Flash Shopping

Many people ask me, "How do you have time to decorate your house?" And "I never have time to shop! How do you do it?" Well, let me introduce you to something I like to call flash shopping. On those rare occasions when I am kid-less and I have to run to the grocery store for a few things, I like to conveniently go to Target because it is located right next to Ross. And for those of you that have a Ross (or Marshalls, Tuesday Morning, Homegoods, or TJMaxx) know that their inventory changes daily so it's different, and hopefully a new experience, every time you go in.

Flash shopping doesn't have to be done without kids, but if your child isn't up for the challenge, then find a time when you can go alone. This technique also works for thrift stores, although I usually dedicate a little more time since there's so much junk treasure to go through.

So before going into the store I set my phone timer for TEN minutes, and once the timer goes off, I absolutely have to stop what I am doing and either leave the store empty handed, or go check out. This helps me not waste time, because we all know those stores can be time sucking vortexes, and it also helps me justify going in once a week.

When I do my flash shopping at these stores, I make a mental note of the areas of the store I want to look at, and it almost always includes

Pillows
Rugs
Lamps
Picture frames
Accessories (where I seem to spend the bulk of my time)
Baskets
Mirrors and Art

Many times there are specific things I am looking for, but other times I just like to go for the thrill of the hunt, because if you're like me, there's nothing like finding a good deal!

Because our Ross is small and never very full of inventory (boo), I can easily hit all these spots in ten minutes. However, when Homegoods by our house opens, (squeeeeeee!!!) attempting a flash shopping trip there will be futile I'm sure. But maybe at some point I will even be able to only spend ten minutes in there too. We'll see about that.

Anyway, on this particular trip I took a few photos of things that caught my eye.

 These pillows were $17 for the pair, and I liked the color and pattern.

 Not sure what I would do with this large square monkey fist, but in the right room, it would be pretty cool. Maybe on a bookcase in a nautical boys room?

These bookends are pretty awesome, but I think they were $12.99 ea. so I had to pass. 

This elephant is definitely unique, and standing alone, he's pretty bold, but he would look great in a well staged bookcase with other colorful accents. 

This 5x7 rug was a great color but not sure it was worth $50, since I've gotten rugs here before for $35 before.

Love this metal basket for $9! 

This colored jar with a jute rope is super cute and there were also two other larger sizes in the same style. I think this one, which was the smallest one, was $8.99, which wasn't worth it to me.

I like the detail in this basket, but it was a little fragile and not practical for kids.

I really liked this basket, but it was a little lopsided. The size was perfect to use as a toy basket or for blankets.

I am never impressed with Ross's art collection, mainly because I'm not into Marilyn Monroe, Bob Marley, or colorful downtown city scapes, but sometimes they have a few decent art pieces. This was a cute canvas, especially for $16. It would look great in the right space.

I don't know why I was drawn to this little bird house, but I thought it would be adorable in a little rose garden. Which I don't have. So I left it on the shelf. 

There was nothing that I absolutely couldn't live without, so I went home empty handed on this shopping trip. 

So the next time you are out shopping and you pass a store with home decor, try out my flash shopping technique, and let me know how it goes!

Happy treasure hunting!