Monday, September 29, 2014

Thrifting Finds #69: Yeah, the New Job

To be up front about this, I have absolutely no thrift finds to share with you this week.  Hubs and I didn't get to do our normal rounds, as we were doing an outreach thing for his work.  Still, I have a couple of things I can share if you want to stick around.

So, the new job.  It started last week and we were promised a smooth transition: "We've done this before.  We know what we're doing."  Unfortunately, we took our New Overlords at their word, which was a mistake.

Not that it was a complete clusteryou-know-what, just a partial one.  Things that weren't supposed to fall between the cracks are not only down there, but almost irretrievable.  But it'll get better, right?

And that's pretty optimistic, considering that I'm one of the things between the cracks.  As of Monday, I have the odd position of being both working and unemployed at the same time.  With luck that'll change this week, though really, it's anyone's guess at this point.

One of the things we were warned about by those who went first was the accommodations, or lack thereof.  Lunchroom space is at a premium and I was warned that the toaster oven was "unspeakable."  That was confirmed.

WARNING:  Gross toaster oven picture ahead!  Embiggen at your own risk!!

Nice, huh?


But enough about that.  Too much complaining just makes me grumpier, and nobody wants that.  So let's switch topics and talk about some thrifty finds, 'kay?

Thrifty Buy of the Week!

I don't generally think of Staples as a place to buy anything other than office supplies, and that's a mistake.  F'rinstance, I once got the world's biggest box of Hefty Kitchen bags from Staples for like 9 bucks. Really, a lifetime supply.  A couple of weeks ago, I passed over 48 double rolls of Quilted Northern toilet paper for $19.00 because where the heck am I going to put the equivalent of 96 rolls of toilet paper?  The only thing I could do would be to throw a tablecloth over the box and call it an end table.

I couldn't pass up one of this week's specials--



Thirty ounce can of Maxwell House Coffee--$4.00!  There was a limit of 2 so I got two of 'em.  These are easily twice the price--on sale--at the supermarket.
UPDATE:  I ordered two more online this morning with no trouble.  The limit might just be for in-store purchases.

And another good part--they're being delivered to my door.  If you're a Staples Rewards member (and membership is free), you get free shipping on every order.  I would recommend signing up.

And that's about it for this week, I'm afraid.  I was looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend that didn't happen.  I'm hoping that Hubs and I are able to make our usual rounds next weekend--and that we'll find plenty of good stuff to report!


Linking up with  Sir Thrift A Lot, Thrifter/Maker/Fixer/Farm, We Call It Junkin  and Vintage Bliss Tuesdays



Monday, September 22, 2014

Thrifting finds #68: A Quickie

<Hushed Voice>
Hey, kids.  I started my new job this morning (long story, I'll tell it if anyone wants to hear), and while I'm waiting for someone to come by and give me my login so I can do some actual work, I thought I'd throw out a quick post.

So I only found one thing, well a pair, really, but it's (they're) kind of nifty.  I actually spotted them last week, but I was too lazy to go out to the car and get the tape measure. They were still there yesterday, so I took it as a sign.  I remembered to take the tape measure in with me this time.

There are actually two of them
MCM end tables!  I already have a pair, but I'm not completely happy with them.  Then when I saw these, well, I hemmed and hawed for a week, but eventually went back for them.  They're quite sturdy and have Formica tops, which is good in our House of Clutzes.  Plus, they fit!  Goodwill, $10.00 each.

And that's it, kids.  Hopefully, next week's post will be somewhat longer but for now, I need to at least look like I'm working.

Monday, September 15, 2014

Thrifting Finds #67: Finally!

At long last I have some good news to report.  Or at least I won't do any whining.  How's that?

Can you guess what's coming?  That's right--I actually have some thrift finds to show you this week!  I mean, how long has it been?  A month?  Two?  Too dang long to suit me, anyway.

Plus, Hubs and I went to a new store that we'd never been to before.  Or stores.  Or store.  I'm really not sure which.  Hubs works with a guy who also likes to thrift and he told us about a place down in Silver Spring, or that general area.  We found it, and it's kind of the strangest setup we've seen.

So it's a Value Village.  So far, so good.  But right next door to it, and without any walls or anything separating it, is something called Unique Thrift.

