Cheap Chick's Corner

This past Christmas I received a SUPER CUTE zebra striped purse from my sissy. I used that purse daily but it was beginning to fall part where the strap was sewed to the purse itself. =o( Also the only downfall of the purse, it wasn't quite big enough to fit my planner. I would have to carry my planner separately and doing that at doctor's/dentist/school/work, etc. was be a little awkward, especially when the girls were with me.

I began to keep my eyes open to find a purse I liked that was in my price range. I'm a very picky purse person so any purse big enough for my planner just won't do. lol

The zebra purse I had fit my style for sure and was stuffed so full to where I con't zip the zipper and when the purse fell over - which for me, happened quite a bit, everything fell out. Ugh. I know.

So I wanted a purse that could zip up after being full. Also I didn't want a big purse that things could get lost in the black hole which meant - pockets! Lots of them!

So the wish list grew even longer.

I wanted the bottom of the purse durable and easy to clean. I have kids and yes there may be times I have to put my purse down on the dirty floor when dealing with them.

I checked TJ Max, Marshall's, big box stores like JC Penney's, etc and I found purses I liked but I wasn't in the mood to be paying $25 on up for a purse. Nope. Not this cheap girl.

Then there was the city wide garage sales in my little town I live in. =oD The hubby went out on Thursday morning (the first day) and spotted a purse he thought I would like but by the time I got a chance to go out on Friday it was already gone. Guess it wasn't meant to be.

After a day of finding lots of good deals (a pool lunge chair for $5, tote full of Polly Pockets for $5, Littlest Pet Shop board game $0.50, a few x-mas items for this coming xmas ;o) .....I found a diamond in the rough - my current purse!

Ain't it cute?!?!?! =oD

And the awesome thing about this purse is it only set me back $1. One George Washington, aka 4 quarters, one buck.... ONE DOLLAR! SCORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lmao

So you want to see the inside? =oD

Yeah!!!!

Now this is probably the biggest purse I have ever had. I normally like purses smaller in size (the size of the plaid part of this purse is the size of a purse I would use) but with that small sized purse, my planner won't fit.

Yes, I could get a new planner but 1) that would cost more money, 2) my planner fits standard A5 (5.83"x 8.27") planners that can be found any many retail stores, online, and goodwill. ;o)

So as you can see, I have plenty of room to fit all the wonderful things hubby will ask me to place in my purse while we are out like his keys, his sunglasses, etc and let's not to forget the girls and all the things they as me to carry for them in my purse. It's even big enough now to hide candy or drinks for going to the movies or outing. =oD Shhhhh!!!! I'm cheap and don't want to pay the outrageous food/drink prices.

Sneak peek inside.

Okay, let's go deeper into my purse. =o) Starting from the top (of the picture below):

Orange pouch: hidden girl products ;o)

White bag (on left): keeps little things like band-aids, floss, nail clippers, lip gloss, chap-stick, post-its, etc from becoming MIA in my purse or taking me an hour after emptying my purse out to find it.

Next to white bag: headache meds 

Pink floral bag: wallet, checkbook, pens, calculator, mascara, ear buds

Right of pink floral bag: face lotion

Bottom: planner and paperwork I need to do

I do have my keys in there and tucked away are a few napkins. Remember, I have kids and never know when they might need them. lol

Closer look at the pink floral bag. =o)

Nope, didn't make it but found it at Goodwill for $0.59! I actually purchased this before I found my purse! I wasn't finding a purse with enough pockets for all my things to make it easy to find stuff so when I came across this I had the idea to use it inside of the purse. PLUS, my wallet and checkbook fits perfectly inside! Bonus! =oD 

Oh, and the fabric patterns screams ME! =oD Double bonus!! hee hee hee

Top view of inside the pink floral bag. NOTE: When I purchased the bag (whatever it is....lol I call it a bag) I didn't notice the side pockets. That was an added bonus that made me ecstatic! hee hee 

TIP: If you can't find what you are looking for, be creative. Sometimes you find/make the pieces before you discover the whole item you were originally searching for.

I was having a stressful day at work (which has been rare these days) and decided I wasn't in the mood to go exercise, so I planned to wonder for a (lunch) hour at Goodwill, not planning to buy anything. Just planning to enjoy window shopping. That's when I found my floral bag.

TIP: I truly believe that things are meant to be, God slowly guiding us to certain things or not. He knows what's best for us. Yeah I could have settled for any purse or I could have went to the gym, but then I wouldn't have my floral bag and a purse that not only fits my budget, my planner, but my style as well. =o)


Hope you find your diamonds in the rough or score some great deals this week that not only make your wallet happy but you too!!