Pay The Extra Ten Dollars: 5 Reasons to Shop Small For The Holidays

With the holidays quickly approaching, people like myself are really feeling the pressure to finalize and buckle down on the Christmas shopping for everyone on the list. Since starting my own “small business”, I’ve had quite a few encounters where people want to order from me, but can find a similar product for much less on another website or at another store. People really don’t understand the cost, or time put into the products that we make homemade, but that’s a post for another time…

I’m a bargain shopper from way back, so I’m not judging people looking for a better deal, but I’m going to break down why you SHOULD be shopping small for the holidays and supporting small or local businesses.

1. Quality: Anymore, I am shopping for quality products- so much so that the price rarely matters. If I am ordering a shirt, I want it to be well made and of higher standard. I don’t want something that was made in China that is going to unravel, or not even look like the product that was pictured.
2. Customer Service: Generally when you order from a small business you will have better customer service. If you have a problem with the product, you have someone that you can speak directly with who is going to care enough to make it right. The one on one customer service is worth every penny of the extra cost in my book.
3. Economic Impact: Potential job opportunities blossom out of many small businesses, unlike many big business/corporations who cut jobs frequently to save on money. Your purchases from small business allows for them to expand which in turn creates jobs. This is especially great if this is a small business in your local community.
4. Giving Back to the Community: Many small businesses give back to the community or are at least involved in the community in some way shape or form. Whether they hold fundraisers, donate proceeds, or raise awareness- small businesses are crucial in a well-knit community.
5. Supporting Your Friends & Family: These are businesses, products, and ideas that your friends, family, or even acquaintances have put a lot of time and effort into. The feeling of happiness that comes from supporting those people is unmatched to any feeling that you could get from walking out of a corporate-owned store.

So in short- do yourself, and everyone else a favor, and spend the extra ten dollars this holiday season. Get offline and go out and support your local businesses, (unless your small/local businesses are online of course).

Until next time,

//

Em

Back to School: Favorite Places To Shop For Boys

What probably should have been a “Favorite Things Friday” post is obviously taking place on a Sunday because I can’t seem to stick to my schedule and also because I’ve procrastinated buying the boys their back to school stuff and we didn’t go until yesterday. With that being said, I’ll keep this short and to the point! I’ve received a few Instagram messages lately asking where my favorite places to shop for my boys are, or where I’ve gotten specific shirts and pieces. Well, I’m not one for keeping secrets, especially when it comes to shopping or where I found a good deal.

A very short back story: When I first found out that Marek was a boy, I was so excited. I could FINALLY look for baby clothes at the stores. To my disappointment, when I got to the stores I would find only a tiny back corner section for boys clothing whilst the entire front and center section of the store was jam-packed with girls clothing.

Since it’s a little more difficult (in my opinion) to shop for little boys, here are some of my FAVORITE PLACES to shop for my boys. Most of these places run sales FREQUENTLY. You don’t have to be rich to dress your kid nice, trust me I’m a bargain shopper from way back (shout out to my mom, Mary!).

Nordstrom Rack- Four words- NAME BRANDS FOR CHEAP. We found almost all of our name brand stuff for the boys there. Vans, Under Armour, Nike, Urban Republic, etc. All found there, all for a very cheap price.

DSW– The best place for shoes in my opinion, although this time around we didn’t have too much luck since the one in Grand Rapids was pretty well picked through. Apparently they start school next week so they had all of the last minute parents and guardians scooping up all of the good steals. Among our shoes this year are Nautica tennis shoes which I will link HERE, Sperry’s for our dressy days which I will link HERE, Vans Classic Checker Slip-On’s which I will link HERE, and Nike tennis shoes which I will link HERE.

The very beginning of our haul- not pictured- a million shirts and many more pants, and backpacks.

Old Navy– Old Navy is a staple for the graphic t-shirts. Especially if your kids are anything like mine and obsessed with Mario, Yoshi, Sonic, Batman, Captain America, Spiderman, etc.

Coat- Urban Republic- Nordstrom Rack. Shirt- Old Navy. Shoes- Nordstrom Rack.

The Children’s Place & Abercrombie Kids- I do all of this shopping online because I know the kids sizes and what fits them best. When they run sales, they run SALES- so get it while it lasts! The sizes seem to sell out fast. BTW- These two stores are my FAVORITE places to get jeans/pants. They don’t wear out fast and they’re not made cheaply.

So as you can see, back to school shopping doesn’t have to break your bank. Almost everything I bought for them was half off or more, you just have to put in the effort and know where to look! Not that there is anything wrong with hand-me-downs, or second hand stores such as Goodwill, but why have used clothes when you can buy brand new ones for similar prices???

I hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday, and is preparing to have a wonderful week!

Until next time,

//

Em.