And the two places were mirror images of each other:  each had a housewares section, toys, clothes, etc of its own.  I'm not sure if the checkout aisles were specific to one of the stores or if they were interchangeable.  I might not be making myself clear here (I'm kind of in a rush today), but take my word for it--it was strange.

Not to mention busy.  We went just after noon on Wednesday, and the place was packed.  I shudder to think what it's like on the weekend.

Other than that, we just made our usual rounds.  Here's what I came up with:



1.  Bigass Corningware Roaster!  I thought I had all the Corningware I needed, but I didn't know this existed.  You can't really tell the scale in the picture, but it's enormous.  Seriously, I could roast Honey in this and still have room for potatoes and carrots!
Not that I ever would, of course.  It was kind of a mess when I got it, but it cleaned up nicely.  I'll be using this on Thanksgiving.  Goodwill, $5.00



2.  Old Razor Blades!  Say what?  Yeah, kind of weird, but I've noticed that these injector blades have a huge cult following.  Plus, they often go for crazy money on ebay.  I'm going to try a pack for myself and see what all the fuss is about.  Once I get the razor, of course.  If I like 'em, then I'll keep all three packs.  If not, I'll sell two.  Goodwill, $0.47/ea.


3.  Barbie's MOD'ern Cousin!  At first, I thought this was Barbie, but it's actually her 15-year-old cousin Francie.  I saw her in a plastic bag on the above mentioned Value Village's Wall O' Crap.  I think what I noticed was the brunette hair in the sea of blonde Barbies.  As far as I can tell, she's a 1969 model, which I think makes her vintage.  She seems to be missing a button on her blouse, and one of the buttons on her skirt fell off, but I still have it, so I'll try to attach it.  Value Village, $3.00


4.  The Plate I need!  Yep, finally found one at a price I was willing to pay.  Oh, and just to make it clear, despite the existence of this plate and the two other pieces of Butterfly Gold I bought this year--I do not collect Butterfly Gold.  Period.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  Goodwill, $0.48.

And that's it, but this is more than I've had to report in quite some time!  So this week, I'm not ashamed to link up with Sir Thrift A Lot, Thrifter/Maker/Fixer/Farm, We Call It Junkin  and Vintage Bliss Tuesdays

Monday, September 8, 2014

Thrifting Finds #66: The Hubby Haul

Hi, kids!  Did everyone have a good time out in Thrift Land this weekend?  I hope so, because I sure didn't.

That should come as a surprise to no one.  I seem to be having quite the dry spell lately.

To be completely honest, it's not as if there were absolutely nothing in the thrifts.  If you're a fan of Family Guy, I think each store we visited this weekend had all of the seasons on DVD.  I like Family Guy, but not to the point where I need to own it.

Then there was the Desert Dawn baking dish in pink.  It was in pretty good condition, and I think it was like 4 bucks, but it's not a size that would be of any use, and it's not like I  can put my Pyrex on display, so I passed it up.

The cookbooks seemed to be all modern Rachael-Ray-Mister-Food types, which hold no interest whatsoever.  This may actually be a good thing, as the cookbook backlog is growing.

Anyway, it occurred to me that this blog isn't just about the stuff that I find.  Hubs always goes with me and sometimes he finds things.  Like this week.  He found two things to my zero, so without further ado, here they be:


1.  Blown Glass Thing!  Frankly, we aren't sure what the heck this is, but we've just kind of decided it's a vase.  I keep calling it a Shrimp Cocktail Thing because those flutes at the top would be perfect for shrimp.  If you look closely, you can see my dining room!  Goodwill, $2.00


2.  Heavyass Glass Obelisk!  Seriously, this thing has some heft.  I weighed it on my postal scale and it came out at 8 pounds, 3.4 ounces.  As in the above item, neither Hubs nor I know what the heck this is.  It's solid, so it's not a vase.  So why don't we just call it an objet d'art, and let it go at that.  There's one little chip on the back, which I'm sure is from being manhandled by the Goodwill staff.  Still, it doesn't show, so what the hey.  Goodwill, $5.00, I think.  (That comes out to $1.75/lb  $0.60/lb I CAN'T DO MATH)

Annnnd...that's it.  No fabulous bargains this week and I didn't cook anything interesting.  I know I keep saying this, but maybe next week will be better?

