Day 227 and the Wal-Mart Clearance Aisle

I love the Wal-mart clearance aisle. Sometimes you can find great bargains there. Sometimes you can find junk you don't need there. LOL. But recently, I came across some plastic water bottles marked down to 25 cents each. Since my kids are always hollering for a drink of water when we're outside, I bought a bunch of them, put their names on them, and now we've got water with us wherever we go. I had a little plastic tote already that the 8 bottles (7 kids and mine) fit perfectly in. I can fill the bottles in the morning, stick the tote in the fridge, and grab it when we go outside or go for a walk. The kids love it and I'm loving it too.

Some other great deals I've found on the Wal-mart clearance aisle: A couple of years ago, I found the nice pocket folders (the ones I usually won't buy because they are not 5 cents at the start of school) for 2 cents each! This would have been a better bargain had I not spilled something all over them and ruined them. Last year, I found some really nice calendars that I bought to give as Christmas gifts. I also found 35 mm disposable cameras for $1 there last fall. Well, I thought they were disposable. Turned out they weren't. They came pre-loaded with film, but they could be re-used! I used some as Christmas gifts and kept a couple for when my kids wanted a camera for something.

The bottom line when you're doing any kind of shopping, even if it's on the clearance aisle, at the thrift store, or at garage sales: Make sure you have a real use or need for what you're getting. Don't just get it because it's on sale. Even if it's super cheap, you're just wasting money and space on stuff you don't really need and will probably end up throwing away (or spilling something on) later.