Bits and Pieces

I realized 2012 was nearly over and I want to squeeze one last post before 2013 begins. Yard sale activities have been diminished considerably in December. I persevered at the beginning of the month along with some "picks" with a cohort of mine, Crissie. So this post is a mixed bag of yard sale finds and other means of finding bargains.

I was riding solo one Dec. Saturday morning setting out at 0'dark thirty since there was a listing at 6am. Twas cold and rain was in the forecast. Thankful for the head lamp, there was lot to be seen at the 6am sale. The table below was so nice! And very big. Too big for my living room. But I had to ask the price. $25! What a deal. I thought about reselling it but I had to pass, wouldn't have fit in my civic.

$25 but not for me

What would fit in my Civic was this lamp! Oh, yes, I couldn't resist. Isn't it lovely! And I had the perfect shade for it too (of course)! I was captured by the color, design and I do love a footed base. Large, lovely and works well in my living room. 

$15!

The morning progressed and I made my way down my list. I was so appreciative to the seller in this neighborhood for the use of these simple signs. One corner after the other, I found these signs to guide me. Makes yard sale searches so easy.

I found a couple more sales, bought some small items before getting a call from Brenna. She wanted to come too. Nate was up, had been fed, and could be left with Dad. We set out for a sale near by that had listed baby clothes and toys. Brenna hit the jackpot there. There were tons of clothes in Nate's size. When we started going through the boxes, we asked how much for baby clothes? "$1 each" was the answer, but then "50 cents each" was the answer when Brenna assured the seller she was going for quantity. Below are pictures of the sweet outfits. All purchased for no more than 50 cents each.

Long sleeved onesies

Ready for Christmas!

Nate will be warm!

I found these new Robeez shoes with the Hungry Caterpillar on the front. So, I paid $1 for the shoes. Too big now but Nate should be in them in a couple of months.

$1

So with yard sales not as plentiful, I have found other sources for bargain hunting. Crissie and I went to a storage unit sale last month. The fellow buys units at auctions and then sells the contents. Really nice guy and I will definitely check out his sales in the future. Great prices and he pulled out everything for us to look at. Tons of stuff but not much I was interested in However, I did pick up a Giants football pewter coffee mug set, new in the box for Steve, my Giant's fan husband. That went under the Christmas tree. It was commemorative Super Bowl set. Also picked up a crowbar for $1.

Crissie and I went through all his boxes and she went home with several items as well.

I found this tea light holder for my friend Carolyn. It is a great size, about 12 inches tall.

50 cents

I found this little drop leaf table via the online Facebook yard sale group. I polished it up and now it resides in the den. Originally I intended it to be Steve's bedside table but it wasn't high enough to his liking. One side doesn't stay up because a piece underneath is broken. But that doesn't affect its use as a side table.

$10

Hanging out with Crissie can be adventuresome. I was with her one afternoon when she got a call from someone on Craigslist selling some furniture. I went along for the ride and came home with this Sharp stainless steel microwave for Brenna. Trust me, it looks great in the picture but that was after some major cleaning! The front lines are just shadows, there are no stains at all. The worst of the cleaning was the interior. The seller was a student who never seldom cleaned it. But it was only a couple of years old so I knew once cleaned it would be a good deal. So what was the price? She asked for $30 but after I opened it and saw the inside, I offered $25. Brenna and Robbie are very happy with their "new" used appliance which is much more powerful than their older model. Score!

Between rainy Saturdays, the holidays and the like, December has not been a great month for yard sales. There was only one listed this past weekend and I didn't get out of bed to go to that one since it was raining steadily when my alarm went off. I did sell a lamp I purchased a few months ago after I had to replace the socket. Made a profit of $10 on that one. That's about it for resales.

Hope you all had lovely Christmas holiday and I am looking forward to the delights 2013 brings. Thank you for checking in to Thrifty Christy this year!

Thrifty Christy

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Three Peeps Are We

Again, I have let the blog posting take a back seat and yet another week has passed by. Sigh. But here I am and hopefully will get caught up in a timely fashion. One hopes!

Last week, I was accompanied by two of my dearest friends, Carolyn and Johanna! Whoohoo! We had the BEST TIME! And not only did we have fun being together, we also managed to find some deals and treasures in little under 4 hours. Pretty good, don't you think?!

There was a Friday sale I went to and found all of these vases for the Flower Shuttle in Raleigh, NC. I have mentioned this group in previous post. Volunteers get together once a week and use salvaged flowers from florists and other floral donations. They put together small arrangements and send them off to homebound folks, nursing homes and people in the hospital. Not all vases are returned so my sister Fran has asked me to keep a lookout for decorative mugs and vases for her to donate. The boxes below contain over 25 and I bought them for $5. But I must tell you the church sale was to raise money for Hurricane Sandy victims; so the money spent actually helped 2 charities. I ended up adding another $5 to help out too. Good cause and I found some other deals there as well.

