Free!

I was completely out of Finish. I also had two different Extra Bucks that I needed to use (a $4.00 one that expired today but I think I accidentally threw it away, so I was able to print it online! CVS sent me a reminder. So nice of them. :). So, I pulled out the sale flyer & found they had 20 packs of Finish on sale for $2.99, plus, I had two $1.00 off coupons! I still had a $2 Extra Bucks, so I grabbed some Purex that's on sale for $1.99. I have never used Purex. I have to admit, I'm a little skeptical because the price is so cheap. Most detergents aren't this inexpensive. But since basically it was free, what the heck! I grabbed one to try. If I don't like it, I didn't pay anything for it, so who cares, right? Ü



2 - 20 packs of Finish: On sale for $2.99 each - two $1.00 off coupons = $1.99 each!
1 Purex: On sale for $1.99.

Total: $5.97

- $4.00 Extra Bucks
- $2.00 Extra Bucks

= FREE!

I like free! Ü

Jesus & a good deal.

Actually, Jesus is a good deal. Ü

This couponing stuff is hard. It is for me, anyway. So time consuming. I thought I'd go to CVS tonight & see if I could do some damage. :) This is all I could come up with:



I think it's a good deal, but is it?

Arm & Hammer detergent on sale for $2.99 - $1.00 extra bucks (free $ to use on next CVS trip.)
Aquafresh - so tiny. But, it was $1.27 - $1.00 coupon = $.27 cents.
2 Ajax dish soap (I ♥ this stuff!) - on sale for $.89 cents each.
2 Dawn dish soap - on sale for $.99 each - 2 $.50 coupons = $.50 each.
2 Duracell (4 pack) on sale for $2.99 each - 2 $.75 coupons = $2.25 each. (I was unsure if this was a deal so I did some quick calculating. I got 8 batteries for $4.50 & their 8 pack was over that amount, so I went ahead & got them even though they are probably cheaper at WM.)
Conair teasing brush - full price - $4.99. Not a deal. Ü
Caffeine free Diet Coke (ahem - necessary for brain thinking ;o) - $1.77. Not a deal. Ü

I estimated the total to be $18 & it was $18.66. Remove the teasing brush (I always use a comb to rat my hair, but I saw on cutie patootie's blog that she uses this brush. I couldn't locate one at Target or WM, so I went ahead & got it tonight) & coke, & I ended up paying $12 for the detergent, dish soaps & batteries. I hope that's a good deal. :)

I'm actually going back now & get 2 Irish Spring deodorants: BOGO free. The price for one is $3.99, so basically I can get 2 for $2.00 a piece. But, I have a CVS coupon for $1.00 off & I have the $1.00 extra bucks I got earlier, so now I can get 2 for $1.99 = $1.00 a piece. Good deal!

I threw some shorts in the laundry that I bought Bentley at GW. As I was straightening & buttoning them, something kept banging against the washer. When I checked all the pockets to make sure they were empty, I found this:


A metal cross! On the back is inscripted: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

It's amazing to me how He'll just show up, whenever/wherever necessary, giving the gentle nudge or reminder we need exactly when we need it. Or, typically in my case, a hard smack on the back of my head. ♥

Happy weekend! Make it good! Ü

New (to us) glass kitchen table.

This is what I have been doing for the last 7 nights. Searching on Craig's List for a new kitchen table. Oh. Holy. Cow. It was so time consuming! Thursday night I finally found what I was looking for & the price was divine. :)

I knew I didn't want another wood table. We just have the worst luck with the wood finishes. I'm done with those. Someone recommended formica, but all I could find were Retro tables & my husband didn't like those. So I considered marble. Until I saw one. Glass it is. And with four young children, I was very skeptical about purchasing glass. Some glass tables just have one base, which leaves quite a bit of glass hanging off both ends, & I knew that wasn't going to work. So, I found this one with two bases - we were able to separate them enough to where we feel comfortable & should one of our children lean on the table, it's good & secure. Hubby is going tomorrow to find some glass adhesive to adhere the glass to the tops of the bases & we should be good to go. :)

Once the table was home, we discovered we'd lost a base cap between there & here. Ugh. Couldn't find it anywhere. We then discovered the cap is not lost; they lost one, & stuck a top one on the bottom. She failed to mention that little tidbit. Grr. So, we are a bit in a pickle, but we'll find something to suffice, I'm sure. Hopefully we'll be able to find something on the internet.

