Good deals make me happy

I decided a few days ago that I want a cute hat, (1) to go a little out of my comfort range and actually try to be somewhat stylish, and (2) for the days when I hate my hair. And today, I found one--and didn't have to pay for it! This is crucial, since we are in dire financial straits again...or I guess I should say, more than usual. Long story short, I went to DSW Shoes to try to use gift cards I've had since last Christmas, found nothing, was literally on my way out when I saw a really cute hat! (I'd even looked through all the other hats and nothing worked.) So I got my hat without touching my bank account! YAAAAAYYY!

Also, earlier this week I was at Goodwill scouting out materials for our Halloween costumes and came across two wooden dining chairs that I actually liked...for SIX DOLLARS EACH! I was so happy. This has been my plan since we got the table, to "eventually" find wooden chairs for one side, and use the bench on the other. The turquoise Ikea chairs we've been using drive me nuts--I can't count the times I've tripped over or stubbed toes on them because of the stupid way they're designed, and they're not very comfortable. These wooden chairs are a totally light color, yet they still look WAY better than those dang Ikea chairs (which are now stacked in a corner, because there's no other place to put them...)

They're not amazing quality or anything, but they're made of real wood, and eventually they and one of the benches that came with our table will both be refinished to match it, and we will actually have a MATCHING SET! We've gotten lots of compliments on how well the table turned out, and we're very happy with it.

I also just went to Target (which is like setting a mouse loose in a cheese factory--I probably should abstain completely) to find a red shirt for my costume, and found a nice red sweater for $10, plus some other good clearance stuff for me and some for Jamie, too.

Why is it that having a few new things lifts my mood so much? It's the opposite of what I should be doing--saving every penny I can. But BEING poor is one thing--feeling like you always LOOK poor and shabby is like adding insult to injury.

I just feel like I'll be better able to face things in a new cardigan.

Btw, I would have snapped a few pictures of the stuff to make this post more interesting, but my camera cord stowed away to California with my family, so I'm waiting for it to be mailed back.

Any guesses on what we're going to be for Halloween? I'll give you another hint: part of Jason's costume is a cork.