So yesterday we headed off to experience an only-in-the-valley phenomenon – the Ropa Usada.  As you get closer to the Mexican border there are plenty of these huge warehouses that are full of clothes.  I’m not sure where exactly the clothing comes from, but the one that we went to seemed to be any clothes left over from thrift shops around the country.
The clothing (and bedding and towels) arrives in big bundles, like those in the back of the warehouse.

It seemed that there were ladies sorting though some piles back in the “employee only” section, so I’m thinking that anything that doesn’t make THAT cut gets put into the Clothes Mountain,

and that’s where WE get to shop. I was the only one in our group that had ever been to a Ropa Usada before (and that was 7 years ago) so I led the way up the mountain.

But trust me, the rest of the girls were not far behind!

Every now and again, a fork lift truck comes by and gives an area a little “fluff”-


Kind of gives ‘rotating the stock’ a whole new meaning!

Needless to say, you have to look pretty hard and pretty carefully to find any treasures in this mountain. I think I did pretty well:

A nice sweater

Cute sleeveless cotton shirt with some interesting details

Long sleeve classic shirt – it’s nice and lightweight and will be great for painting or for when I get back into the fiberglass this summer!

Comfy white pants (Liz Claiborne)

This is on a little leotard, so I’m not sure which of the grandgirls it will fit (if any). But if nothing else, I should be able to re-purpose that great skirt into something for dress-up!

Sequins and Tinkerbell – another grandgirl possibility! Everyone loves a little bling!

A really soft Hello Kitty bathrobe. My first thought was to make pillows, but it washed up very nicely, and it actually fits me! I might just hang onto it for a bit and see if it’s anything that I can use.
And finally –

This pretty blue scarf.
Everything washed up great and I think it was a worthwhile investment!
Oh, the actual investment?
Well, at $.30 per pound, my total bill came to $1.06.
Yep, $1.06.
🙂

We all thought it was quite the adventure and I think everyone had a good time. And to really seal the deal on a fun day out and about – we were blessed with this upon our return –

Ahhhhh……

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