Now I get to purchase 2 more chairs. But the best part? This is an Ashley table. We bought if for - because I'm now a frugal shopper (I try :) I'll share - $245! I'll take a missing cap & a few minor scratches. Ü

*It looks rather small in the photo, but the glass is 71" long! Accommodates 6 chairs easily.

Goodwill goodies.

I'm totally getting aggravated with this store. This isn't the huge Goodwill close to our house, this is the one I drive about 20 minutes to. I like this one better because it's considerably smaller & they have better items. I think those who work at Goodwill are for the most part, volunteers. Which is fine with me. But recently, & I guess maybe it's because they just do the job because they have to, the clothes at this store are a mess. The volunteers are just sticking them any & everywhere. And I don't mean just a little bit. I mean a lot a bit. :) Boys' are in the ladies' department, ladies' in the girls' department, kids' (boy & girls) in the mens' department, blah, blah. It takes a lot of time to sift through the clothes. And really, sifting through the clothes is just something I like to do so it's no big deal, but for someone like me who has OCD, it's just so frustrating. Maybe next trip I'll try a different store. Thrifting is something I have grown to love. Who woulda thunk? Ü

When the lady rung my purchases today, the total came to $3200. Ha! So she reentered & I have (had) no clue if she got all the items or not. Here we go:

5 shirts (Nike, Justice, Gap) @ $2.99 - $14.95
Little cassette player (forgot to add to photo) for Mercedes, this one in great condition! - ?
Cute little tin Christmas tree (I'll remove ornaments) - $3.95
2 heavy, silver candle holders - .95 each - $1.90
Tiny mason jar -$1.00
Blue Coke glass (my kids drink out of these, I have a collection) - $1.00
Hallmark Christmas decor plate - $1.25
Ralph Lauren button shirt - ?
Denim skirt - ?

Total w/ tax: $26.03

As I now see, it appears she forgot to charge me for a few items after having to void the ticket & reenter all the prices. It took so long, I didn't even check the receipt. I knew $26 sounded about right so I just paid & we got out of there. The electric drum I bought last time I had to trash (& some other things) - so I'm ok with not paying for the clothes. Nonetheless, I hate when stuff like that happens & I feel as if I stiffed them. Pfft.

This store does have a large Christmas section & Mercedes & I spent over 30 minutes going thru all their cute Christmas decor/stuff. She loves all the pretty things & we had so much fun. Can't wait to do that again. ♥

Goodwill goodies.

I haven't been to Goodwill in a couple of weeks! Seriously! I wanted to go when hubby was on vacation, but we ran out of time. I was beginning to have withdrawals! Mercedes & I planned a trip on Wednesday, 1/2 off day. But when I got there, I learned 1/2 off day was only the 3rd Wednesday of the month. I missed it by one week. Pfft. In we went anyway.







(I'm telling you, it's a sad day when one goes to Goodwill & gets miffed it's not 1/2 off day. Heehee.)



Anyway...



3 shirts, 2 jammie lounge pants -$2.99 @ - $14.95

1 Bugle Boy button up - $4.19

5 books - $1.00 (one dollar!)

George Forman Grill - like new! - $6.95

Mason jar - $.95 (I have no control)

Glass jar - $1.25 (I have no control)

Cute little decorative church - $3.95

Electronic drum - $1.95

Hello Kitty cassette player - $2.95



Total: $38.14

- $10.00 Goodwill stamps

Total with tax: $31.29



When I first became a thrifter (is that like, a drifter? Thrifter drifter?), I didn't buy toys. But, I've discovered along the way that if she finds a toy that holds her interest & keeps her busy, I can browse a little longer. ;o) Mercedes spotted the Hello Kitty cassette player & would not put it down. I noticed the battery cover was missing. I kept trying to explain to her that it more than likely wouldn't work once we got it home. I put it back two different times & attempted to persuade her with other toys. She wasn't having it. She was so persistent - finally I decided just to buy the darn thing. Low & behold, it works! I had to put tape over the battery compartment & let me say, she has not put that cassette player down since bringing it home. Best $2.95 I've ever spent. Was a tad challenging to find a cassette for kids around these parts. :) I typically don't buy items like the George Forman grill either. Ew. But, I spotted this puppy & it's like brand spankin' new! Not sure what to do with it, but I'll figure it out! Maybe.



