Thrift Score!

[Moralia]

The city's charity "garage sale" of the year was this weekend. We went on Saturday and I bought nothing, but BF and my sister got some good, small things, spending $14 total for an art book, a statuette, some bowls and a case for an iTouch.

Then we went back today. For $3 and a fight with hordes of anxious shoppers, you got a huge cardboard box to fill with anything you wanted. We got two boxes, so for $6: 40 or so books (about 15 fiction, 15 beautiful art books, some with loads of full-color plates, and 10 ordinary nonfiction), plus 2 vintage scarves, a robe and a nice pillowcase.

Some of the used books go for $70+ in the shape we got them in, most for $30+, so I'd estimate the value of the stuff we got at $400+ at non-specialty store prices.

That wouldn't happen to have been the Settlement Home sale, would it?
I go every year on Sunday (half-price day) to stock up on linens.  I only did the box sale one time, though...too much shoving.

Yes! This was my second near-riot box sale. Fun, with wondrous deals, unless you get hurt!

I might try again next year...the kiddo will be 15, and I have been training her in The Way of the Thiftsale.

[mbbored]

A mixture of consignment and bargain hunting this weekend yielded two pairs of jeans, three camisoles and a cardigan for $50.

[Micah]

I've decided that I have a problem with sewing machines....I now have four, five if you count the dead one. BUT I picked up the fourth one at a garage sale, for twenty bucks! It's ancient. From what I can work out it was like THE first Singer that was portable and electric. It's the same shape as the old treadle ones, but it's in a wooden box. Weighs a ton. After I picked about fifty years of fluff out of it and oiled it, it's in perfect working condition, yay! I do need to stop though. I don't even sew that much....

[otterwoman]

I've decided that I have a problem with sewing machines....I now have four, five if you count the dead one. BUT I picked up the fourth one at a garage sale, for twenty bucks! It's ancient. From what I can work out it was like THE first Singer that was portable and electric. It's the same shape as the old treadle ones, but it's in a wooden box. Weighs a ton. After I picked about fifty years of fluff out of it and oiled it, it's in perfect working condition, yay! I do need to stop though. I don't even sew that much....

Old Singer! I envy you!

[Moralia]

I've decided that I have a problem with sewing machines....I now have four, five if you count the dead one. BUT I picked up the fourth one at a garage sale, for twenty bucks! It's ancient. From what I can work out it was like THE first Singer that was portable and electric. It's the same shape as the old treadle ones, but it's in a wooden box. Weighs a ton. After I picked about fifty years of fluff out of it and oiled it, it's in perfect working condition, yay! I do need to stop though. I don't even sew that much....

Problem? I don't understand...but then again I have 5 old machines in perfect working order and another 4 in process of restoration.

[VorFemme]

I just gave away a White sewing machine (original wiring) in a vintage desk - tendinitis is making restoration too painful.  A neighbor had given it to me.....I suspect he'd left it on the back porch to dry after attempting to refinish the desk when it rained unexpectedly and he didn't want to refinish the desk twice!

Lovely little desk, too, the machine was in need of substantial amounts of tender loving care, rust remover, and possibly a new presser foot bar (stuck and possibly bent as well as corroded).

I have a serger, an embroidery machine, a sewing machine, and a reproduction Singer treadle - that's enough, for now.  Unless one of them goes to the repair shop.....then I always end up NEEDING the machine that went to the shop for something that only THAT machine can do.

I also collect dragons (including glass, pottery, metal, computer skin, and now a Windows 7 theme suite for the Chinese Year of the Dragon); books (ebooks & real ones); sewing & crafting supplies (buttons, yarn, fabric, embroidery thread for the machine AND hand embroidery, and more.....); and techy stuff (two laptop computers & five ereaders - so I'm never without a charged ereader). 

Because I hate to take only ONE book with me....in case I sit down and realize that "I want to read something else today"! 

[*new*mommyagain36]

There is a little consignment shop here that carries childrens clothing - she only accepts name brands and most items still have the original tags.  I regularly get bags of dresses for DD. That place is awesome and I stop there almost monthly.  One time I got 5 Gymboree dresses, new for $4 each, the tags were $30+.  I easily saved $130.  I was almost whoozy walking out of there.   

