No Vacancy

There was no room for another passenger in the car after I clambered into the co-pilot seat of Johanna's small SUV Saturday morning. Babs was joined by our guest rider in the back seat, her sister, Mary Kay. Mary Kay was visiting from Michigan this week for Uncle Tim's surgery. Tim is Bab's and Mary Kay's brother, Johanna's uncle. He will be in the hospital for more than 2 weeks recovering from surgery. It will be a very long recovery process and Johanna and Babs have a lot on their plate as they are there for Tim.


Saturday morning was a break from hospital, stress, lack of sleep...all that goes with major health crisis in a family. Oh! I forgot to mention Sophie the Schnauzer was in between Babs and Mary Kay in the back seat! I just love that dog.


February is always a slow month for yard sales and Saturday proved the case. Fortunately there were no 6am sales listed so we all "slept in". Unfortunately 2 sales were no shows as the sellers weren't open for business. How disappointing. One was a storage unit sale and the ad sounded promising: "something for everyone" but as the buyers' cars circled the unit, it remained locked tight. We didn't stick around for long, it was later in the morning and the gals needed to get home and off to the hospital.

I found a few items at an indoor church rummage sale. My sister Cee had a free standing potty chair on her want list. I spotted this one as soon as I entered the room and seized it immediately. Safety 1st Potty n' Step Stool is in excellent condition and retail price is about $20. Now I didn't want to walk around the room carrying a potty chair so I asked if I could store it under the check-out person's table

Then I continued on scanning the tables. It wasn't a large sale, the room was small and though the tables were filled, it was mostly items I had no interest in. However, I do buy toiletry items at yard sales so I picked up a hair spray bottle, brand new, and what I thought was a pressed powder jar. Then I found a Pampered Chef scraper and popped that into my extra bag. I find these very handy cleaning up my Pampered Chef stoneware casserole dish and any other baked on mess.

I couldn't pass up the Frog puppet, new with tag. I will see if Brenna wants that for her classroom and if not, then it goes into the Grand-baby box.

Babs, Johanna, and Mary Kay found a few things but the quality of goods was just mediocre. I went to the check-out to pay up and was quite happy with my total. The potty chair was $3 (least I had seen in Consignment shop was $10) and the other items added up to $2. Total $5.
The other part of this story is when I showed the makeup container to Babs, she immediately identified it as a brand she uses and finds on QVC. This one isn't a pressed powder, it is an illuminator by Phlosophy. Hmmm. Not sure what I want to illuminate on my visage but after I googled it I find it sells for $33 and the reviews were by and large favorable. We shall see. If you notice that I seem to be glowing more than ususal, we shall chalk it up to my "Illuminator"! So far, no one has commented. Jury still out! However, the hairspray works great and I figured I spent about 50cents on it.


At another yard sale I picked up a bag of used rafia which I neglected to take a photo of. This is something else my sister Cee had put on her want list but she didnt' mention used rafia. This large paper bag wth handles was filled with raffia strips I think was used for decorating baskets, filling some container with filler. Anyway, for $1, I took a chance. After describing the purchase with my dear sister, she ok'd the purchase. Fortunately she has a decorator's gene which I don't possess!


And that my dear friends was it for the yard sale goods this weekend. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to March and Spring time with more sales and greater choices. These lean months are....lean!

Good Will finds this week:

Brand new 24oz Tervis Tumbler with lid and straw for 99cts. These generally retail for 14.95 without lid and straw and they are great for keeping liquids cool and hot. I generally use them for cold liquids.
Also a Gap short trench coat for $7. Nice fit and my old one had bit the dust. Once again, stylish, thrifty and now "illuminated"!!
Have a great week and I will check back after the sales next weekend.

Thrifty Christy

 

A Little Bird Told Me

First thing before I regale you with the bargains of the week I would like to ask you to please keep Johanna's uncle, Bab's brother, Tim, in your prayers. He is in the hospital and will be having surgery this week.

On the top of the page now, I have a Facebook "like" button. If you are a Facebook member, please click the like button. I am testing it to see if it is worth keeping.

So I thought I would be riding solo once again but Brenna, mother to be of my grandson, decided to join me and drive as well! The morning started with a 6:30 sale nearby; originally listed as one sale, the family next door decided to jump in and have one too. Nice. We love doubles! Lots of items at the original sale, nothing that I needed or had room for, but Brenna found a bumpo seat with a tray for $5.