Happy weekend! Ü

Goodwill goodies.

Wednesday the kids & I headed to Goodwill - our first trip on 1/2 off day. Oh. Good. Lord! We pulled up, an hour after they opened, & the parking lot was full. Typically, there's only a few people there when we go so needless to say, I was flabbergasted. Through the windows we could see the store cram-packed. We decided to give it a shot, so in we went!

I got all of the above for $34. I chalk that up to a very successful trip! I'll break it down -

Tall candlestick - $5.95 - $3.00
Awesome hanging candle lantern - $4.95 - $ 2.50
2 silver net office supply (or whatever) baskets - $.95 @ - $1.00 for both
2 mason jars - $.95 @ - $1.00 for both
2 dainty white cups - $.75 @ - $.75 for both
12 shirts - $2.99 @ - $17.94 for all
1 shirt - $1.99 - $1.00
2 articles of clothing - $4.19 - $4.00
1 puzzle - $.25

Those are rounded, but I paid, tax included, $34 for everything. A lot of the $1.99 clothing included:


New hot pink swim cover, like new Hilfiger shirt (white w/ white bling spelling Hilfiger), new Cowboys' jersey (which sell new in stores for about $25!), new Reebok shirt (with tags), new pink/black lounge pants. The brand name clothing is just unbelievable. All of the shopping carts were taken, so we had to carry all of this around. I think next time, if I return on 1/2 off day, I'll go as soon as they open. :)

In other news, we have finally made the decision to move! We've talked about it so many times & have never taken the plunge. This week, both of our a/c units went out, at the same time! It's 105 degrees outside - blah! Hubby got the upstairs working (while he has a ruptured achilles tendon & is in a huge boot!), but he didn't have the same luck with the downstairs unit. It was so hot in here I thought I was going to die! Thankfully, our tech guy was able to make it out the following day & low & behold, he only charged us $50 for the repair! We couldn't believe it. What a blessing! This house just continues to have so many issues, we just are burned out & don't want to do it any longer. Six years is long enough. It's time to move on! We need to wrap up some things first before we listing, but I'm going ahead & selling more furniture to rid big items we don't want/need any more (so we'll have less to move) & we're tossing junk. We're also going to start boxing up things we don't use consistently. It's going to be hard enough to make a move with four young children, so I'm determined to get a head start. Though my desire is to move to a smaller district/town, we've decided to stay in the town we're in. We're in a great booming town, super location, relatively close to hubby's work but most of all,we like it here.

I'm so excited & I hope & pray we can sell this house - houses in our neighborhood were selling, but suddenly the market in our area has come to a stand still. All we can do is try. This time, we'll be selling it ourselves. Wish us luck!

Happy Saturday! :)

Goodwill goodies.

Scored lots of goodies this trip:

Basket for dog toys (I shouldn't have paid this much) - $5.95
Little white creamer for my white dish cabinet - $.50
Mason jar - $.95
6 shirts @ 2.99 each - $17.94
Like new jeans - $4.19
Like new Dockers dress shirt - $ -0- (Just noticed, I think she forgot to charge me...?)
Snap lid glass jar (no clue the technical term for these) - $2.95
Snap lid glass jar - $3.95
Home decor cross ("If You have FAITH nothing shall be Impossible For YOU. Matthew 17:20") - $1.95

And these I call my I'll buy them if you let me look toys:

Dragon - $1.95
Pinball machine - $1.95

Total: $45, tax included.

Every Wednesday is 1/2 off day. I haven't made it on a Wednesday yet. Even though our Goodwills are very busy, I'm going to attempt to go & see what I can get! I'm thinking the earlier I get there, the better. Ü

Goodwill goodies.

