What's your favorite thrifty purchase of all-time?

[Jay2TheRescue]

What's your favorite?  I'll start off, and I will shock some.  Its not a vitnage item.  Its a Sharper Image Ionic Breeze Quadra that I purchased in a church thrift for under $10. 

I love it.  When I come home from a long day at work the air in my bedroom is as fresh and invigorating as after a springtime thunderstorm.  Best $10 I ever spent thrifting as I absolutely enjoy it every day, and I get better sleep when its on.

What's your favorite purchase?

-Jay

[jacmiley]

I hate to say it but jeans, jeans, and more jeans. Most women are obsessed with shoes, I'm a jeans girl. I got 6 pairs plus a couple of shirts for under 30 bucks once. Yay me!

[valleythriftshopper]

What's your favorite?  I'll start off, and I will shock some.  Its not a vitnage item.  Its a Sharper Image Ionic Breeze Quadra that I purchased in a church thrift for under $10. 

I love it.  When I come home from a long day at work the air in my bedroom is as fresh and invigorating as after a springtime thunderstorm.  Best $10 I ever spent thrifting as I absolutely enjoy it every day, and I get better sleep when its on.

What's your favorite purchase?

-Jay

That's interesting, I always heard that those ionic air fresheners were no good, but apparently that one is.  I was at a yard sale two summers ago and a woman was offering a new air purifier in the box for 10 bucks.  That yard sale had some good stuff and I was already buying so many things & running out of cash so I passed it up, but I do wish I could have got it, I would like a nice air purifier too. 

It is hard to say what my favorite thrift purchase is I have found so many interesting things in the past several years.  Maybe the set of McKee polka dot mixing bowls I put a picture in the photo gallery last year.  Many of the great things were from the old Salvation Army around the corner, which was exactly the way a thrift store should be.  They have since made "improvements" & it is pretty sucky for the most part now . 

[Jay2TheRescue]

I've owned many ionizers over the years, and they do work, but most of them have an effective range of only 5 or 6 feet.  The Ionic Breeze Quadra is the best I have ever tried, and because it was thrifted, the cheapest too!  It operates totally silently, and has no moving parts or filters to replace.  I just take the stainless steel plates out once every couple of weeks and rinse them out in the tub.  Let them sit out to air dry, then put them back in.  I'd say I do less than 5 minutes maintenance in a month.

-Jay

[jacmiley]

Oh oh oh .. I just remembered another great thrift find. Dishes! I got a new set of dishes for 12 bucks. I love them! Bright and colorful just like me!

[SplashsMom]

I have been trying to figure out my answer to this for days...or at least hours.  And while working on my answer I ignored the wonderful thrifted (actually freecycle gift) candle warmer at my "desk" (also a free find) on which I am keeping my hot chocolate warm.

[valleythriftshopper]

Hey, that's a good idea.  I found one of those brand new at a church rummage fair this summer.  If I don't use it as a last minute Christmas gift, I'll use it as a beverage warmer- never occured to me.

[Emerald31]

Since I just recently started back into thrifting my favorite purchase so far has been two items.  A pair of Dingo boots in excellent condition for $5 and a Pyrex cinderella bowl that is a promotional salad bowl made in 1960 for only $2. I purchased both items from 2 Goodwills in my area. Also found 2 crystal vintage table lamps for $4 each, but since I am having a hard time finding the right shades for them they are low on my list right now.

[valleythriftshopper]

Good lamp shades are hard to find, especially a pair.  You can get craft lampshades at Joann's, Michaels, etc.  They have sticky ones that you can lay fabric over without glue.  You can use vintage trim too to give them a vintage look.  That's what I did with a lamp I found out on the side of the road.

[Jay2TheRescue]

I bought some vintage dresser lamps years ago and restored them myself.  It took forever to find shades.  The shades I found in Lowe's and Home Depot were either too big or too small.  I finally found the perfect shades in a lamp shop, but they were $50/ea, but well worth is because I've been using them for 10 years, and the shades still look great.

-Jay

[Zed Simon]

Well, let's define "favorite." If you mean "the item I get most pleasure from using on a regular basis," then it's my Pioneer PL-518 turntable. Got it the same day it was donated. The strobe lit up, the platter spun, the tonearm moved the way it should have...sold! for $14.91. Direct-drive, auto-return, and all 4 rubber feet still intact, which is increasingly rare for this model. It hasn't asked for a thing but to be played once in a while. But I upgraded the cartridge, and man does it sing.

Close second, or maybe even tied for first is the Pioneer SX-838 receiver the turntable is hooked to. Big, heavy, smooth and wonderful in every way. This is what good audio was all about in the mid '70s. And it's just as good now.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Well, let's define "favorite." If you mean "the item I get most pleasure from using on a regular basis,"

That's a good way to put it...  There's lots of discussion on the coolest things we've found, and the best deals, but not much talk on what is used the most, or brings the most pleasure to our daily lives.

[foutchie]

Toss up between high end jeans, and vintage crystal vanity lamps! 

[nancydr2]

The thrifted item I use the most is a pair of Jones New York pants I found last year.  They are my all time favorite pair of pants.

The item I love the most is a vintage Sirram picnic hamper.  These were made in England and were intended for the weekend motorist who wanted to stop and have tea during the drive.  The hamper itself is unspectacular--it is essentially a chipboard suitcase.  But then you open it and find the hamper is filled with four place settings of Aynsley china including tea cups and saucers, four place settings of silverware, two thermoses, red and white plastic sandwich boxes, and an assortment of other plastic bottles and boxes for condiments.  Everything in it is in mint condition, except for one chipped teacup.  It's so elegant.  I have never used it, but I love to take it out and look at it.  I love how everything fits perfectly in it's spot.  I paid a whopping $12 for it.  It's kind of a secret little treasure I keep hidden away.

[Thrift Shop Romantic]

I don't think I can even answer this question, since I have so many thrifted things I love for different reasons. I look around my house and see all these thrifted things that add so much to my sense of peace in my house-- things I find comfort and beauty in-- well, it's a bit like asking, "Which of your children is your favorite?"

If pressed, I suppose I'd say it's one of my hand-painted vintage lamps. It's just beautifully done and brings me great joy.