Just wandering around

[dewdrop_me_a_line]

$6 dollars 'll buy . . .
tons of little soaps and shampoos for our AARP's local charity drive (homeless shelter)
(funny buying from one charity to give to another)
a bed skirt that was on my 'list'
('list' is a purely mental note to self and then it appears; think thrift god)
a crochet hook, some yarn, some beads, a nice pair of socks
6 T-shirts in asst sizes for the g-kidz
(They like that ones with cool sayings on 'em.)

dew

[alexandra]

I am so glad to hear I am not the only one with "list" cluttering up her brain!  I wonder if some day, we can't put together a "thrift registry" sorta like a bridal registry... so if someone has a list, they can check off the items and we'll all see who is the luckiest!  How about it GB?  Not as if you're not busy enough...

Thriftily,
Alexandra
www.livingwithoutmoney.blogspot.com

[genuineimitation]

SeSo - go to the library. i've found lots of good books there on how to do mosaics. i'm sure there is a website - there are websites on everything in the world - i just don't know it. maybe instructables.com or ehow.com... i like the books because there are so many pretty pictures!!

[dewdrop_me_a_line]

I would love to give my family and friends a 'thrift list'. Sissy is the only 'pro' ts that gives me gifts. Not that I don't appreciate new - I just love a good story behind the find.

Today I went to the 'by the pound' GW store. I had 24.7 # and had to go back for one more item. They always talk me into it. Sigh!

I picked up several blankets, some towels and more tees for the g-kidz. There was a mob at some bins they were just bringing out. I wanted to go by and had to fight to pass. I got some very vicious looks. Wow, the bins they brought out were old shoes. Two whole bins of old shoes! I wonder if the ppl standing to attack were disappointed.

I'm sure, that some were resellers. I don't know what possessed me to go on a Friday afternoon.

Sonny took me out to lunch and we were soooo close!

dew

[SecondhandSophisticate]

On a lighter note:  What has anyone seen in someone else's carriage that they wish they had gotten first? 

This may seem out of character for me (or at least out of my normal thrifting realm), but a couple years ago I had an instance of this that still stands out in my head.

A good friend of mine had just told me in passing he was having a hard time finding a good birthday present for his girlfriend (now fiancee). The very next day I was at a thrift store and I saw the PERFECT thing for her. She collects these furry stuffed animals that I think were sold through JC Penney stores in the early 1980s called Furbles. I should say she vigorously collects them. The only one in the series she didn't have in mint shape with the tag was the yellow variety. So what did I see in said thrift store? Yup ... the yellow Furble in perfect shape with the tag still dangling off of it! Unfortunately it was also in the shopping cart of a mother and child. I actually kept my eye on them the whole time I was shopping, just in case they decided against buying it. No such luck.

Later, I told my friend the Furble collector about my experience. She said I should have snuck it out of their cart when they weren't looking. I, however, did not want to incur the wrath of the thrift gods, and wouldn't stoop to stealing a stuffed animal from a child.

Sorry to hear about your planter, SeSo. I can't tell you how many times I've broken some pristine vintage item ... and my heart at the same time. It doesn't matter if I paid 20 cents for it at a thrift shop. It feels like the eBay/antique price no matter.

Yes, Scott, I remember you had a similar experience a month or two ago. It does make me sad. My husband was even sad because he saw that it was an incredible piece, too.

As for the Furbie thing:  Ouch! I can only imagine the patience you must have had following those folk around, waiting, waiting, only to have them buy it anyway. Your friend must be a hard-core collector, lol, to want to take it sneak it out of a cart. You did good. Good karma for you for sure.

TSR, the pot is still sitting on the patio in a sad little heap. Neither DH or I have the heart to sweep it up, but the ideas of mosiac making do intrigue me! 

Just chatting with friends on a rainy evening,
SeSo

[Big Daddy Audio]

With the items in someone else's cart...

Two things come to mind: 

One - 1/20/2005 (date is exact - I was keeping a log at that point) - Saw a Luxman Tuner and Amp at the Goodwill in Sun City West about 2 minutes after some other bloke.  He just took them and bought them.  Didn't test them.  They weren't the best design, but they were Luxman.  Price for the pair was $14.99 - a steal if they worked.

Two - November 9, 2007 - Goodwill Grand opening in Surprise.  Woman had a didgeridoo (an Aboriginal instrument) in her cart - she thought it was from the southwestern US - she was doing a room in that motif.  "Nope - wrong continent - Australia"  This pissed me off because A) she didn't know what it was, and B) she already admitted that it wouldn't fit in her decor, and C) She didn't know that it was a musical instrument NOR how to play it.  I played it, and it was an easy one for me to play (they're all slightly different) so it was a bummer.  I asked if she would part with it because of A B and C above, and she said no way.

I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but I think that the score I had in Casa Grande at the end of December has expunged all the negative, avarice-type energy from my body.  I've looked, but I haven't bought anything in a thrift shop since that date.

Nothing measures up.

See you next time
bye for now.

[SecondhandSophisticate]

With the items in someone else's cart...

Two things come to mind: 

One - 1/20/2005 (date is exact - I was keeping a log at that point) - Saw a Luxman Tuner and Amp at the Goodwill in Sun City West about 2 minutes after some other bloke.  He just took them and bought them.  Didn't test them.  They weren't the best design, but they were Luxman.  Price for the pair was $14.99 - a steal if they worked.

Two - November 9, 2007 - Goodwill Grand opening in Surprise.  Woman had a didgeridoo (an Aboriginal instrument) in her cart - she thought it was from the southwestern US - she was doing a room in that motif.  "Nope - wrong continent - Australia"  This pissed me off because A) she didn't know what it was, and B) she already admitted that it wouldn't fit in her decor, and C) She didn't know that it was a musical instrument NOR how to play it.  I played it, and it was an easy one for me to play (they're all slightly different) so it was a bummer.  I asked if she would part with it because of A B and C above, and she said no way.

I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but I think that the score I had in Casa Grande at the end of December has expunged all the negative, avarice-type energy from my body.  I've looked, but I haven't bought anything in a thrift shop since that date.

Nothing measures up.

See you next time
bye for now.

Big Daddy:  As to the Luxman's: Ouch! What a drag! I hate when that happens.

As to the Australian instrument: What a b*tch! I wonder why she wanted it? Maybe to resell? Or maybe just because she could, you know what I mean? I've had other buyers do that to me, like it makes them feel good to think they "got one over" another human being. Geez, if they got a score, the least they could do is be humble   BTW, one of my favorite cassettes back in the day was by Baka an Australian group who played the didgeridoo. It's great music. I admire that you can play it.

And your score in Casa Grande: I am touched by your experience. I know exactly what you mean. Nothing else satisfies.Your bar has been raised significantly. To me, that signals that the finds may be rarer, but they will be beyond your expectations. Isn't that neat?   

Ciao, Bella!
SeSo

[genuineimitation]

had the unfriendly shopper experience today for the first time! i can't believe it! i saw this jinormous cake stand - seriously, this puppy was LARGE - and i commented to my daughter "whoa - there's a BIG cakestand!" and this woman says, "i..was..just..about..to..buy..it." and gives me the big frosty cold shoulder. yikes! so, i offered to help her move the dang thing so she wouldn't break it on the way to her cart. i didn't want her to think i was actually interested in it...javascript:void(0); seriously, it was big enough for a wedding cake. hope she got it home safely..