Blue Tags Are Half Off

Better than they look

2012-01-22T15:49:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know these look kind of trashy, but really its just my bad picture taking. These are Keen's in pretty good shape, which retail for around $50. Its so easy to find little girl shoes that I get excited when I find some good boy shoes, especially ones that may actually last through my 3 boys! These are in my eldest son's upcoming size and cost $3.99.

Sewing essentials

2012-01-21T15:36:00.000-08:00

I am an amateur seamstress. Although I really enjoy it I am not good enough to invest serious money in it and all the supplies add up fast. So, when I see them at the thrift store I buy them to save for whatever project comes next. Above you can see 5 packs of machine needles. I don't know much about which ones to use on which fabrics, but at least now I have the supplies when (if) I figure it out. A bonus in the bag of supplies was the Coach measuring tape. Why Coach makes a designer measuring tape is beyond me, but I am hoping to make some money with it on Ebay. I saw one recently for sale for $40. That definitely would reimburse my $1.99 investment in sewing supplies.

Pyrex Fun

2012-01-20T15:26:00.000-08:00

Pyrex has become my most recent collectible obsession. I have admired it for awhile and bought several pieces in the past, but its only recently that I have begun lurking on Pyrex collector's websites and learning the lingo. I still try to resist unless its a piece that I am really interested in since there is almost always some piece of Pyrex to be had at the Goodwill. The first piece pictured was one I was excited about. You can see from the pic below that I had another matching piece. The bottom picture is one that I was on the fence about. I don't love the color, but the size is great and the lid that goes with it was a nice feature. I paid $3.99 for the yellow bowl and $2.99 for the green casserole.

Vintage love

2012-01-19T16:23:00.000-08:00

I love dressing my daughter in vintage dresses. As she gets older it gets harder to find ones in good shape (or at all for that matter). I hit the jack pot the other day. Someone either off loaded some long-held-on dresses or another vintage collector donated some of their collection. All three were right next to each other on the rack and all are size 6, the next size up for my daughter. Plus they were each 50% off making them $1.99 each.

Collectibles

2012-01-19T14:59:00.001-08:00

I really don't like the "collectibles" section of my local Goodwill. Seems like they take all the good stuff and price it so high its no longer worth buying. Also some things in there are just way over priced in general, even though they are not really that great. I saw a Starbucks water bottle for $12.00! That is approaching the new price and trust me it was not in new condition. However I do usually browse through and look at the jewelry. Recently I found the above Pyrex dish in that section. It was priced high ($15) but I decided to splurge because I loved the color.

2012-01-16T10:52:00.000-08:00

I am a big believer in balance bikes. My son got one for Christmas when he was 2 1/2 and by the time he was 3 he was amazing at it - cruising around, turning corners, stopping well. Once my daughter saw how much fun he was having she insisted on one as well, even though she was older. I didn't want to pay retail for a balance bike for her since she would only use it for awhile, but thought it might help her get onto a regular bike sooner. I found this one at the thrift store for $4.99, which seemed like the right price. Its not the best quality bike, but well worth it for $5. We have since found another one which adjusts to a level that better fits Hannah so I am planning on selling this one.

New Year

2012-01-14T13:16:00.000-08:00

Yoga supplies new in the box at the thrift store. Includes a strap and block, which I being a newbie, am usually in need of. I usually prefer to take my classes at the Y, but recent events have made it more difficult to get there. I have yet to open the box (as you can see) but I think I could get into yoga at home. Plus they match my mat, which is just a bonus. You can almost make out the price tag in the picture - $1.99. Not an amazing deal since they retail for only about $10, but its new and I didn't have to go to Target to get it.

More stroller goodness

2012-01-13T12:57:00.000-08:00

This is not supposed to be a blog entirely about strollers, yet somehow that seems to be what its ending up as. We recently added another 1 year old to our family via the foster system. We had previously sold our double stroller when our middle child got old enough to walk to the park. My sister in law (also very thrifty) scored this BOB double jogging stroller for free. It's a very nice stroller, but in bad shape. It needed quite a bit of work and it wasn't something she wanted to invest her time in so she passed it on to me. It sat on our back porch for awhile until it our newest little one arrived and we truly needed it. Dan and I were able to fix it up with one evening's work. He fixed the breaks, inflated the tires, cut off the shredded handlebar pad and replaced it with some bike handlebar tape. I stitched up every tear I could find and scrubbed off the mildew. We managed to totally take apart the top piece and wash the cover in the washing machine. I'm pretty happy with the results. Its obviously used, but still a great stroller which works great. Since this retails for $500 and it only costs us a couple hours work I think it was well worth it.

