Goodwill® Valentine’s Date Night
Like a lot of parents of young kids, we don’t get out a whole lot. When you’re on a tight budget that includes monthly childcare that costs more than your mortgage, it’s hard to justify hiring a sitter for just about anything. But as Valentine’s Day approaches and cold, wintry nights take hold, we decided to made an exception to our normal rule. We found a sitter available and made a date night trip for some fun at our local Goodwill– and figured we’d splurge on a bite to eat afterward in our new duds!
I’m lucky in a lot of ways, but one of them is the fact that my husband lets me buy nearly everything in his wardrobe from Goodwill. He’s basically been my Ken doll for the bulk of our relationship– lucky him! So I know good and well what he will and won’t wear, his current (and most previous) sizes, and his favorite brands and colors. I was pretty stoked, though, going into date night, knowing that I had a perfect excuse to mix it up a bit and convince him to try some stuff on that’s (VERY) outside his comfort zone.
I, on the other hand, have probably never told him what size I wear over the years– and as we head into the store he tells me he’s always been a bit scared to ask. I’m pretty picky about what I will and won’t wear, so as we walk in, I start to get a bit nervous. But he does know I like bright things, frilly things, and cozy things, so he had a decent idea of what to aim for.
He was unusually excited to be shopping and adorably proud to show off what he’d found for me to try on. Among his selections were a gold and silver shiny mini-dress with a black hat/scarf accessory, a few bright sundresses, a floral maxi dress, and a few cardigans. He even found a silk dress purse as an accessory. Gotta love him for wanting to get me out of my long term mom-bag rut.
Although most were a swing and a miss as far as fit goes, I did fall in love with the red cardigan and the striped dress.
For him, I found some cool vintage ties, a nice wool sweater vest, a couple of dress shirts, some pointy leather dress shoes and THE MOST AMAZING SHINY SILVER ITALIAN SLIM FIT PANTS THAT HAVE EVER EXISTED.
And of course, it wouldn’t be a Valentines date without an exchange of gifts. We’re big fans of proper hydrating– whether it’s water or tea. So we exchanged drinking vessels that best suit our drink of choice.
By the time we were finished shopping for each other and our mini fashion show, the place was starting to close up, so we made a swift exit with our finds. On the way out I found a fun pair of heart-shaped earrings to compliment my red cardigan and wear to dinner. Ed changed into his sweater vest and tie in the car, and we headed to grab some Pho.
For $22 we dressed each other up for our dinner date and made some memories together that we’ll remember fondly each time we put those items on, or drink from our cups we found for one another.
But you know the best part? Not only did we get a night out alone, have a fun time, and get an excuse to be a little silly, but our Goodwill purchases will help families in our community gain stability through work. What’s not to love about that? So show yourself and your community some love this Valentine’s Day, and maybe plan a Goodwill date of your own.