 

 

When we were looking at it (nothing had sticker prices), Brenna said she wasn't sure if she wanted one for the little guy. But when she asked the price, heard "$5", it was in her hands in seconds. I was in complete disbelief. The best price I think I paid for Kelley/Hugh, was $15 and it didn't have a tray. I will have to check back in past posts to see if I posted that. So anyway, Brenna walked away with the Bumpo seat and a pacifier clip. $5.25 total. A great start to the morning indeed.


For those of you who are not familiar with a bumpo seat, here is a picture I found online of a child sitting in one. These are great and can be used as a seat from ages 3 months up to 18 months depending on the size of your child. Most important note is these are only to be used on the floor and never leave your child alone. Never ever put a child in one of these on an elevated surface such as a table. Serious head injuries have occured when a baby/toddler leans way back and has tipped over and fallen to the floor from a height.

I

So we continued to the next listing which was on the same side of town. This was an inside sale but on the way in there was some outside items such as patio furniture and garden things. I spotted a little metal bird with a 25ct sticker and picked it up on the way inside. Obviously a smoker lived here and I knew we wouldn't linger. The smell of cigarette smoke permeated everything. I picked up a pair of brand new hockey skates for $5 (Steve had told me to buy anything hockey related) which I thought was a bargain and that was it. $5.25 total...hmmmm deja vous all over again! But no, that wasn't the theme for the rest of the morning.

 

 

 

She has found a new home with my pansies and her name is Gloria

On to St. Timothy's church rummage sale just around the corner...sort of. At least nearby which as the gas prices increase, is going to be very important in the coming months. I have generally found some nice things or at least useful things at St. Timothy's in the past. Downside is the space there is very small so crowded conditions are an issue sometimes. It was an issue yesterday. There were ALOT of people there! I completed a circuit around the room, stopping hopefully at a table where there were packs of stationary/cards for 10ct (Vickie aka Nightshade, I am continuing my search for the blank notecards).
Nope, none were blank cards. I met Brenna to see if she was ready and saw she had a dishwasher basket for baby bottle accessories in her hand. Pink and white. Hmm. It looked just like the one I found and bought last week at Goodwill. Yes, she remembered the one bought but wasn't sure if was the same. I assured her it was and was green and white. (you know, green is gender un-specific!) So we left empty handed and moved on to the next sale.

Not much for us here either but I did spot hockey sticks. I have been instructed to look at all things hockey but not street hockey. The seller said the sticks were $1 each. Hmm. Sounded promising but they looked like street hockey sticks. I was still hearing "$1" each so l looked more carefully. One seemed to be an ice hockey one so I figured, why not? The tape was coming off and the bottom had some wear as well, but we have neighbors whose sons are really into hockey so perhaps they could use them. At $1 I could afford to be generous to neighbors! I also know the tape can be easily replaced. Steve has seen both the stick and the skates and deemed I did ok. He will take the skates to the rink for folks to use in case they come without skates to the games (he said they were much nicer than the rentals) and the stick is an ice hockey one that had been used on the street. The bottom was still in good shape, not too badly worn. Whew!


Farther down the road was the next to last sale. Here was a nicely set up sale, I wish I had taken a picture. It was well organized with tables lined down the middle of the driveway with larger bulky items on either side. Brenna found nothing but I hit the jackpot with note cards for Vickie's friend.

 

 

 

 

A couple packs of 20 in a box and all in either unopened or missing maybe one card. Fortunately I keep a couple of reusable bags in my yard sale carry all so I pulled out my extra and started to fill it. No juggling items precariously.


Moving on, I saw bunches of silk flowers, and pretty ones at that. I like to keep flowers at the family cemetary plots so I am looking always for replacements. Yes, I am Thrifty Christy so of course I am not going to purchase these at retail prices.

No prices on any items so I did ask how much were the flowers. 50ct a bunch. Ok, they were nice full bunches with prices of $3 and up on them so I went for it.

 

 

 

Putting them in my bag, I moved along the tables and picked up a new can of tennis balls, new box of fragant soap (English made) and a new bag of vaccuum bags(8 count "genuine" Electrolux).

So I approach the seller with my filled bag and the total came to $7.50 She started with the 50ct bundles of flowers and after the $2.50 totoal on that was figured, I don't remember what the price was on each item following for I just held up an item and she totaled as we went. I was pleased to say the least. I googled the soap later yesterday and found a new box of these sell for $18. I like the frangipani scent and according to the ad, long lasting as well. Vickie, I think she bundled the stationary and probably cost you around $1.50 for the lot.

