A Practical Thrift Purchase For These Tough Ecomonic Times

[SeSo_Says_So]

As you all know from my previous posts, I am one who usually thrifts
stuff that we could all live without--the Vera scarves, the vintage pottery pieces, etc. I love quality and I love beauty and want to be surrounded by it in my everyday life.

But,with gas being almost $4 a gallon in these here parts, and prices of everything rising, I've reconsidered my thrift purchases greatly.  Hence, today's purchase.

When Spacecadet and I lived in apts many years ago we did not have a dryer, so we purchased a huge laundry rack to dry our clothes. It was ten bucks at the time, which was a lot of money for us. It was a very practical purchase which got a lot of use. When we finally got our own washer and dryer (yeay!), I put it away. Now, with everything being so expensive, I pulled it out again, dusted if off and am using it. Some weeks go by when I don't use my dryer at all, which is saving a lot of energy and $$$, since the dryer is one of the biggest energy hogs of the home. But as big as it is, I always need more drying space.

Today I found a smaller, but what appears to be vintage WOOD clothes drying rack for 2.50. I am ~thrilled~. It will be perfect for hubby's socks and undies and my "unmentionables" , thereby freeing up space on the bigger rack for sheets, towels and things.

It's fashionable to be frugal again. 

Yeay! Thrift SCORE!         

[valleythriftshopper]

That's funny, I am actually in the market for a drying rack.  The wood one I got at a thrift just fell apart, I use them alot.  I will probably hit Walmart soon if I can thrift another one, have no idea what they go for these days.

[SeSo_Says_So]

That's funny, I am actually in the market for a drying rack.  The wood one I got at a thrift just fell apart, I use them alot.  I will probably hit Walmart soon if I can thrift another one, have no idea what they go for these days.

Yes, they are great, aren't they?

Spacecadet went to Lowes a few weeks ago and priced one--a small one, made from metal, for 89 dollars! EEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeKKK! 

Just didn't want ya to have sticker shock...

[Mattie]

Eighty nine DOLLARS?? Yeesh!  The only ones I see in thrifts are flimsy plastic, so maybe a good one is expensive these days.  I bought my wood "Madison Tall Boy" drying rack from a hardware store nearly twenty years ago and it's been in constant use ever since.  It's over five feet tall and I'm good at covering every inch of it with clothes.  Then I do a load of sheets and drape them over everything so the clothes won't blow off, since I dry everything out on the patio.  When I need to dry heavy blankets, I turn it sideways for stability. 

[valleythriftshopper]

My Mom had a drying rack like that, that is ideally what I would like to get.  No way I would spend $89.00, Walmart will probably have one for 30-40 dollars, although I'm sure they only have metal or flimsy wood racks, maybe I'll get lucky we'll see, I'll report back when I get one.

[genuineimitation]

got my fantastic, wonderful rack from ikea for $17. it holds TONS of clothes and is metal, so easily moveable. i used to have a wooden rack, which i loved, but didn't hold anywhere near as much as this.

$89 is ridiculous, but still cheaper than running the dryer

[valleythriftshopper]

Too bad Massachusetts has no Ikeas!

[oceangurl]

valleythrift, you can find a wooden rack from walmart,  I bought mine a few yrs ago there, I cant remember how much I paid but I think it was around $20.00 or so. I keep ours up and in our bedroom, when we shower we hang our big towels on it to dry so they dont "sour". Being that we are on our own 5 acres we have a round clothes tree outside but when it rains I hang all our things that cant go in the dryer on the rack in our bedroom and anywhere else around the house that has a hangable surface...lol! Funny how this topic came up here on the forum , my husband just said to me tonight "can we put this rack in the bathroom?" it was in his way when he woke up in the morning and it was still dark, he would stumble on it. we tried it in the bathroom but it detracted from my decorations....lol...so we decided to put it back in our bedroom and turn it sideways, which seems to have solved the dilemena for now..I thought about just folding it up and putting it away but I thought about just how much we really do use it...Like I said we have not even mentioned this rack for yrs and tongiht of all nights we talked about it and I turn on this forum and lo and behold here it was in topic, just to funny for me!

[mccoysnina]

We were cleaning out my MILs house since we were selling it.  She had one of those clothes racks that didnt' get sold.  The buyer is a young guy and he said he would take anything that didnt' sell. So we were left  it for him along with a few pieces of other furniture in the LR.  MY DH's aunt said she was passing by (really ? In a house set way back on the lot, far from the street?  She must have amazing vision to see thru the window from that far away.) Anyway, she said she had just bought a rack at Kmart and it was so rickety she took it back and  could she have the old one.  I honestly didn't care so took it to her.  She said it was much sturdier that the new one she had bought.  And it must be 40 years old.  Soemtimes new isn't always better.
Jeannie

[valleythriftshopper]

I got a newer wood rack at a thrift several months ago for 3 bucks.  It was rickity and recently fell apart.  I got my 3 dollars worth, but I wouldn't buy one of those again!

[dukek9]

I got two racks that came with my house when I bought it. Iniatially I wasn't very thrilled with them but they were sturdy and I figured would be useful. Now, I use them very often.  Don't you love the freebies that come with houses?

I always try to leave something useful behind for he new owners when I sell a house,  And when renovating have found little trinkets behinds walls and such--a child's necklace or a small toy or in one instance some old letters. So when renovating, I always sign the studs or write a little or something like that. 

Dee

[Krisathome]

I have 2 of those Walmart wooden racks.  I use them all the time.  I never dry any of our good clothes in the dryer, I think it wears them out faster.  Plus it does save us money.   

[linbryant]

I live in Massachusetts and there is an IKEA in Stoughton.  I bought the metal drying rack a few weeks back (I think I paid $12).  It is so wonderful.  It's adjustable so you can use only half of it if needed and take up less space.   I think you can buy this online and even with shipping would still be a bargain.   

Linda

[valleythriftshopper]

Yes I mispoke when I said no Ikea in MA, I did remember there was one somewhere, too far away from me, I go to Eastern MA alot but not near Stoughton, you are lucky to have the one Ikea near you.  They were trying to open one in Somerville, but there was too much conflict over it.  Nice to see someone else here from MA!

[joyantionette]

I have been saving about $35 a month by not using my dryer!  I bought a brand new pop open spinning clothes line (They are square.) from a yard sale, it was still in the box.  It was priced at $20 but I bargained with the owner, committed to buying a few other items, and got it for $10.  I just happened to have some sturdy rope laying around so I strung some high up (I am tall) in my mudroom/laundry room which has windows on 3 sides of the room so good air circulation and now I can hang 2 loads on a rainy day as well!  It is just amazing how much "juice" dryers use! 

Good job on saving money and energy!