[heartmug]

Gymboree stuff is so great!  So unique and seems to really last.  Great score for you.

[LadyClaire]

I bought an antique (circa late 1800s) solid oak office chair for $15 yesterday at a second-hand shop. I looked online and similar chairs sell for anywhere from $80-$300, depending on condition.

Mine is missing a bolt, and has some scratches, but I certainly paid a LOT less than what it's actually worth. It's incredibly heavy, and the missing bolt is easily replaced.

I'm debating if I want to re-finish it (just sand it down due to the scratches and then re-varnish it) or polish it up and leave as-is.

[Debbie506]

North Face pants (that wonderful easy travel material), perfect fit, if they are not brand new they haven't been worn more than a couple of times - $3.99 at Salvation Army (usual price somewhere in the neighbourhood of $100-$120). 

And I only went in to drop off some stuff I wanted to donate.

[Outdoor Girl]

I'm debating if I want to re-finish it (just sand it down due to the scratches and then re-varnish it) or polish it up and leave as-is.

The bolded gets my vote.  I have no idea why they call it refinishing.  Putting the new finish on is the easy part!

[Zenith]

Scored the best boots ever last Monday for 4$. Taipan boots by highmark RRP 250$ and they are real leather and in really good shape. Whoever had them last had just broken them in which I love and they look almost new after a light polish. My ankles will thank me when I go for my bush walks.

Also scored some brass and steel wire wrapped horse nail jewellery. Whoever made these was quite the artist and my solid cuffs and bangles drawers has quite a few new members. Also managed to score a brand new striking billabong sports bag in gloriously garish purple and gold so I will never have my bag 'borrowed' again.

[Midnight Kitty]

I found 3 brand new (with manufacturer's tags still on), name brand bras that fit me perfectly at my favorite thrift store.  Most of their stuff is used/donated by people like me.  In fact, I joke with them that I'm returning the stuff I bought from them 5 years ago so I can buy "new" stuff and someone else can enjoy the clothes I've been wearing.  They also receive unsold stock from Nordstom, Macy's, Needless Markup, Banana Republic, Victoria's Secret, and Sears/Kmart.  Now I have a light lilac, light peach, and ivory unpadded bras with extra wide shoulder straps and the "chest strap" is over an inch wide with 3 hook-and-eyes.  When I hook that sucker up, it feels snug, but doesn't dig in.

It was 25% off day, so each bra was $4.50.  I've seen this name brand sell for $25-30 each in the department stores.

My favorite color is purple.  My traveling clothes are a light purple pair of sweat pants and a dark purple loose T-shirt with purple Crocs.  I needed carry-on luggage for when I travel for work (trip to Nashville in May).  I priced new luggage, but even Costco wanted more than I wanted to spend, so I bought a used, slightly battered carry-on for less than $15 at my favorite thrift store.  I used it last year a couple times, but the handle sticks and the rubber is falling off.  I found a purple carry-on for $10 at my favorite thrift store a couple weeks ago.  I'm donating the battered one back to the thrift store.

[Elisabunny]

I have really been wanting a new spring/Easter dress.  My criteria were that it look "springy" and that it have long sleeves- because Easter is early and this is Idaho.  Unfortunately, designers have no clue of what constitutes a spring dress.  Note: if it's sleeveless, it's a SUMMER dress, not a spring one.

So, I've been haunting the thrift stores.  About a month ago, I found a lovely black, short-sleeved dress.  So then I looked for a jacket to go over either that, or a fuschia summer dress I already had.  Lo and behold, four days ago I found a very nice, SILK jacket in shades of green, teal, and yellow, with black flower outlines, which looks great over the black dress.  Today I wore my new Easter ensemble. Total cost was less than $15.

[Hillia]

Saturday I found a sweet little solid wood student desk for $10 at Goodwill.  While we were in the back getting it loaded, DH asked me if I'd noticed the dining room table.  It had just been processed and was getting ready for teh move to the sales floor - a beautiful vintage chrome and formica (gray cracked ice) dining room table, complete with leaf, in perfect condition. It was going for 19.99.  Since they couldn't sell to me from the back room, I raced around to the front of the store and met the crew as they brought it in.