We hit two Goodwills today & one 'resale'. Did I mention in my last Goodwill post that I'm addicted? I am. :)

Goodwill one:

Flower photo (thought this might look cute in one of the girls' room) - $7.95
Jurassic Park video - $1.00
White creamer - $ .50
Seashells (to put in a clear vase) - $1.19
Aqua table runner (she considered it a 'scarf' so I got it cheaper) - $ .99
Perfect little white shirt - $2.99
Total w/ tax: $15.83
-$10 Goodwill stamps
Total: $5.83 Ü

Goodwill two:

4 books (2 perfect HP hardbacks!) - $ .75 each
Aqua vase - $2.25
Perfect Gymboree dress - $1.99
2 'West Elm' somethings - $4.50 each
Hoola hoop - $1.00
Total: $18

Resale:

Mason jar - $ .50 (I am addicted to mason jars! I saw on a blog the other day a group of different size mason jars filled a bit with sand/rice/whatever & a lit candle in the middle of the jar. She used them outside on her patio, but I plan to do this & light them every night at dinner. My children will love it. It's the little things. :)

So here, below, are my West Elm finds! So pretty! West Elm! What are they? LOL

In other news - I finally bought some Gorilla Glue! Um, ew! I put way too much in the little split of my white dish cabinet & that darn glue expanded & blew out all the seams! Ha! I did the best I could & I'll sand off any exterior extra. It dried white, too! But it sure did work dandy. :)

When I was at the resale store today, they had the very same cabinet for sale! It was in much better condition than my banged around $17 one, but theirs didn't have a price. Mine has more...character. I hope to finish it up & get to using it this week! Ü

Goodwill goodies.

I have not been thrifting in quite some time & I totally miss it! I admit it has become a full-fledged addiction for me! Maybe it's the challenge - whatever it is - I love it!

Today was a little more difficult because I had 4 tiny people in tow. I am designed in such a manner that when I think & concentrate, I need complete peace & quiet. Silence. That wasn't really feasible today, but I think I had a successful trek anyway. :)

My biggest purchase was an 'entertainment cabinet' with a glass door - it was $34.50 but today was 50% off furniture! So I got that puppy for a whopping $17! Hubby worked really late tonight so we'll have to retrieve it tomorrow. I'll post a photo just as soon as I get it home & cleaned.

Here are the prices for what I did purchase:

Wood Entertainment Cabinet - $17 (will house all my white dishes)
White pitcher - $2.75 (still totally addicted to any/all white dishes)
2 clear bottles - $1.25 @ (still totally addicted to glass bottles - I have no clue why, but I need to stop buying them!)
Cute 'I Love Mom' coffee cup w/ matching lid (?) - $1.25
Brown 'leather' tray - no flaws - $5.95
Levi jeans - $4.00
Silky dragon shirt (yeehaw) - $2.99
Silver metal basket - $1.50 (to house colored, cute washcloths for bathroom decor)
Misc. books & lite brite - $3.00 or so
(I think I got overcharged a dollar or two today, so I need to pay more attention at check out!)

Total: $45

I think hubby is taking both boys to the office tomorrow, so the girls & I will be hitting another Goodwill! Woot! Ü

Goodwill goodies.

Goodwilling day 2. I drove just a little further today to a different Goodwill. It's smaller than than the one I frequent, but well worth it. I noticed today how clean this particular Goodwill is. Clean & nicely organized. Ours is filthy & completely disorganized. Now I have two Goodwills to find good thrifts. :) Also, there is a thrift store right next to this particular Goodwill (I've been in there once) - but I ran out of time today so I didn't have a chance to browse.

Here's what I found today (none of it cleaned yet):



The table! The table I have been searching for. I've been needing a compact, light table to stick in our downstairs 1/2 bath. This is perfect! I'm going to spray paint it, but I need to decide on a color. That'll probably take 6 months. ;o) Table was $10.50

Medium glass vase $1.75

Large glass vase $2.75

Food Network Ü Christmas dish. So cute! Has a cute little package on the inside, gold trim around the top edges, & at the top of each side there are little captions: side 1 "Tis the Season to be Jolly", side 2 "Dashing Through the Snow", side 3 "Making Spirits Bright" & side 4 "Laughing All the Way". Love! $4.95

First toy ever from Goodwill - a very dirty (ew) Barbie car $2.95

Cute new condition shirt for Bentley $1.99

Shirt: Things They Don't Teach You in School

*It is impossible to lick your elbow.
*Girls blink almost twice as much as boys.
*"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter of the alphabet.
*There are more chickens than people in the world.
*"Sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is said to be the hardest tongue twister.
*No words rhyme with month, orange or purple.
*Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.
*It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
*The average chocolate bar has 8 insect legs in it.
*A sheet of newspaper can't be folded in half more than 9 times.