Boring, boring, boring

2012-01-12T10:08:00.000-08:00

No great finds at the thrift store today. I had such a good run off luck around the holidays when there was so much turn over in merchandise, which was actually the inspiration to re-start my blog. Now its back to average. However its still where I buy most of my stuff. In this picture there is a pretty cute necklace ($1.29), a bag of little animals and a crayola marker/special paper set ($1.29 each). I bought these little toys primarily for my road trip/boring adult event box. When I find something that will occupy my kids and is small and easily packed I will pick it up and throw it in the box. Next time I now I know I will need something to occupy them I can dig through the box. I also bought a new sippy cup. We have a foster child in our home who will be moving on soon (have I mentioned I am a foster parent?) and he is in need of a cup for water. I wanted to get him one that he could take with him when he goes so the thrift store was best - $.99.

2012-01-10T20:44:00.001-08:00

Found this cute little doll clothes rack at Goodwill super cheap - $1.99. It retails for a lot more ($49.99). When I looked it up online I was so impressed at how cute they made it look in the pictures. Reality is not turning out so well. I am not sure why I thought my daughter would nicely hang up her doll clothes. Also we have way too many accessories for this thing. I think I may try to sell it, but now I have given it to my daughter and will have convince her to give it up. We'll see how successful I am.

More Lego Fun

2012-01-09T15:37:00.000-08:00

I know I just recently said Lego sets are hard to come by especially new, however my husband was lucky enough to find another set new in the box. It has all the pieces still in their bags with the decal stickers and instruction book. He got it at the Lifelong Aids Thrift Store in Capitol Hill for $2.99. A good deal considering they retail for around $15. It will be a birthday present for my oldest son whose birthday is coming in March and who luckily does not read blogs.

2012-01-08T13:39:00.000-08:00

Another not so thrifty find. I would feel more confident about this find if it had been a whole set of powder blue canisters, but sigh, it was only flour. Still in good shape and added some color to our kitchen. We put it on our open shelves to hold coffee beans. Paid $4.99, again not such a great price, but still kind of cute.

2012-01-07T13:35:00.000-08:00

Cute little vintage purse. I mostly bought it because, well I love vintage bags of all kinds, but also because I have very fond memories of a red bag, much like this that I had when I was a kid. I used to carry it around a lot. I left it at a Taco Bell and never got it back. Now I have a duplicate to relive my childhood, which to be honest is what my love of vintage goods is really about. I did pay too much and I knew it at the time - $9.99, but you can't put a price on nostalgia.

2012-01-04T19:36:00.000-08:00

Another money maker at the Goodwill. Strollers are almost always $30 at Goodwill now a days. For most of the strollers I see there that is way over priced, but occasionally you find a gem like this stroller. It is a Bumbleride, which is a pretty nice, and pretty expensive brand. They retail for around $500. It is pretty flexible in its use and seems to be well made. I used it once for my youngest and kind of liked it, but is a little too much stroller for me. I paid $30 plus 20% off (chinook book coupon) so $24. I sold it today for $250. My best sale in awhile.

2012-01-03T18:25:00.000-08:00

Another one of those weird little finds. You gotta know what you're looking at to be able to tell its a good deal. I am sure I pass many things at the thrift store that others are amazed to find, but baby stuff is my forte. This is a little clip on high chair. It folds completely flat, which is great for traveling and storage and is adjustable to fit most chairs. We've had a rather ugly plastic booster seat for our littlest guy (another thrift store find, of course) so this is an improvement. Cost was $3.99. Its called the Wonderworld Handysitt and retails for $130. I am hopeful I can resell it for a profit when we're done using it as well.

An old friend

2012-01-02T16:55:00.000-08:00

I have blogged about this cookbook in the past, but I recently found it again at Goodwill. That makes about 5 copies I have found over the years. It is one of the most collectable Betty Crocker Cookbooks out there and this one is in great shape. It looks new and is shrink wrapped. I know it could have been shrink wrapped at some point in the past, but it could also be the original wrapping, which would make it an amazing find. I don't know enough about these books to be able to tell and a preliminary google search turned up no answers. In the meantime I am keeping it shrink wrapped and keeping it on the shelf. Maybe I will be able to turn up some answers at some point in the future. This copy cost me $4.99.

Blue tags on blue tables

2012-01-01T15:38:00.000-08:00

We've got a great city view outside of our front window and an oddly shaped living room that makes it hard to put furniture there so we can enjoy it. Additionally my middle son started a preschool that has a bus this fall and so needed to spend the mornings watching for his bus. So I have been on the look out for a kid's table to put there. Again I searched craiglist on and off, but couldn't find anything that I wanted in my living room that was the right price. Then at Goodwill I found this cute bright blue table and chairs set. It was spray painted, but I think whoever did it did a fairly good job and I love the color. I set a bucket of colored pencils there and I have been amazed at how much drawing my kids have been doing as a result. I guess having a place for them to do it was the key. I paid $10 for them. I ended up spending more on the pencil sharpener I put on the table then the table itself.

