Thriftiness

We took the whole fam out for some thrifting this morning. It was way more fun that we expected, and me made some great finds. Even Asher had fun, once we found him some little chubby board books to flip through. And took his hat off. Because he hates hats.

Thrift Store #1 is run by a local Christian school organization, and it always has a lot of stuff. (I found a working used yogurt maker with little glass jars for $5 when we lived here before!) Problem is, the stuff is generally overpriced, in my opinion. Nevertheless, I managed to always find *something* useful. Here’s the loot from Thrift Store #1:

The books were $0.50 – $1.00/ea, the mittens $1.00, and the double walled stainless steel mug was $1.50. I’m especially happy about the mug, as Jason has lost or broken all of my stainless steel mugs, and this one is nice and big. (If I’m going to find the time to brew coffee or tea, I’m going to drink lots of it.) The mittens were a great find, as Maya has outgrown all that we have, and I’m still working on knitting mittens for the kids. (I HATE DOUBLE POINTED NEEDLES.)

Thrift Store #2 is a Salvation Army Family Store, and it’s awesome. Most things are priced great for a thrift store, and it’s huge. They also have weekly sales; all the items with a certain color tag are 50% off. I also just found out that on Saturday evenings from 5 – 8 p.m., all items with that particular week’s sale tag color are $0.49/each! We’re totally coming back on a Saturday night. Here’s the loot from Thrift Store #2:

There’s so much to be excited about in this picture! I can hardly pick what to swoon about first. Okay, here goes…

• Look at those adorable little spherical wooden salt & pepper shakers! They had the coolest selection of vintage salt & pepper shakers that I just stood there for a good 15 minutes, nevermind the wiggly baby, trying to pick *just one*. It was nearly impossible. This cute little set is labeled “salt” and “pepper,” as well as “Lebanon, Mo/In the Ozarks.” They were $0.99/each. I can see a little collection starting here…
• The honey pourer (I just googled, and that’s actually what it’s called) is glass + metal, in mint condition, and was $0.99. No more digging for honey in a jar with a spoon.
• 8″ x 8″ Pyrex baking dish – the item that started the thrift store trip to begin with. I broke my grandmother’s square baking dish right before we moved, which shattered my heart, as well. But I picked myself back up and found the only square baking dish in both thrift stores this morning, for $2.99, in perfect condition. Now we can bake Double Chocolate Snack Cake properly again.
• The boots ($3.99) are for Maya and are more than I would pay at a garage sale, but this was a thrift store. Good condition, and way cheaper than new.
• The wool sweater (50% off $3.99, so $2) will be added to my wool sweater collection. Not for wearing, but for felting and sewing into things like longies, mittens, scarves, and quilts. I might have enough for a couple of blankets now!
• The books. Ah, the books.
  • Did you see the first on the right?! A 1964 Joy of Cooking, for $3.99!!! A total steal. I’ve wanted an older Joy of Cooking for ages, but could never find one old enough to suit me that was also in my price range. I’m very happy with this score.
  • Life and Death in Shanghai, Jason’s pick, since he’s been all about Chinese culture and history lately. It was 50% off, so $1.50.
  • A Childcraft (children’s encyclopedia) about animals, with good pictures and text for Maya’s reading level. $0.99.
  • The Pooh Story Book by A.A. Milne. $0.99.
  • Animalia by Graeme Base. $0.99.

So that, my friends, was my thrifty day. All five of us spent way too long in the book section of Thrift Store #2, getting dusty, finding more things to buy. We pared it down to this. Not too bad, eh?