Not everyone who cruises is independently wealthy. I would posit, in fact, that most of us sacrifice at least a little in order to enjoy vacationing on the high seas. As I like alliteration as much as the next writer, this will be the first in a series I am calling, Thrifty Thursdays for Cruising. We all like to save money and saving money can help us get on board our favorite cruise ships.
When I am not roaming the seas as Warrior Two, I disguise myself as a humble reseller. It’s a great cover. No one can guess my secret identity. Okay, that’s a lie. Anyone who knows me knows that the thing I love most in life, well other than my family, friends, and dog, is cruising. My love of cruising really is no secret. But, in real life I am what is known as a reseller. I resell mostly on ebay, but I have dabbled in Poshmark, Etsy, Mercari and Facebook Marketplace. At the time of this post, I only sell on ebay.
I started about ten years ago and, in large part, this is what allows us to cruise. I buy things at thrift stores, estate sales and auctions and resell them online for a profit. It’s mostly fun although a reselling business can take over your life…and your home, but more on that later. One of the benefits of reselling thrifted items is that I find cool things for our home and lives and often, these things can be used for cruising. I am excited to share some of my finds with you in the hopes that you might add thrifting to your arsenal of money saving tips.
Most of us book our cruises well in advance of embarkation so we have plenty of time to look for those treasures that will make our cruise special. If you have never shopped at a thrift store or a yard sale, I would encourage you to give it a try. You would be amazed at how many things you will find that still have the original price tags on them. It can be uncomfortable for some people. In fact, I had never been to a yard sale or a thrift store until I met my, now, sister-in-law. I grew up going with my dad to antique stores and flea markets to look for items for his golf collection but, to my knowledge, we never bought anything else second hand. Anyway, it is a little like treasure hunting and it sure is fun when I find something for cruising.
We will also share other money saving tips in Thrifty Thursdays and I will be excited to hear from you about ways that you save money for cruising. This week, I will show you a few of the things I got for our upcoming Alaskan cruise.
Rubber Ducks – I only recently learned about hiding rubber ducks on cruise ships. I will clean these up and add them to my stash that I plan to hide next week. The pink duck lights up! (25¢
Beach Towel – Yes, I am taking a beach towel with me on our Alaskan cruise. It’s supposed to be in the 80s at least a couple of days and I plan on swimming or at least hanging out in a hot tub. It makes it easier to find my chair in a sea of chairs covered with Royal Caribbean beach towels. Besides, it’ll look cute with my dolphin towel clips. (75¢)
Merrell non-skid Sandals – I almost never find shoes, much less Merrells, in my size when I am out thrifting. I will wear these to the pool and put them under the chair with my cool beach towel. ($2.00)
Black Panther Backpack – I decided that a backpack would be helpful as my personal carry-on for the flight and for our excursions. I started looking on Amazon to buy one and then I remembered that I had this one. Why yes, I do love Marvel. Wakanda Forever! ($2.50)
Crookshanks Plush Cat – Umm, it’s for my Lil Cruise Warriors (aka granddaughter). They recently visited Harry Potter World at Universal Studios and who doesn’t love Crookshanks? ($1.50)
Blue Beach Themed Cinch Purse – Yeah, I probably won’t need it on this cruise, but it’s cute, right? ($2.00)
Black Mock-Croc Passport Pouch – I love a tiny purse that only carries the essentials. (50¢)
Kinu Travel Size Toiletries – These are made for the ARIA Resort in Las Vegas. Believe it or not, I have sold high-end toiletries from upscale resorts. I picked these up a couple of months ago and actually had them listed but I just found out that non-suite staterooms on Royal don’t really offer any toiletries…so, I de-listed these and am putting them into.. ($2.00)
Ziplock Charm Collection Slider Bags – Y’all, I love these. I am one of those people who tuck their toiletries into Ziplock bags for travel. It’s boring but it has always worked to keep things from leaking in my suitcase. But now I have found CUTE Ziplock bags. Evidently, I am not the only one to use Ziplock bags for packing so they made these. I had never seen these before so I grabbed them. (50¢)
And finally…
Outback Synthetic Suede Cowboy Hat – Okay, so I bought this a couple of weeks ago and listed it in my store last weekend. I love this hat. I want to keep this hat. It’s probably a silly hat for a cruise to Alaska but I made myself a deal that if it doesn’t sell by Tuesday, I am keeping it. ($1.50)
Well, there you have it, ten thrifted items for my upcoming trip. My total spent? $13.50. Not bad.
So, get out there and see what you can find. I look forward to seeing your treasures.
Let’s CRUISE!