Couch Conundrum

2011-12-31T15:31:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned that I have 3 children under 5? I also have a love for mid-century modern design and vintage goods. However there is no way I am going to spend the amount it costs to get an awesome mid-century couch and then allow my 3 children to sit on it. (or allow myself to drink coffee on it) We have had an Ikea couch in our living room since this summer when we installed new floors and sold a lot of our old furniture. I hated that couch. It was uncomfortable and not really cute and belonged in our playroom for kids to make forts out of the cushions. I have searched craigslist a little, but did not find what I was looking for in my price range. At the thrift store I recently came across this couch. Not entirely awesome, but it has a right shape and was decent enough to last us until our youngest is old enough to be trusted near a nicer couch. It was priced at $100, but I had a 20% off coupon so we paid $80.

2011-12-30T15:05:00.000-08:00

I have had good luck with baby gear in part because I can spot nicer brands and high quality pieces pretty easily. I saw this baby bouncer and was hopeful. I like the simply design. Most of the mass produced bouncy seats are obnoxious colors and have many toys hanging all over them. The bent plywood is a modern hallmark as well. The brand was Svan, which I was not familiar with and it said made in Sweden so I took a risk. Anything that is obviously gendered (like this pink) is harder to sell, but this was priced at $4.99, which was an amount I was prepared to lose. When I looked it up at home I was disappointed to find out it is brand that is sold at Babies R Us and Target, meaning there may not be much of a resale demand. However the new price was pretty high ($119), so I gave it a shot. I did have to lower the price once, but I eventually sold it on craigslist for $40, which is a good profit.

Snow day prep

2011-12-29T14:54:00.000-08:00

It has not (and maybe will not) snow in Seattle yet this year. If it does snow everything in the city will be shut down and no one will be expected to do anything. Also it will melt the following day. Despite this the parent in me feels like I must stock up on snow boots when found at the thrift store. Shoes are one of those things that you can never find in the size you need when you need it (at least for kids whose shoe size keeps changing). So when I find good, not too worn shoes in the kids' upcoming sizes I buy them. These Sorel snow boots would have probably fit my son and daughter next winter. I found them at Goodwill for $4.99 and $5.99 repectively. However they were taking up room in the drawer I have ear marked for upcoming shoes and snow boots are not what I would consider essential in Seattle unless you are a snow adventurer which I am decidedly not. I decided to off load them and try to make some money. I sold them together to one buyer for $45.

2011-12-28T14:42:00.000-08:00

Little Legos are such a great toy. (As opposed to Duplos. Am I the only one who calls them that?) My kids love them and they are so classic. Loose Legos bagged are hard enough to find so I don't plan on seeing any complete sets when I scour the toy section at Goodwill. I was pretty happy when I came upon this Lego city set new in the box. One side of the box had been smashed and the end opened, but all the Legos were there in their unopened bags and the instructions and decal stickers were intact as well. This was priced at $4.99, more than I usually pay for toys, but still pretty good considering it the retail price is $45. I was hoping to make some money on it, but I also figured if it didn't sell I could pass it on to my kids and not feel too bad about it. It sold fast on craigslist for $25. Not a huge profit, but pretty good for about 15 minutes work.

More Hot Haba

2011-12-27T14:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I posted about my Haba Walker Wagon. Since I was reflecting about Haba I remembered my Haba pull toy I got at the thrift store several years ago. When you pull it the pieces spin. Pretty cute and fairly fun for a child, for awhile at least. It retails for $45. At the time I was able to write to Haba and get replacement pieces free of charge. I have since found out that they now charge for replacement pieces. These nicer toys missing important pieces are found in abundance at the thrift store. Sometimes it might be worth purchasing replacement parts, but not always. This toys cost me a $.99 investment. My kids played with it some, but there is no way they got $45 worth of fun out of this thing, so I am glad I didn't pay full price. I sold it on craigslist for $20 when I got tired of trying to find the pieces that were always under the couch for some reason.

Hot Haba

2011-12-26T12:11:00.000-08:00

Awesome find today! Haba is a great toy brand. Nice wooden quality toys. Very expensive as well. Sometimes these nice toys earn their price by being well made and well loved. Sometimes they seem to be designed more for the parents than for the way children actually play. This is one of the former. Super nice push toy for new walkers. It is called the walker wagon and is lots of fun for kids to use as a stroller or cart. You can feel when you pick it up that it is good quality and will not tip over when weight is put on it. I found it today at goodwill for $4.99. Usually they retail for $150. (Crazy right?!) I contemplated keeping it for a couple of weeks, but my kids are mostly past this stage and we already have strollers and larger toys like this coming out of our ears. I posted it on craigslist and had no problem selling it for $75 in a few days. Pretty easy money.

