Tuesday, August 16, 2016

National Thrift Shop Day

PA Du August 17th is National Thrift shop day. Rather then buying new, now would be a good time to put into practice reduce, reuse, and recycle. Where and when it came to be I have no idea. But, I can tell you a few shops in Pennsylvania Dutch Country you might want to hit up for some great sales. And while your at it, clear out some of that clutter that is sitting around your house and donate it One man's trash it another man's treasure.

Shrewsbury Goodwill- 535 S Main St Shrewsbury, PA 17361


York Rescue Mission Economy Store-283 West Market Street York, PA 17401


Salvation Army Thrift Store- 1244 Manheim Pike Lancaster, PA 17601



Another Chance Thrift Store- 3560 Fairfield Road, Gettysburg, PA 17325 Parking and entrance on west side of building


Community Aid Thrift Store- 4833 Carlisle Pike Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania 17050


And for Inspiration to help you get started repurposing:


Buy Here

What thrift shops do you like to visit? Leave a comment below.


Saturday, August 13, 2016

The Ultimate Travel Gear Shopping Guide for PA Dutch Country and Beyond

When it comes to travel nothing is more important than convenience and style. These gadgets and accessories promise to make your experience, convenient, easier and fun.

First, let's start off with your luggage. Getting everything to fit inside your suitcase can seem like an overwhelming and monumental task. Long gone are the days of jumping, sitting, and standing on your suitcase trying to get it closed. Spacepak is here to help. Let their system help you get two weeks worth of clothing into one carry-on bag. No more standing around in long lines to check in your luggage. Their system allows the clothing to be compressed resulting in more items in less space. It comes in many different styles and colors to choose from.



Now, of those clothes you are taking with you, some of them should be fast drying clothing and able to wick away moisture. I absolutely hate walking around with damp clothing. Whether your here in PA Dutch Country or in the tropics nobody likes to walk around with damp clothes. And right now it is like the tropics just take a look at the weather from Tom Russell at CBS21 In fact, you will thank me for packing those fast drying clothing when your spending the day at Hersheypark and getting splashed by water rides or taking a walk through one of our parks and working up a good sweat. I wear this type all the time when traveling around and they really are comfortable.



Next is what I consider a travel necessity. A water bottle is a very useful item that can be used in your day to day activities as well as road trips, hiking, and flying in an airplane. You should never be without water. Your body needs to stay hydrated to perform its best. Water increases your energy levels. Most daytime sleepiness is actually caused by mild dehydration. I even have a water bottle sitting here while I'm sitting at the computer, that way I don't have to worry about knocking over a glass of water. If I knock over my water bottle my electronics and desk stay protected. I own several different styles of water bottles for different needs. I like this one for traveling about it keeps water nice and cold and on those frigid Pennsylvania winter days it keeps coffee nice and hot.


Remember all that talk about keeping dry. Well you never know when your going to hit with some rain showers. Be prepared and carry a travel umbrella or a rain poncho.



For all of you that know me, you know I love to read. I prefer to have a physical book in my hand most time, but you cannot beat the convenience of a Kindle when you are traveling. The last thing I am going to do is pack a bunch of heavy books to lug around. I love my kindle because it is lightweight and I can decide what I want to read whenever I want. If I just take a few books I am limited to only those. I don't like limitations. Therefore the Kindle Fire makes a great traveling companion. Not only can you read, but you can play games and watch TV.



Like I said though, as much as I like my Kindle I still love my physical books. When I go on vacation I like to find where all the local bookstores are. Such as, The York Emporium or The Lancaster Mennonite Book Frolic which takes place every August and now also in February. I usually leave with a nice size stack of books. But, sometimes those books have stickers and such on that are not always easy to remove. That is why I suggest these Scotty peelers to save your fingernails and remove the sticker easily. You can use these on books and other soft items such as cardboard boxes. Oh, and don't forget all those Christmas packages you struggle with every year removing all those crazy labels.



And last but not least, you need to save all those travel memories with pictures and video. The Nikon COOLPIX B500 Digital Camera has features such as: 40x optical zoom/80x Dynamic Fine Zoom super telephoto, Built-in Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth® low energy (BLE) maintain a constant connection with a compatible smartphone or tablet, Shoot from creative angles with the tilting 3.0-inch 921,000-dot LCD, Simple, convenient operation for stress-free shooting,1080p Full HD video recording with stereo sound.




That's it for this edition of the Ultimate Travel Shopping Guide. Stay tuned for more editions with a lot more great items to take with you on your travel adventures. Please leave me a comment and let me know what some of your favorite items are that you like to take with you when traveling.