He loves stuff like this. Interesting about the bug legs in chocolate, heh? I watched a segment on the news not long ago stating this very chocolate detail. ;o)

Total: $26.94
I had 9 stamps & she gave me one for free: -$10
Total: $16.94

As I was leaving, the clerk said "be sure to come back tomorrow, everything is 50% off!" LOL Just my luck! Ü



(Pardon the crappy photo - I'm in a hurry today. :)

Goodwill goodies.

*Please excuse the slammed together post - Blogger is not cooperating today & will not let me insert paragraphs. Grr.

I haven't posted my Goodwill Goodies in a while. Currently I'm not going as often as I was - but someone emailed me & told me they enjoy seeing the bargains I find. So, Mercedes & I went today & here's what I found. Not much today! Ü



Hoola hoop - $.60 (the had a whole rack of new ones)

New Tommy Hilfiger red shirt - $1.99

Tommy Hilfiger denim shorts - $1.99

Yellow striped Justice - $2.99

New Hello Kitty - I paid too much but, it is new & cute - $4.19

Black Children's Place t - $1.99

Basket - $.75

3 white Target's 'Home' collection dishes - $2.00 for all

Total: $17.86

I've mentioned before that the Goodwill down the street from me is huge. I.e. it's in a previous grocery store. Most of the time, our Goodwill is packed & recently they have really increased their prices. It's quite ridiculous & I can always hear someone complaining. There are several items I have not purchased simply because of price. Tomorrow I will travel a little further to a different Goodwill. I've been there once before & it doesn't get the amount of traffic ours does.

Did I ever tell you I was not, not, not a Goodwill shopper? Hell-bent "no!" I have a friend who has always shopped at Goodwill & for the life of me, I could never understand why. As a matter of fact, many years ago, I distinctly remember telling my husband that I could not, would not, ever shop at Goodwill. My children would never have Goodwill clothing, let alone my home full of Goodwill finds! Appalling! Why? I was a snooty snob. The store is icky & stinky & ew, plain & simple. Fast forward to about 8 months ago. I enjoy reading decorating blogs & I quickly noticed a familiar pattern - a lot of decorators get their furniture pieces at Goodwill (at exceptional prices) & restore them into beautiful, new pieces. One day I decided to suck it up & run in to check out their furniture, since so many others were doing it. If others could browse Goodwill, then so could I. So I did. Then I went back. Heehee. The next time, I ventured into the home accessory section, simply out of curiosity. Then I went back. Again. The time after that I thought what the heck, I'll go to the boys clothing, you know, just to 'see'. And then the girls clothing. And the rest is history. To be honest, I'm quite perturbed with myself that I never shopped Goodwill prior. The brand new, or like new, brand name clothing I find is worth the trips alone. And guess what? You can wash your hands as soon as you leave & the icky smell washes right out of clothing. Who woulda thunk? Ü

What is it?

I purchased this a few weeks ago at Goodwill. Isn't it cute? Such a darn shame I have no clue what it is. Ü

3 reasons why I bought it:

1.) It's white.

2.) It's from Crate & Barrel.

3.) It was only $1.50.

Dimensions: Approx. 3 1/2" wide by approx. 3" tall. Or vise versa if you flip it a little. Ü

But what is it?

Goodwill goodies.

I can sum this trip up quick: Score! Ü

Orange Gap button: $2.99

3 Nike: $2.99

1 Mini Boden: $1.99!

Abercrombie: $1.99!

Ralph Lauren red/blue paid button: $2.99

Arizona red plaid button & black hoodie: $2.99@

Target monkey lounge pants: $1.99

Spiderman: $1.99

As you can see (hopefully), all clothes are like new or in immaculate condition. I don't purchase if they have stains or if they are 'worn'.

Little metal star tree topper: $2.00 (I will glitter spray it & use it for decoration :)

Mikasa little crystal bowl: $3.00

3 Junie B. Jones books: $2.25

Total: around $40

$10 off: Paid total: $30

Can I get a yippee? Yippee! :)

Goodwill goodies.

Tada! The white dresser! Poor girl needs a generous amount of TLC (don't we all ;o), but that's not going to happen any time soon. :) What I love about her the most are the feet! I think they make the dresser look a little contemporary'ish. The dresser was $30.