Green Toys

2011-12-26T11:57:00.000-08:00

These Green Toys brand trucks are made from recylced milk jugs, thus making them greener than your average junky plastic truck readily found at the thrift store. ( the link if you are interested.) I am a sucker for all things labeled environmentally friendly so I get taken in by these trucks when I see them at the store. They are almost always not priced making them $1.29 each. Pretty good price since they cost almost $20 new. To be honest though they are not that great of a toy. My kids seem to prefer smaller matchbox sized cars when they want to play transportation. These are just too big. I was able to sell the two of them for $15 once it was clear they were not earning their (large) place in our toy cabinet.

Coming back

2011-10-17T13:23:00.001-07:00

Its been awhile. I doubt there are any readers left, but I want to start documenting my purchases for my own sake. Found another Elves and Angels handmade play kitchen. This is the exact same one we have already but in better shape (ours is missing the handles on the doors). It was $30, which is a splurge at the Goodwill, but I knew it was very high quality and the kind of thing many parents would be interested. I re-sold for $100, which I still think is a good deal for this kitchen, plus it nets me a nice profit to fund my personal vacation this summer.

One of the cool kids

2009-02-01T20:50:00.000-08:00

Its hard to keep up with all the cool hipster moms around my neighborhood. I can only dream of being able to keep my hair styled as well as they can while still keeping their kids (usually named Cash) dressed in screen printed t-shirts and hand made dresses. One major stumbling block for me is money, but time and energy are also in short supply around these parts. However I did manage to find a very cute pair of Chuck Taylors at my local Value Village that may help the whole effort:Very cute and in my daughter's upcoming size. They cost a bit more than I would like ($4.99) but I willing paid it in the attempt to keep up with the cool kids.

These Boots are Made for Splashin'

2009-01-24T13:14:00.001-08:00

Boots are fairly essential foot ware for kids in the Northwest. There is really no stopping a preschooler from stomping in puddles when they are as plentiful as they are in Seattle, so you might as well embrace it and put those little feet in rain boots. Hannah has never had a great deal of coordination (that may come from her mother) so its only recently that she has really figured out how to walk in boots. Having these lady bug boots helps because she enjoys wearing them.

We got these free from a lost and found clean out at our friend's preschool several months ago. Basically they were going to throw out (like into the dumpster!) any lost and found stuff that didn't get taken. When he saw all the stuff being tossed he thought of me and I scored these boots as well as a yellow pair of bee boots in the next size up.

Next Generation of Savers

2009-01-22T15:08:00.000-08:00

Hannah has a very positive association with the thrift store. For her its a place where you can dig and touch stuff without mom constantly saying "no, put that down please." While I am glad she enjoys our little trips I also find that she always wants to bring something home. I rarely say yes, but sometimes cave. (I remember from one of my psych classes in college that intermittent rewards create the strongest conditioning, so I am not doing myself any favors here.) Here she is with a pink bunny bank. I really have no idea why I would have said yes to this request and not others. It was only $1, but I think beyond that I had some fantasy that she would start saving money because of this bank. Predictably she sort of forgot about it the next day, but at least I got a cute picture out of it. (I can't remember why we were in the laundry room for this? )

Back in the Game

2008-12-16T18:28:00.000-08:00

Its been awhile since I posted. This has been caused by several factors - 1. laziness (sorry about that) 2. cold and wet weather (less freebies on the street) 3. a lack of trips to the thrift store (I am not sure what caused this actually). Since its been awhile since I have been to the thrift store I had lots of energy to dig the last time I went and found some great stuff. Some of which I will pass off as Christmas gifts and some stuff which was just good stuff for myself. Here you see a new package of Huggies brand diapers in H's size. It was $3, which is a pretty good deal on disposable diapers. I never really know why these things end up in the thrift store, but for whatever reason it is a good bargain for us.

I'm a big fan

2008-11-14T13:23:00.000-08:00

So I neglected my blog for so long some of my finds are no longer very timely. In the middle of a heat wave this summer (that one hot week we had between the months of cold and rain) Dan and I were walking home and found this fan on the side of the road. There was a sign on it that said "Free, Works" and we decided to trust it. It was a little tricky to carry home the remaining three blocks, but we made it and installed it in our bedroom. The style left a little bit to be desired, but Dan managed to remove the offending light fixture portion, which helps a lot. It seems like a quality fan- it doesn't rattle when on high and is quiet. It worked like a charm while it was hot. Now we just need to find a space heater with a pre-paid electricity bill and we'll be all set for winter.

Money Maker part 2

2008-11-12T10:38:00.000-08:00

Awhile ago I had a good run of luck at the Goodwill. In my previous post you saw the Stokke high chair I got for $5. About a week before that truly amazing find I found this BOB jogging stroller. (This of course is a picture stolen off the web, but I sold mine so I have no picture for you. It looked exactly like this though, in brand new condition.) It was in new shape (in fact it had the REI tag on it still - $265). I got it for $30. I knew I could easily sell it on Craigslist, but when I got it home I somehow deluded myself into thinking now that I had this product I would morph into the kind of woman who goes jogging early in the morning with her child. I jogged once then posted it on craigslist. It sold pretty fast for $200, making a good profit which nicely off set the shame I felt in admitting I was not going to be a jogger.