Collection of vases and mugs for $5

Along with the mugs and vases I picked up the metal food bowl (for Pru our cat), the plate holder and the 4 candle holders. I use the electric candles in my windows for Christmas and these holders do a great job stabilizing them.

All for $1

There was only one sale listed at 6am Saturday; the rest started at 7 or after. So the 3 of us had to make a decision Friday afternoon if we would get up really early to make this one (which could be a dud or canceled) or sleep in and start with the 7 o'clock sales. Since it was a church sale (guaranteed cheap prices) and indoors, the group decided to go for it. We figured if it was a bust, we could grab a cup of coffee and sit and wait for the later ones. Great decision troops! It was nice and warm inside and TONS of things for us to look through.

Flamingo ornament!

Isn't she sweet?! Couldn't resist this little charmer.

These shirts are for Hugh, or even maybe Beau this summer. They offer sun protection.

Size 3t $1 for each

The casserole dish is huge. And new. No signs of use. The net lights however were not new, and I kicked myself for not checking the boxes well. They work, just not what I thought I was getting. Chalk it up to lack of coffee. My only excuse.

lights-$2 each, casserole- $2

The fireplace set was my delight at the church sale. I spotted it as soon as I walked in the door. Carried it to the front to inquire about price and left it there to look around hands free. Heavy, well made, perfect for our use. The old set went by the side of the road as soon as I came home!

$10, Love it!!!

I picked up the griddle in hopes of reselling it. And I did last week. Paid $3 and sold for $10. I did make sure it worked properly and cooked a couple of eggs on it. It showed some use but overall in great condition. Still had original packaging, plastic wrap and instructions.

$3

I love this memory foam pillow! Took it home, washed the cover and used that night. Oh my goodness. I have used it ever since. Very dense, quality pillow and I am in heaven.

$2 and worth far more!

The heavy duty stapler replaces ours that is missing a piece. Great price and this is in excellent condition . Not sure if it was used. No staples in it.

$2

The shoes are for Nate, the cars are for Hugh and the hat is Steve's. The next picture has a description. He is wearing it and I love it on him! Now, if he could only work on his English or Scotish accent.

shoes-$1 each, hat-$1 and cars-$1 for the pack

He looks so sporty in this hat. Pardon the cat hair, Pru sat on it just before I took the picture. Apparently she appreciates new wool too.

You know I love children's books. So I am already shopping for little Julia due in February. She gets the Ladybug Girl and Night Cars goes in my Grandma Stash.

$1 each

The last sale we stopped at was small but rich in old, vintage items. I liked the graphics in these old oversized paperbacks. The colors are vibrant and I have never read or heard of Muggins Mouse. What a delightful character! The book, A Child's Garden of Verses is a great and somewhat interesting read. Check out the next photo of one of the poems!

$1 each

I certainly don't remember There Was a Little Man poem.

However I really like the Jennie Wren verse. With all the Carolina wrens in our backyard, I will think of this one when I watch their antics.

I spotted these dishes in a box marked Evesham, $20. Do I need new/used dishes? No. Did I fall in love with these? Yes. Did I buy them? YES! Went home, took out my old set (purchased a few years ago at a yard sale, now chipped and well used), boxed them and sent them to a thrift store. I forgot to include the 6 petite ramekins that came with the set. Not complete but enough for us. 9 plates, 9 dessert/salad, 8 bread and butter plates, and 6 bowls. Another plus is the small size. The plates are just a little smaller than my old ones. Portion control built right in!

$20

Another plus when buying used china is the gold rim is worn off on most of the dishes so I can put in the microwave.

And now Carolyn's find's

Two beach chairs..$2 each Rug...$5 Beach mats....$1 each
Pasta bowls..$4 Scrabble game...$1 Jar...$1 Spatulas..3 for $1
Crocus vases...$1 Party lite votives...$1 Rolling cart...$2

Here is the trunk shot at the end of the morning. We enjoyed each other's company, finds, and decision making as well as breakfast together before calling it a day. Love my Peeps!

Maybe you hit some sales this week and found bargains of your own. I hope so! I am working on the next post with this past week's picks! And there are goodies and bargains that were found!

Take care,

Thrifty Christy

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Wake Up!

Thank goodness for alarms, right? Well, not when your cell phone alarm goes off from the previous week's setting...5:20am and you wanted to get up at 6:20. Sigh. Technology is wonderful at times but this morning I wasn't appreciating it. Especially since I didn't go to bed until 2:30am! Today I am grateful for the ability to nap.

