Saving and Spending; Thrift Store Finds & All the Other Money Spent

I wonder if it evens out, or if I am deluding myself thinking that.

I do love to shop.  But not in the traditional way.  I do not like to feel as if I am spending more when I can spend less.  My brain immediately starts doing time vs. $/¥ ratio math and that often stops me in my tracks. Conversely, when I see things that cost 25 cents to a dollar I tend to buy a lot of it.  I have learned a lot of tricks.  I always cruise by the scratch & dent and clearance stuff, I know the sale days at my thrift stores and when and where the flea markets are.  However, I also know that 75% off of crazy expensive is still sometimes too much, and that even a t-shirt that cost 50 cents isn't something I absolutely must have.

These are from my on base thrift store: the sale was on women's clothing.  I need nice tops, they were $1 each.  I bought a basket, a wooden peg strip, seven books (four chosen by Iz) a video, 17 blocks of FIMO type clay, a bar of organic soap, 26 hello kitty containers (all brand new in plastic wrap), and a cute wooden basket.
My total was $15.25 (incidentally, the same price I almost paid for a cute 75% off blouse at the BX, which I decided was inappropriate for the humid weather).

OK, now for the less impressive savings, this stuff is from a 100¥ Shop, some of these things are for my Daisy Troop.  I decided to cover the expense, for a few reasons.  The most selfish being that I can keep the left overs, and the least selfish being that I want to host a craft day this spring for the neighbor hood kids -with the left overs.  Six stems of silk flowers, a litter grabber, a glass jar with a screw top lid and handle, four 4packs of plastic cups, four colors of 3pack water colors, two 2packs of double tip permanent black fine tipped markers, two sheets of Alphabet stickers, four packs of gold and silver stickers, a 48 pack of small wooden clothes pins a melanine block (it's like a magic eraser, but it's one long block) a basket, a packet of brushes and two sheets of stickers.  For ¥3570.  Which is almost $40.  Yikes.  The cups and stickers are part of this weeks daisy activities. (I am tired of looking for Dixie cups at the hut, now we will decorate and reuse our own cups, I usually bring my own mug anyhow.)

OK, I have more, but I will post this and edit it later.