Money Maker

2008-11-12T09:03:00.001-08:00

If there is one thing I have come to know well its used baby stuff. For some reason it is even more fun to shop for my baby then for myself. Since I read baby magazines/blogs/attend baby-centered events I have picked up a good sense of what the cool baby stuff is (its a lot like high school out there at times). Add to this the fact that thrift stores are overflowing with used baby stuff and you see how I can often find great stuff to sell at the thrift store. One of my best finds is this high chair. Looks pretty average right? Its a Stokke (European brand) high chair with a washable chair covering. Retail the high chair costs over $200 and the cover is an additional $30. I actually have used one these things and was not impressed, but that is beside the point. The point is that I got it at Goodwill for $5 and sold it on craigslist for $135 within 1 hour of posting it. It was a pretty impressive turn around for me. Definitely the best I have done yet. My real question is who gave this to the thrift store without even trying to sell it on craigslist first? I had a dozen people email me immediately when I posted it. It easier to have someone else come and get it from you then to take it to Goodwill yourself. Whatever the reason their loss is my gain.

Free things do grow on trees

2008-09-03T15:33:00.001-07:00

DH recently found this perfectly good bag of printer paper sitting on the sidewalk. Two things were unclear to me about this - 1. (the obvious) why do people throw away perfectly good stuff? and 2. how did this avoid the rain and wind of seattle and remain relatively intact? What ever the case it turned out well for us.

Lawnmower Man

2008-08-08T10:02:00.000-07:00

First off, a confession - I have never mowed a lawn in my life. Despite this I can certainly see the need for a lawnmower when one moves into a new neighborhood and doesn't want their home being viewed as blight by the neighbors. We actually have only a tiny, tiny patch of grass since we ripped out most of the yard to put in a vegetable garden. However this patch of grass was sadly overgrown and strewn with weeds until we found this:

I should actually clarify that DH's sister Carrie found this. (thanks Carrie!) It was sitting out by their parent's house with a free sign on it. We all walked over and talked with the owner who was weeding her yard. She said her husband bought it only a year and a half ago and simply wanted a nicer model. It works great and had gas in it already. Since its arrival our little patch of grass looks much better (well, at least much shorter). Additionally we've been able to loan this beauty to our next door neighbors, so I think it fair to say we have moved from an eyesore to an asset to the community all thanks to the lawnmower.

Jam Plan

2008-08-06T12:18:00.001-07:00

Its canning season, a time of year I always look forward to. There is something very nostalgic about canning for me. Its one of the few kitchen activities I actually wear an apron for. Not really because its messier than others, but because it seems like you should when you are canning. You should also probably have a very old fan blowing fly paper around as well. Anyway, we spent a weekend at a friend of our's parent's house and managed to leave with a flat of their beautifully ripe and tasty strawberries for free. We were with some other people who took a bag full each and I was only slightly embarrassed that we picked so many. I couldn't stand the thought of these berries rotting on the bush because no one picked them. These were cut, cooked and made into freezer jam quickly, which we have been enjoying since. We are now on the look out for blackberries and hopefully some apples soon.

Home Improvement for the Birds

2008-08-05T09:01:00.001-07:00

With our new home has come many new opportunities for home improvements (which is why we could afford the house in the first place). Each of these projects seems to necessitate a new tool for DH (Dear husband). I am all kinds of supportive about this, but as far as I am concerned if a project can be done without spending hundreds on tools all the better. Recently DH saw the below saw in a pile of free stuff while out and about:
He said it is a miter saw and was just what he needed to build our chicken coop. It works perfectly. Its definitely a lower end model and a little dirty, but what do you expect when its free, right? Anyway, since he found the saw he did in fact finish our chicken coop and now we can look forward to a thrifty source of eggs.

Order Up

2008-08-04T09:54:00.001-07:00

I have very fond memories of playing with my pretend food and play kitchen as a child. Since my primary objective when it comes to toys for my daughter, is to recreate my childhood I have been on the look out for a play kitchen for some time. I wanted a wooden one that wouldn't look bad being in the living space of our house. Behold what I found at the Goodwill for $9.99 recently:
Very cute compact play kitchen. The left side should have doors on it and its missing the handles for the cabinets under the sink area, but truly I have no complaints about this thing. Its exactly what I have been hoping to find. Luckily when I found this I was shopping with my sister-in-law with her parents minivan, not on my bike.
So far DD (dear daughter) loves it, although she primarily seems to think that cooking in the kitchen means making coffee. I am not sure where she got that idea...