I was happy to jump into Carolyn's car at 6:40am coffee mug in hand with about 7 sales listed. We met our friend Colette at the first sale. This was one of 3 advertised together. Two were on the same street and the other one close by. I love sales in the same neighborhood. I bought a necklace. My favorite color, green; choker style.

I like seeing clothing displayed and folks can get creative finding ways to showcase their goods. We appreciate the effort. I have said it before, I don't want to waste time rummaging through boxes or clothes on blankets or tarp on the ground. And to be honest, getting down to squat position is easy, getting up is another thing these days! So A for effort from these sellers.

Here is the trunk shot from the morning haul. Again, extra items in the large tote on the right is not from the morning's haul. Carolyn owns the largest tote bag in the world!

Carolyn bought this new,  in the box Giant cupcake baker at the first sale,

$2. Looks like her daughter will be having a cupcake birthday!

 this wireless printer

$15 and it is up and running at Carolyn's house

and this frog bath toy holder (in original box, never used). It afixes to your shower wall. 

$5 for her niece's new baby

Moving on we went to several others, ones listed and some we were surprised to find. When the list is short we appreciate those kinds of surprises. The cold morning warmed up a little but I continued to keep my gloves I purchased last week on my hands. I am enjoying those $1 gloves.

$5 each

I picked up this pair of clear acrylic lamps with shades.  Have them listed at $20 for the pair.  Tested and they work. Excellent condition.

$5

This pair of new with original box of Boys Sperry sandals are also on my going to sell list.

$4

Another possible "to sell" item is this child's coat rack. The face is missing a nose. I will find a dowel to fit in there and hope to at least double my money.

Swimmers and hat:50 cents each. Feeder: $2

Group shot of miscellaneous. Almost full pack of Little Swimmers diapers for my great niece to be born in early spring along with the sun hat. Not sure whose head that one will go on. Nate or Beau. The hummingbird feeder I bought because it has the bee guards and an ant moat.

This pair of shoes called out to me. Couldn't resist. 50 cents. New. Too cute.

Photo of it lit

This is a small mission style lamp. Approximately 8" tall. The glass insert in the middle is a lovely cranberry color. I have hopes of reselling.

$3

The very last sale of the day I found the lamp pictured above, and by the way it came with a working bulb installed and an extra one in the package.

Carolyn bought this Belkin iphone/itouch/ fm audio transmitter for her daughter. Brianne has an iTouch so this will work in her car. Hands free music . It took some figuring out, as in it works well in Brianne's car but not in Carolyn's. So...that's good!

$15... a bargain!

And last but not least, Colette found this mirror at her last sale of the day. Since it was located right around the corner from her house, she left Carolyn and I to continue on. If I needed a large mirror, I would have nabbed this one. In fact I picked it up to test the weight and determined the frame was wood. But alas, no need for it. Colette bought it and plans to paint the frame. Hey Colette, what color have you chosen?!

$10  Measures 2 x 3 feet

I found this Paul Revere oval pan at Goodwill for $3. I cleaned it up and am trying to sell on the FB group sale site. Limited edition and in relatively great condition except for scratches on the bottom. Obviously wasn't for display only! Fingers crossed for a sale. I am slowly but sure raising moneys for my charity.

Update on pan. A friend bought it Sunday for $15. 

A couple of weeks ago I bought this wicker table for my living room. I wasn't fond of the brown color so with my daughter's Brenna's advice I spray painted it black yesterday and am quite pleased with the result. It is just the right size to go between two arm chairs. And now it matches a black sofa table in the same room.

And speaking of past purchases, the Homedics Shiatsu Massage Cushion is a huge hit in the Logan household. OMG!! Thank you Carolyn for talking me into going back and paying the $15 asking price. 
I also sold an Advent calendar I found months ago. I offered it to a group of close friends before I listed it for sale online. Snatched up for the asking price of $15. Paid $2. My charity fund is growing. I love it.

Going to a 5th grade Catholic classroom.

And my husband could not wait any longer for a turntable. So Ebay to the rescue and his Christmas present is already in use. No, he refused to put it back in the box for me to wrap and save for next month. Go figure! So the albums are out and we are enjoying this stereo old school music. I have been asked to look for better speakers; apparently the Aiwa speakers are ok but better is wanted. Just give me the specs, a photo and I will do my best. Keeping in mind, sales are going to be winding down now that the holidays are upon us and winter as well, the speaker hunt will take time. However the reciever is great and I can now enjoy tunes all through the house, sometimes outside too! 

So that is all for this week's finds and adventures. Hope you had some bargain finds too. I hold no hope for next Saturday yard sale shopping since it is just after a holiday and folks are busy putting up decorations. So that may be a sleep in Saturday morn before I head to my brother's home in Morehead City.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Thrifty Christy

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