And another guest post from Bracie:

"When shopping at our local Goodwill, I have learned important shopping strategies that help me get the most out of my thrift store experience. Stepping into the store, my first move is towards the skirt section, where I scan the rack for any garments that catch my eye. Few church goers realize how much of my Sunday wardrobe is made up of Goodwill fare, although many may suspect. Having grabbed a flowy skirt or two, a dignified denim, and, more like than not, a ridiculous hippie article to try on, I head toward the jeans section. There the real shopping begins. Resolutely digging into the area that is supposedly my size (Goodwill’s size organizing isn’t the best) I inspect pair after pair of blue jeans, taking out the ones I like the look of until I have a pile roughly the size of a half grown rhododendron! Quickly skimming through the shirts and shorts, I march to the fitting room. Once there, I completely ignore the inscription on the door that reads, “NO MORE THAN THREE ITEMS AT A TIME”, having almost convinced myself that because there is no one else waiting for one of the rooms, it is permissible to take in my 27 garments. My conscience is not quite eased. I make resolutions for better conduct next time. I’m working on it.

Emerging from the fitting room with a few assorted garments that I viewed in a favorable light, I meet up with Ophelia in the book section and we head towards the hats, purses, belts, and other accessories. We deliberate on whether or not to purchase a preposterously wonderful hat that represents the straw one Hornblower wears during his quarantine in the fifth episode, and then glance over the “Household Objects” section. After finding several objects of random interest that Mom persuades us not to buy, we leave household objects, and look into the shoe aisle. Together, Ophelia and I hit the dresses, fabrics, and very ugly vests and sweaters before meeting up with Mom and the kids in the toy aisle.

Mom, by now, has accumulated a large mass of books that everybody should read and toys that have survived the Goodwill processing a pricing experience. Explaining to Mom that we already having such-and-such Imaginex piece, that all the other Bey Blades are broken so we shouldn’t really buy any more, and that I’ve already read “Singing Down the Moon”, Mom’s pile of stuff in the cart decreases quite a bit. In turn, she tells me that I really don’t need a Hornblower straw hat and that I already have a pair of white capris. Nonetheless, we arrive at the cash register with a considerably large amount of loot that we acquired –thanks to my shopping strategies—in a considerably short amount of time.
As well as selling wonderful objects for small amounts of money, shopping at Goodwill can be an excellent source of entertainment. Because our church’s men’s meeting takes place in the DeBusschere living room, the members of the family who do not wish to attend yet, or cannot because they are not men, must find a place to pass the time while the meeting is going on. During this long stretch of time from 7 to 9, Mom decided that we would take a visit to our home-away-from-home, Goodwill, and that we were going to have a little fun. Sauntering into the thrift store, each of us had a mission to find an item for every member of the family that they would pose with in a picture. I chose a homely wooden doll for Ava, ethereal windchimes for Mom, a ruffely, heart shaped Christmas apron for Ophelia and a pillow that had a dog embroidered on it for milo. The pillow stunk. Giles’ object was my crowning achievement, a very realistic looking afro-ish wig that consisted of adorable brunette corkscrew curls! Posing for our picture in the ludicrous outfits we’d picked out for each other, we made quite a sight for puzzled passers-by.

Another time, when joined by our cousin Audrey, Ophelia and I found several ravishing prom dresses and had the shopping experience of a life time trying them on. Undoubtedly, the dress that won the fashion show was a cap-sleeved, knee length one that Ophelia tried on, made of the same materials as raincoats! Whenever we stop by Goodwill, Ophelia and I have made it a tradition to try on the highest high-heels we can find and wear them around the store as normally as we can. Spying an especially attractive pair made out of silver and clear plastic, Ophelia discovered they had heels six inches tall! Despite the fact that it has nauseating air freshener, shopping at Goodwill provides thrifty products and fun family exploits."