New Place, New Stuff

2008-07-02T14:22:00.001-07:00

With our move about a month ago came the opportunity (or temptation) of all sorts of new room to furnish/fill with junk. Since we don't own a car its fairly difficult for us to acquire too many large pieces of furniture, but moving weekend we had borrowed a truck and so were free to acquire away. You would think after moving all of our stuff we would be inclined to avoid acquiring more, but inexplicable we decided to go to the thrift store to escape our home which was over loaded with unpacked boxes. While there we came across this chair:

Pretty cute, fairly compact and a good deal at $7. I also managed to get my hands on another 30% off coupon so it really only costs $5. It wasn't until we got home we realized it had a bit of a funk to it. (I guess the general thrift store smell covered it up). Luckily we had a steam cleaner borrowed from DH's parents and a half filled bottle of Febreeze left by dear previous-home-owners. This combination managed to clean out or mask the offending smell. Now the chair provides a nice reading corner in our home library.

This could have been a better post

2008-06-30T14:54:00.000-07:00

I found the best gift for someone at the thrift store yesterday. I wish I could post it, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the recipient reads this blog, so I resisted. I will say though that it only cost me 99 cents and I think the recipient will enjoy exponentially more. In place of what would have been a great post I decided to post a rather average find:

Two tins that were cute, cheap and unnecessary. I have a similar one of the smaller size which I use for loose tea. I think this smaller one will have that same function. As for the larger one, well they matched so I couldn't separate the set. In other words I have no idea what I will use it for yet. The cost a total of $3 and I loved the colors (you may be able to tell that I like turquoise blue by the matching lamp in the background).

Fiesta Time

2008-06-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

I have had a fondness for Fiestaware ever since I was introduced to them at the Bon Marche (now no longer in existence) while registering when I was engaged. They're cute, they're colorful and they can handle a pretty good amount of dropping and related abuse. (That last reason may be the main reason why they are our dishes) Occasionally I see Fiestaware in thrift stores, but it is usually way over priced and in the "collectibles" section. The other week at Goodwill I saw some priced at almost twice the retail value. (and I'm not talking about vintage pieces in retired colors) Last week at my local Lifelong AIDS Alliance thrift store I saw these bowls:
I loved the turquoise color and they were $2.99 each, which isn't a fabulous deal, but at least its around 50% off retail. I snatched them up and paid before I changed my mind. As I left the store I had a tiny bit of buyer's remorse since I am trying to avoid filling our home with too much stuff too soon, but once I got them home I decided I was glad I bought them. Plus today is our anniversary and I figured it was nostalgic or something to continue to add to our wedding "china".

Green Tags are $1.29

2008-06-25T09:06:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I enjoyed a rare baby-free morning, which I used to go to the thrift store. My excuse for going was to drop off a pile of stuff collecting in our basement, but really I wanted to shop.
I found this bag:

It was a green tag special day so I got it for $1.29, which I thought was a fair price. Now I just need to ditch the diaper bag and start carrying some of my many purses again.

2008-06-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

Recently a friend was doing a shift cleaning out his son's preschool for the end of the school year. He gave me a call when he saw a large pile of usable stuff that was going into the dumpster. This is one of the advantages of cultivating a reputation as a trash picker. I have gotten numerous calls alerting me to great free stuff. And just the other week (month?) my brother-in-law carefully unwrapped his birthday present so he could save the wrapping paper for me. How thoughtful. Anyway, one of the things they were going to throw out was this baby stroller (the cabbage patch kid was mine from childhood):
DD is obsessed this these things. She can get a little feisty about them when we go over to a friend's house who has one. I thought maybe having one of her own would relax her a little bit and she would be more able to share when we are out and about. Now ,of course, when any friend comes over she has a hard time sharing hers and anyone who dares touch it is met with a round of "NO MINE, MINE, MINE!" So this free find gives us many wonderful teachable moments. Bonus.

New Hobby Anyone?

2008-06-19T08:33:00.001-07:00

I have a hard time resisting free stuff even if I don't need it or already own it. Such is the case with the below book about knitting:

I actually already have a copy, but this one was in almost new condition and was just sitting in a box on the side of the road on my way to the library (maybe I was in a book mood at the time). I started imagining it getting rained on and ruined and I just had to bring it home. I am on the look out for someone to give it too now. Unfortunately I think the season to take up knitting, especially in Seattle, is not summer. I may have to hold onto it for awhile until someone starts knitting again. Let me know if you're interested.