 

 

Clutching my bag o'stuff and jumping into the car, we headed for the last on the list. An estate sale that began the day before. Not sure if there would be anything of worth left, it was an option since it was on the way to breakfast. There was some beautiful furniture but the prices were not yard sale. I picked up a timer priced at $1 and asked for a price reduction on a box of Christmas ball ornaments. I liked the colors and want to make a Christmas decoration like the two Brenna made this year pictured on her mantle.


Now the box was marked $3 which was a little high in my opinion so I asked nicely if he would go as low as $1. No was the answer. I know, you may thought I was really "low balling" no pun intended, but I have seen these in a new box set for $2 at Goodwill. As he was saying how nice they were, I dug deeper and found other ornaments in there I definitely was not interested in and said as much as I started to walk away.

$1.50 was the next thing out of his mouth. I could hear a little desperation in that voice. He was tired, had a long day in front of him as well as yesterday's set up and sale. I will pause here and talk a bit about estate sales. I personally would not want to attempt an estate sale. There is the emotional aspect of parting with family things as well as deciding what to sell, how much to ask for, setting it up as well as dealing with customers and possibly helping them take stuff to their cars or having them come back to pick it up. Now, you may think, welll don't people do that when they have a yard sale? Yes, but not the volume of items, and not as much work involved unless you are clearing out huge amount. It is hard work. So with more sympathy than need, I said yes to the $1.50 for all of the ornaments.

When I returned home I went through the box and found 27 ornament balls which I wanted and about 15 flat mirrored ornaments I definitely do not wish to keep. So I set those aside and will take to Goodwill this week.


And that is the end of the yard sale bargains from yesterday. I spoke to Vickie this afternoon and she decided now we have enough quantity of cards for her friend, I should now focus on quality. She has $6 left in the account so having my instructions updated I will go from there!

I will share the Goodwill find of the week. Brenna's Grandbaby List included a My Breast Friend nursing pillow. Found one in Goodwill this week for $2.99. Looked up on Amazon.com and it is the Deluxe version and retails for $40.00. This one is in pristine condition. I washed the cover and after sealing it up in a plastic bag, it has now joined the other grandbaby items residing in my attic.

 

And that is all my friends for this week's post. Hope you enjoyed your weekend. Take care and happy bargain hunting.

Thrifty Christy

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year!

 I am back! Wow, I can't believe I have let so much time pass since my last post. Trust me, this time of year there are far fewer sales and I really mean FEW!  So  between fewer sales and activity on the weekends, I haven't felt inclined to blog. OK, truth really is: once you take too long a break, the break becomes too comfortable. January is over, the anniversary of my mom's death is past and I am ready to keep up this blog once again.


So let me start with the first of the year 2012. I can tell you about the wild New Year's Eve yardsale. There were only a couple listed for that holiday weekend and I decided if I woke up early, I would go. If I slept in, than I wouldn't. So of course my eyes popped open at 7am. And wouldn't shut. So I headed out the door to see what I would find. The first sale was awful. The items offered were scattered carelessly, trash was on the driveway amidst the for sale things and overall the ambiance was "who cares". Not me. So off I went to the next. This one I realized belatedly was suppose to open at 8am. And no address given, just the street. I arrived to find a dozen cars lined up with folks waiting anxiously for the sale to begin. But which house??!!!!
Turned out it was a young couple who had put everything in their garage and at 8am they opened the door to begin putting their tables and goods in the driveway. Well, the hoard of buyers decended upon this couple like a swarm of fire ants! They never had a chance to pull their tables out! The husband was trapped in the back of the garage as buyers pushed their way to grab, look and squeeze between furniture to ask prices, and grab what they could. All I could do was watch with amazement and a lot of sympathy. Then I looked down and saw this really nice stool with a price tag of $5. It was solid wood, heavy, and I could tell it was a quality piece of furniture. $5. Well, I grabbed it before anyone else had a chance and bought it. Did I need a stool? No. Did I know someone who needed a stool? No. But the frenzy of the moment, the buyers' momentum influenced my decision making. I left with an item I had no idea what I would do with but by George, I only paid $5 for it!!! Oh my. I didn't even take it out of my car when  I came home nor did I take a picture. I felt ridiculous and a little ashamed at having succumbed to the mayhem.

Me on the far left, Chris a new recruit, Sonny, my brother, Cee, my sister
 and Gilbert the mascot Penguin

The next day I headed for Atlantic Beach for the Annual Penguin Plunge on New Year's Day. What  a great way to start the New Year by running into the ocean with a crowd of people!! It is a blast. This year I was joined again by several family members and friends and a couple of new recruits. It was a gorgeous, unseasonably warm day, a balmy 60 degrees. The water temp was around 55 and yes, it was cold but the warm air temp made it comfortable when you came out of the water. 

