Clothing

The only thing I hate more than clothes shopping is having to spend money on clothes.

These days, when I have to buy clothes -- like, say, now, when I'm third trimester superchunk pregnant and it's winter, while last time I was superchunk pregnant, it was nasty Texas summer -- I hold off until I can head up to Minnesota to visit my parents. Not too far from their house is the very best thrift store I have ever been in, bar none. I am absolutely spoiled rotten by it now. Even Walmart feels extravagant, and other thrift stores feel really ratty and dirty in comparison.

[If you happen to live around the Twin City area, I'm referring to the "Valu Thrift Store" in Sun Ray Mall. Mondays, everything is 25% off, and holidays are 50% off.]

I picked up maternity pants and 6 long sleeve maternity shirts and sweaters for about 20 bucks. And they're pretty nice looking.

I don't know how they do it, why that particular thrift store is so clean and well managed and such a screaming deal on nice stuff, but I love it, and I won't shop anywhere else.