In this vlog I gave myself a little “budget shopping reality check” and did a Goodwill vs Five Below day—because why not make questionable decisions in two very different aisles of chaos? I started out at Southern Roots (the antique mall where my booth is) to fluff, condense, and plan a markdown so I can move some inventory. I also did a little shopping while I was there, because booth 16 was absolutely serving—California pottery bunny, corduroy bunnies, a kitschy skunk, Casper, and all the tiny treasures that tug at my heartstrings. Then I popped into Five Below while they were basically mid-truck, with the music blasting like always. I went straight for the squishies, blind bags, and pure nonsense (yes, I bought the big banana and spent a stupid amount of money). It’s fun, it’s whimsical, and honestly those squeezies are therapy if you’ve got arthritis—my only complaint is I wish more of them smelled, because I love multi-sensory slime. After that, I literally looked across the street and said, “Let’s just go in,” and hit Goodwill. I wasn’t expecting much, but I ended up scanning plush with my eBay app (filtering to solds), passing on low-profit Build-A-Bears, and grabbing a few winners like a Jurassic Park plush and an Ewok. Takeaway: Five Below is fun for quick dopamine and unboxings, but Goodwill can still be the better money move—if you’re willing to look things up and be picky.