Stool with a story

On the way out of town on my return to home, I stopped off at my nephew's home to see my new great nephew, Beau. While visiting I told my nephew and his wife about the sale I had been to the day before and when Jon saw the stool, he immediatly gave me $5 plus more for another one! You never know! Now, that would be the end of the story but no. I told Brenna the stool saga and it was one she has been hoping to find for her kitchen counter. Next time I visited Lindsey and Jon, I retrieved the stool since they hadn't found a place for it and now it is in a kitchen where fannies can rest comfortably. And I finally took a picture.



Of course you know thrift stores are another place I find treasures and I lucked out finding this glider with matching footstool at the local Goodwill for $25. I have bought so many of these for relatives and now I wanted one for my grandson who will be born in early July. 

I like the side pocket

Got to have the foot rest

               Comfortable and affordable. That's the way I like my furniture. Oh, and easy on the eyes!

 I finally made use of the electrical cord connector I found a couple of months ago for 50c. This ceramic Christmas tree was my grandmother's; only way to turn it on was by plugging it in. Not practical. So now I can easily turn it on and off with the new switch.

Next project is to find replacement glass balls for the tips. My sister Fran said to look at Michael's but I had no luck. Will try online. Problem I think is that I only need a few. I hope I don't have to buy a pack of 100!

Johanna and I did go yardsailing one Saturday in January and I found this travel bouncer seat for $5. Came with a zipper bag and folds flat. Perfect for a small home such as ours where storage is always an issue. The bottom cover comes off as you can see from the last picture, there is also a vibrating and music gizmo. Folds flat for easy storage. Grandson, I am getting ready for you!

Hugh is already enjoying this truck I bought for him for 25 cents. I just figured can an almost 2 year old boy ever have enough trucks? It is a nice large sized for small hands. Couldn't resist.

So yesterday I went solo for none of my peeps were either in town or felt like getting up early. Fortunately no sales were listed at 6am. Just a couple I felt worthy of my gas and time. I did get a late start for I didn't hear my alarm. Apparently I need to make sure the cell phone is not on silent. My dog thankfully awakened mme at 7:15 and I was out of the house by 7:25. One had nothing I was interested in and the next was a pleasant surprise. Usually school fundraising yard sales are a disappointment. But not this one! There was a great amount to peruse and since there wasn't another sale to jet off to, I took my time and looked carefully. And I found a few treasures.

Partylite "amethyst" taper candles for advent. $1. And a new Advent Calendar for next year. It looks like stained glass so I am assuming if I put it in a window, the light will stream through the windows. I think it is going to be lovely and might be a keeper for years to come. $2 is what I  paid for it.

 This Munchkin dishwasher basket for baby bottle nipples and accessories was 50c. I think Brenna can use this come July.

Nipple guards for Brenna who is planning on breastfeeding. 50c and unopened.

I like these micro bead pillows for traveling. My back enjoys one of these squishy supports. 75ct. Yes.

I fell in love with this little pot. I have a pretty blooming plant for it. 50 cents and it is heavy. I put the can of soda for you to see the approximate size.

This is a very heavy solid brass planter. And I mean HEAVY! I want to use it for the small lighted faux Christmas tree I picked up in November. The planter I used for it was lightweight and the wind kept knocking it over. No wind will knock this over! It is wide enough for the tree to fit in and I can wedge some foam around to keep the tree in place. $2 

Lincoln logs for ???? I couldn't resist the $3 price tag. Complete set except for the Sergent figurine. In near perfect condition. I think it might just go up to the family vacation house. I would love to build this with our great nephew, Christopher. Maybe his big sister, Sarah will help.

My sister Vickie (flower name: Nightshade, trust me, it's a family thing)has asked me to look for notecards. I found this pack at Goodwill this week and yes, it was $1.49, but the quality is really nice and it is for  the person who writes thank you notes for the Audubon society donors. So Nightshade, I hope you don't mind the price tag!

 

 And finally, say hello to our newest great nephew, Beau Hyman. He was born the week before Christmas and is a most welcome addition to our family. We love our little Beau!!


The  first post of 2012 is finished! I promise to be more diligent on posting. Really!


Hoping next weekend will provide more delights and  Johanna will be able to join me in the hunt.


Until then, stay warm and thank you for hanging in there. Don't forget to leave a  comment! Oh, and notice I have installed a Facebook "like" button. Please if you enjoyed the post, hit the like if you are a FB user. Thanks!

Thrifty Christy