Linking up this week with  Sir Thrift A Lot, Thrifter/Maker/Fixer/Farm,  and We Call It Junkin.


Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Thrifting Finds #65: Cheating

Well now, did everyone who got one enjoy their long weekend?  Hubs and I did, though we didn't do anything out of the ordinary.

Well, kinda.  We celebrated Labor Day by grilling these:


I don't do meat very well, often turning it into leather, but I was inspired to try grilling a Porterhouse by this gal:


They came out pretty well, too!  Little rarer than I care for, but just to Hubby's taste.

Now, does it sound like I'm avoiding talking about our thrifting rounds?  I am, because once again, we found nothing.  Oh, I came across a Spring Green plate that I've been looking for, but there was no way I was about to stand in line to get it.  

Saver's must have been having a half-off sale because the place was packed.  With animals, apparently--someone just left a banana peel on one of the shelves.  A banana peel.

You know, if you feel the need to eat a banana while shopping in Savers, you might want to examine your life a little bit.

And the Goodwill we went to yesterday was beyond wild.  Walking in we saw this chick with two overflowing carts--one of clothes, one of crap.  Nope, not waiting in line here either.

The week wasn't completely without purchases, though.  I did get this little baby:


Presto Iron!  In the original box!  Complete with instructions!  Never used!  Because if I'm going to iron (and I do.  Sometimes), I'm going to do it in style.  I already own a similar one in green, but I've knocked it off the ironing board so many times that the thermostat is now wonky.  This was an ebay purchase, which came to about 20 bucks including shipping.  Unfortunately, when I went to unwrap the cord (still in its factory coil) last night, there was an awful lot of crackling, meaning the insulation inside has given up the ghost.  Shoot.  Now I'll have to replace the cord, probably with the one from the other iron.  Or I could just use this for show.

Bargain of the Week Department:

These were on sale at Walgreens:


Sale price was $2.99 each, but they give you $2.50 in Register Cash for each one purchased, making the net price $0.49.
Well, except that I had $1.75 worth of coupons!  When all the math was done, Walgreens not only gave them to me for free, they actually paid me $0.76!
And that, as I said to Hubby, is how you use coupons.

How I averted a Disaster of Nearly Epic Proportions!!!

Hold on to your seats, kids--this one's a spine-tingler.

So I own the world's best "Granny Cart"--you know, those folding wire carts you use to haul your groceries around.  We live on the fourth floor and though we have an elevator, hauling the amount of groceries we buy would be time consuming by hand.  So 11 years ago, I bought the World's Best Granny Cart--big and sturdy, the label said it holds 250lbs, and I believe it.  It gets quite a workout every weekend.

So leaving to do the marketing on Saturday I heard a sound that made my blood run cold.  One of the front wheels crumbled to pieces, leaving the cart with a distinct list to starboard.

O noes! as they say.

What was I to do?  I will never find another cart as good as this one,  Even the store I bought it from has gone out of business.

Once again, as I lay down to take my nap, inspiration struck-- Harbor Freight Tools to the rescue!  I knew they sold tires for hand trucks and such, so I hoped they also sold somewhat smaller wheels.

And indeed they do!  We got two replacement wheels that, while not an absolutely perfect fit, are good enough for what they're for.  Paid 10 bucks for the pair and I've already installed them.  They work nicely, but there's one problem--they stink to high heaven!

The cart lives in the laundry room, which is right off the foyer.  All weekend, we've been treated to the kerosene-like smell of the new tires, combined with the Yankee Candle cinnamon oil warmer thingie. It's a heady aroma, lemme tell you.

It was a little better this morning.  Or else I'm getting used to it.  I think the cart's going to live out on the balcony for a while, though.

Now, it wouldn't be a trip to Harbor Freight if there weren't some free gifts, and this was no exception:


That's a bar clamp on the right for those who don't know.  I'm not quite sure why, but that head lamp makes me think of Wile E. Coyote.  And that it should be marked ACME.

We got two freebies because I made Hubs buy one of the wheels while I bought the other LOL.

So.  While it wasn't a particularly good weekend for the thrifts, there was at least a little bargain gathering, which is fine with me.

Linking up this week with Thrifter/Maker/Fixer/Farm,  We Call It Junkin and The Nifty Thrifty