❈Sac Thrift Chick❈

So let me tell you a little story that may or may not be entirely factually accurate, depending on how well my memory has held up. I was 17 (I think) and in love with a band called The Ataris. The band's pop-punk tunes of crushes, heartache and life's complications just like so totally resonated with my teenage soul. The band was coming to Sacramento and my then boyfriend, or possibly "ex-boyfriend, but still friends," John and I were so stoked. I had saved up my money and then I got grounded, per usual. John went without me. Cue crushing of my teenage soul. I don't remember how I dealt, but I probably blasted The Ataris in my room and ranted to my friends on AOL Instant Messenger, in typical teenage protest. Whether from lack of funds, lack of ride or permission, missing any show sent in me a ranting Livejournal rage at that age, but this one especially stung. Fast forward in time and I kept missing opportunities to see The Ataris. I was devastated again ...

Generally, I like to say I'm thrifty, not cheap. I am a thrifty shopper, but I don't like to buy cheap quality clothes or furniture, for example. Sometimes, when it really doesn't matter, I am just plain cheap. When it comes to organizing my makeup, I'm cheap. I don't need my makeup organization to look nice; I just need it to be functional and portable. I don't own a lot of makeup, and I wear even less on a regular basis. My makeup organization goal was to create a simple system that would allow me to quickly grab what I needed from lightweight, portable containers. I've always kept my makeup in a narrow, plastic drawer from an organizational desk caddy I used in elementary school. The caddy fell apart ages ago, but I've put the surviving drawers to use for the past 20 years. I used to just toss all my makeup in this little drawer, but I got sick of digging around to find what I needed. To organize my makeup, I repurposed prescription pill bo...

I don't really have a bucket list. I guess I'm not a bucket list person. But I do have a concert list. I've been lucky enough to see most of the musicians from that list, but one band at the top of the list seemed out of reach. Until, in insomniac daze, in a quest to find an inexpensive adventure for our eighth wedding anniversary, I Googled "county fairs Northern California" and discovered THE BEACH BOYS were scheduled to play two Bay Area county fairs, and the Sonoma-Marin Fair included the concert and all rides for the price of $15 admission. I was so excited I nearly cried. I nearly woke up my sleeping husband.