White (brand spankin' new) crock $1.75 (I bought one at Marshall's about a month ago, not as deep as this one, for $12.99 or so)

Heavy silver bowl - $1.00 (suddenly it's looking a little hub cap'ish to me ;o)

Pink ballerina canvas for Mercedes' room - $2.00

New roll of The Container Store striped Christmas ribbon - $1.00

4 or 5 shirts for wees, including a (new) Tommy Hilfiger, Justice, GAP & Arizona

(long sleeve shirts were BOGO so I got one for free)

Total: $50 for everything Ü

After Pine-Sol'ing this girl, I placed her in the front living room. That's likely where she'll stay until I strip & paint her.

I now have 3 furniture pieces awaiting painting: my $80 Craig's List desk (which is now in the breakfast area, where I originally wanted it, & I/we am using the dickens out of it! Don't know why I even put in the foyer to begin with!), my $11 garage sale nightstand/end table & now white beauty. No refurbishing will even begin until late Jan. or Feb. '11. I'm ok with that. They'll get done when they get done & I'll use 'em in the meantime! I mean really, don't tacky pieces just add character, anyway? :)

Happy Friday! Ü

Goodwill goodies.

Had quite a productive day at Goodwill today. I was there 2 hours (teehee :) - browsing thru the clothes takes a while. Hubby told me today I need to back off the clothes some & buy our children new clothes. LOL I think he be correct. Ü

Because I am ridding 98% of the plastic in our kitchen & replacing with glass, I'm now on the lookout even more for white glass plates/dishes. I was hoping to find some everyday drinking glasses too - but the selection was piddly. I'll buy new ones. Here we go:

White rectangle plate/platter - $1.75

Round glass bowl (really loving clear glass!) - $2.00

Hot pink vase (Jag's room!) - $1.50

White vase which I love but chipped during washing (grr! That's the 2nd vase I've chipped! From now on I will lay a towel in the porcelain sink to prevent accidental chipping) - $2.00

Free standing chrome towel ring (perfect condition - I priced them online & they sell for approx. $15 & up) - $1.75

3 random Scholastic (♥ Scholastic!) books

15 stainless shirts - including VANS, Polo, Justice, Disney, Target

Total: $50

-$10 discount

Paid: $40 for everything!

Happy Goodwilling! Ü

Saturday's garage sale goodie.

We were actually headed to Bed Bath & Beyond, when I spied a garage sale sign. Because I was driving, guess which direction the car went? ;o)

And it was so worth it!

I sent hubby up to check her out first - he came back saying she was pretty banged up & had lots of nicks & scratches. From where I was sitting, I thought she looked pretty good, so I went to inspect her myself. Yes, she has some nicks & scratches but all in all, she's in super condition! The nice lady sitting there yelled to me "I've had that since I was a child." And because my mouth operates faster than my brain, I replied "oh, so it's older, then." Realizing what I had just blurted, I dropped my head & cracked up. Then I apologized. "I am so sorry. I did not mean that the way it sounded." LOL Thankfully she started laughing too & said "if you can't laugh at yourself..." Amen to that! :)

This will be my official first piece of furniture to refurbish! I have read lately that many people are now spray painting furniture (such as dressers). I like this little piece so much that I'm just not sure that's the route I want to go. So, I'll have to do some researching. On top of that, I'm not quite sure where I want to use her, so I need to decide that before I can even choose a color. Anyway, this is first on my list, then an old bench I bought from Pottery Barn years ago, then the Craig's List desk & now I have decided --get this --don't fall out of your chair -- I have decided to pad & upholster my king size headboard! I know I know! What? :)

Anyone want to guess at what I paid for this cute little table? Or might I just say - SCORE! Ü

*She was asking $15, but took $11! Cha ching! :)

Goodwill & garage sale goodies.

Recently I've been eyeing glass cake stands/domes but I've been too frugal darn tootin' cheap to buy one. But today was the day. And I'm glad I waited. This beauty (which is so heavy!) was $8.50 at Goodwill. Not a chip, scratch, nothing! I ♥ it.

Glass bottle on the left: $2

Tall bottle on the right: $1.75 (it's still wet on the inside because I gave it a good scrubbing with soap & hot water)

White candle stand: $.25 cents at a garage sale (candle's mine)

But below. Oh good gravy! Perfect for Jaguar's room! And I only paid TEN dollars for all three! Found at a garage sale.