Weed Control

2008-06-17T08:49:00.000-07:00

DD's feet are growing like weeds. (as are the actually weeds surrounding our garden.) Just recently we were given a pair of new Keen sandals for her. They seemed really big so I considered exchanging them for a smaller size. Now I am pushing to get them on her feet. This occurrence has necessitated more kids shoes. I am starting to think there is a conspiracy to get parents to spend lots and lots of money on shoes. Sizing seems intentionally random. We have some potential kids shoes in her size (in theory at least) waiting in the wings*, but they are too big. I found these cute kid shoes at Goodwill for $2 and got them with the hope that they would fit.
They are leather and seemed solid even if a little warn. Plus they are "boy" shoes. I know this is a silly designation, but I like getting boy stuff so I can use it when baby #2 comes around. I have this premonition it will be a boy. (I also had this with baby #1 and was completely wrong, but I have a 50/50 chance so I am going with it.) Anyway they fit/look cute this week, but no promises about next week.
*thanks Kara

Tuck this one away

2008-06-10T10:13:00.001-07:00

Recently I was back at the old apartment building visiting a friend and gathering mail. I got nostalgic to see free stuff in the entry way and helped myself to the complete 1st season of the show Nip/Tuck, a show about plastic surgeons.
Since we don't have a TV I am pretty much open to any and all TV on DVD I can get, but I should have known that this show wasn't for me when it was described on the box as "utterly fearless." I have admittedly watched some HBO shows that could be described that way and enjoyed them, so I figured, why not. Well I will tell you why not- they show footage of people GETTING THEIR FACE CUT OPEN! (I had to resort to the internet equivalent of yelling there. Sorry, but that is how gross it was) We're talking knives, blood, fat, hospital gowns, the whole bit. I got about 10 minutes into the first episode and had to admit that I was not fearless enough to watch this show. If anyone else is interested let me know and I will pass it on, but you've been warned.

Don't look if I've ever given you a gift

2008-06-04T13:18:00.001-07:00

I often give gifts I have bought at a thrift store and/or found in a box on the side of road. Sadly some people think this is tacky/cheap/weird, etc. Usually I try to avoid letting others know about my second hand gifts, but who am I kidding, most people have probably already figured it out anyway. Below you see a very cute little purple teapot. It was so cute and only $3. Unfortunately it in no way matches my decor and I happen to have plenty of teapots already. (actually I have a ridiculous amount of teapots already) I decided I could get it and save it for a gift. However since I have just posted it on my blog I may have to keep it for myself now.

2008-06-02T14:52:00.001-07:00

Recently I took my annual thrift shopping vacation and spent three days driving up the I-5 corridor and scouring all available thrift shops. It was a lot of fun and I even managed to reach my thrifting limit, which I haven't done in a long time. Over the next couple of days I will post some of my best finds from my trip. Today's feature is more Pyrex:

I've blogged about vintage Pyrex before, but I just can't pass it up when I see it. Above is a rectangular baking tray in white with a turquoise design. Very cute (and very unnecessary). I got it for $2.99 at the Mt. Vernon Goodwill.

2008-05-31T10:32:00.000-07:00

First I wanted to say sorry for the hiatus to any readers I may have left. Our move ended up taking up a lot more energy than I thought and I just never could bring myself to post. On the upside I now have a back log of thrifty finds to blog about so maybe I can lure some readers back with my frequent posts and amazing finds. To re-launch my blog I begin with another free find below:
First you may need a little back story. Our closets in our new house are really weird. Basically you can't really hang things in them so we have a big need for some shelves and/or drawers for both ours and DD's closet. While walking home from the grocery store with a bag of groceries and DD in the stroller I saw the above shelving cart for free on the side of the road. It looked like it would work great to hold all the blankets, diapers and misc stuff in DD's closet. However it also required an additional two hands. Since I was pushing the stroller the only two hands available were DD's. So I unloaded her and she pushed the cart for almost 4 blocks. (it was very slow going.) That is when things took a bad turn. We came to a busy road and I had to get her, the groceries, the stroller and this cart across the street at once. (It involved a screaming child under my arm.) Once across the street DD was so mad about what had just happened she could only lay on the ground and scream while I pondered how much this cart was worth and how much I would pay to be out of this situation. With two blocks to go I had to get screaming kid, stroller, groceries and cart home by myself which was more than a little tricky. Once we got home both DD and I were crying and the whole thing seemed like a really bad idea. However the cart does work great in DD's closet and it gives me a story for my blog so we'll count it an upside.
Thanks for reading my blog again. I'll be posting regularly now, I promise.

2008-04-27T21:28:00.001-07:00

A whole week and not a thrifty find to be had. I guess I am going to have to hit up the thrift stores this week just so I can update by blog. What a burden.

DH recently find something worth posting though, so I just decided to borrow his find for my blog. Below is a fairly cute vintage typewriter from the Goodwill.
DH teaches at the local art school where typewriters are always in need, so he picked it up "for his students." I think he really just thought it was cute and needed and excuse to buy it. Whatever the reason it now has a home and will hopefully see some action now that it has been rescued from the obscurity of the Goodwill.

