking aren't true and don't line up with God's truth, get them out of there! Replace them with the truth you find in His Word.

Ground yourself in the truth of God's love for you DAILY. We're humans. We forget easily. Far too easily. The antidote to this is to remind ourselves often. Be asking God to open your eyes to His love daily. Meditate on the truth you find daily. Position yourself under His love daily. And maybe, just maybe His love will go so deep in you that you are grounded in it, rooted in it, like Paul talks about in Ephesians.

"...that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3: 17-19

Weekend Wrap-Up: Holiday Cheer, Year 2

Last year near the end of November I did a Holiday themed Weekend Wrap-Up, and I thought it was about time to bring that back! With the ridiculous viral-ness of articles and videos on Facebook these days you may have already seen much of this, but in the off chance that you swing in different circles than I do and haven't, I wanted to make sure you got to partake this holiday season. :)

1. Of course what better way to start off than with Pentatonix again!?

2. Check out this Christmas Playlist... I'm definitely going to be looking some of these up. Grooveshark, anyone?

3. This is just ridiculous. 

4. Here's a couple free Christmas phone wallpapers you can download.

5. Spice up your manicure with some holiday fun!

And remember... JESUS is the REASON for the SEASON! 

P.S. For more great holiday inspiration, make sure and check out my "Holidaze" board on Pinterest!