Tada! Total score! Woot! Ü

I think I was a little thrift happy.

I'm going to tone my thrifting down a bit. Recently I've noticed I'm not thinking purchases through; thus, resulting in buying items, only to find when I get home, I don't want 'em. That kind of defeats the purpose of thrifting. Ü

I'm also tired of driving & driving searching for garage sales. Yes, I'm aware you can look up garage sales in the paper, etc., but I don't have time for that. From now on, I've decided to stop only at garage sales that are on my way to another destination. That should definitely cut down on gas & time.

I hit some garage sales this morning & then we headed to Goodwill. For the first time ever, I had to leave because a certain 2 1/2 year old (Mercedes!) had a complete, horrible meltdown (Mercedes!). When my scolding was over, she calmed down & we headed to 2 new thrift stores I heard about from a friend of mine. One was another Goodwill & next to it was a thrift store.

Found an awesome garage sale on the way (good thing I don't drive a truck! I seriously could have done some damage at that garage sale!). I purchased this basket, in excellent condition, for $1.00. Yep, $1.00. Score! I've noticed the only type of baskets I'm drawn to are the large, dark colored bamboo with little to no handles. ♥ this basket!

The glass vase, also in perfect condition, I found at the thrift store for $2.70. I love the shape & height. Speaking of clear glass, do you know clear glass looks amazing with white? I.e. white candles? I need to stock up on white candles. Clear glass/white also looks classy with silver.

It is so pretty here in North Texas! We are off to the park later.

Happy weekend! Ü

Goodwill & garage sale goodies.

I have never seen our Goodwill store as stocked as it was this weekend! So much super stuff! I took Bentley with me this time, so I couldn't really shop as much as I would have liked. Someone talks too much & I couldn't think. ;o)

Here is what I did purchase:

White teapot: $3.50 (no chips, nothing)

Glass vase: $2.00 (ditto)

4 books: $1.00

Wall shelf: $5.00 (very well made, little to no dents)

Total: $12.00 Ü

(As we were shopping, some lady walked up next to me & was complaining that there wasn't enough "fall and/or Halloween decorations out". Are you kidding me? Good heavens, we're at Goodwill, not Walmart! :o)

Garage sale:

Shopping Girl plate - $1.00 (when I washed it, I noticed that the little store name in the upper left corner has the beginning of the name missing. I wasn't sure if it's supposed to be like that, or if it had worn off. I found a replica photo online & indeed, the entire name is supposed to be there. Boo! Maybe I can restore it? Heck, probably not. After all, it was only $1.00. That will drive me crazy, though, so back in the garage sale pile it goes! Ü )



Anyway...

3 books - $.75

Wooden teddy bear - $.25

Total: $2.00 Ü

I am banking on getting to Ikea this week. Lord willin' & the creeks don't rise, this week, I'll make it! Ü

My successful Craig's List find!

This is only my 2nd purchase off of Craig's List. If you recall the last one, it was a huge flop. Thank goodness it only cost us $15. I was ready to throw in the towel due to aggravation & disappointment, but I know so many who have had great success with CL, I thought I'd try again.

Score! Ü Ah she's a beauty! (The desk, that is. The chair is mine.) I was wanting something where the kids could whip out the laptop, do their homework or games or whatever, & then put it away & close it up.

Score! Ü

I discovered "her" (meaning, the desk) immediately after she had been listed. She was listed for $100. I emailed the owners & offered them $80. Because it was freshly listed, the owner wanted to wait a few days (completely understandable) & told me they would email me if she didn't sell. I assumed that would be the end of that, but low & behold, I received an email a few days later & my offer was accepted!

Score! Ü

She was owned by an elderly couple who lived in an immaculate (per hubby) house. She has no flaws what-so-ever. Perfect.

I am so not into oak and/or light colored wood anymore, so eventually, she will be painted. And I really dislike the brass hardware. I am so not a brass person & our entire house seems to be smothered in it. Exhibit A:

Our 500 lb. formal dining chandelier. Ok, maybe it doesn't actually weigh 500 lbs. Maybe it's more like 350. To be honest with you, I can't believe that sucker hasn't fallen. It is solid brass. And someday, it too, will be painted. ;o)

Happy Saturday! Ü