2008-04-19T21:49:00.001-07:00

We're moving out of our apartment building soon and aside from my lovely friends and neighbors there is not much I will miss about our apartment as it is pretty much a big white box. One of those few things I will miss is the free table located in the entryway of the building by the mail boxes. Mostly people just put old magazines down there (which totally rocks because someone in the building subscribes to People) but every now and then people put hats, books, pots and pans or other random household goods. Recently I found these on the free table:
Brown, Mary Jane-type Danskos that, amazingly, were my size. The elastic on one of the shoes was broken so I took it to our neighborhood cobbler (doesn't it seem like cobblers only existed in the middle ages?) and got it fixed for $5. So basically I got a new pair of Danskos for my $5 investment. Its great to go searching for free stuff without even having to leave your apartment and sadly it is something that I soon will be unable to do.

Free Maclaren Take Two

2008-04-17T12:58:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday I was awoken from my Tylenol PM-induced slumber by DH knocking on our bedroom window. Since he has turned 30 he has taken to doing old-manish things like taking a morning constitutional around the neighborhood. I assumed he had forgotten his keys, but when I looked out I saw him with this:

This is a Maclaren double stroller. Veteran readers may remember that finding a Maclaren stroller by a dumpster is what motivated me to start my blog in the first place. Now DH finds another one. To be honest when I saw him with it I worried he unintentionally stole it. (people do leave strollers in their front yards after all) However he said it was all folded up by the garbage in the alley and once I saw it, it was clear that it had not been used in a while. It looked a little worn and the gears that open and closed it were rusty, but after he used some WD-40 and I scrubbed it a little it barely looks used at all. This was actually the double stroller I was planning on buying when our adoption goes through and we get baby #2. What luck!

Le Creuset?

2008-04-14T17:29:00.001-07:00

I assume the answer is no, this pan is not a Le Creuset pan but an imitation. However it did have a few good things going for it as it was free, felt pretty sturdy and was in good shape. It was in a box on the side of the road so DH and I picked it up on the way home. Actually the truth is we saw it in a box on the way out of our apartment and DH suggested I try to get it into my purse. Its not huge, but it is a frying pan made from cast iron and we were on our way out to dinner and I didn't want to look like I was bringing my own cookware to a restaurant so I politely declined his suggestion. We agreed if it was still there on the way home we would pick it up. Lucky for us other people don't seem to want to cook their breakfast in things found on the street.

2008-04-11T21:04:00.001-07:00

Blue Tags Are Half Off is expanding and updating. You may notice the new layout (this involved choosing a different template from Blogger, not too tricky.) and now I have a new feature - Book Review! My inaugural review is of Amanda Blake Soule's book The Creative Family. It will be most interesting to parents, as you may have guessed from the cover to the left. Although its more about cultivating a creative spirit in yourself, your home and your children than thriftiness, she has a strong thrifty element to her approach. She gives lots of great ideas of ways to incorporate found and reused objects and thrifted materials into a creative life. It is a really fun and inspiring read and well worth a look. You may also noticed I posted a link to her blog (Soule Mama) on the site as well. Her stuff is really fun and may give you some ideas for new ways to work with stuff you have and get creative.

I don't sell these shoes

2008-04-11T20:11:00.001-07:00

You may think I sell Robeez since I have now posted about them twice in quick succession. The shoes below are actually not my find, but were a gift for my DD from her talented thrifter of an aunt, Kara. She found them at her local Fort Collins Habitat for Humanity thrift store (who knew they had thrift stores?) which I had the pleasure of visiting while I was in Colorado recently. They were $.50 , which is fair to call a good find. The last pair I found I sold on Ebay for over $10, but these are Hannah's size so we're keeping them. Hannah calls them slippers and wears them around the house a lot, which help protect her feet from the shards of broken glass that seem to always be under foot. My combined two bad habits of dropping glass things and not really vacuuming as much as I should have meant that all of us have started wearing socks around the house. (those little shards seem to ricochet everywhere even if you broke a glass in the kitchen) Wow that is sad to admit. I'll do better I promise.

2008-04-09T12:49:00.001-07:00

I began this post while I was up last night at 3am googling insomnia. Apparently working on my blog is enough to put me to sleep so I am finishing it now.

Yesterday I got a chance to thrift shop all by myself thanks to a childcare swap with my friend Addie. I hit up all my favorite Ballard area thrift stores and was really disappointed with the Goodwill. They seem to have caught on that they have some good stuff because everything was way overpriced in my estimate. Judging from some comments on this blog others have noticed that as well. Its always very disappointing to see something very fun sitting on a shelf and think you have found a treasure only to see that is cost more used than new! However I did get a chance to go to my favorite hole-in-the-wall charity shop that I have blogged about before and managed to find some good deals.
A retro-y pair of earrings, three little girl t-shirts and a new Yankee candle minus the label. All for under $7. Nothing beats those little thrift stores.

2008-04-06T13:08:00.001-07:00

It seems that, by their nature, balls disappear into the bushes or down the street. I understand this. However, they also seem to be abundant in boxes of free stuff around the city. I am not sure why. Maybe they are hard to store or maybe they are seldom used. I mean who remembers the last time they threw around the old pig skin? Anyway DH or I have recently found a free basketball (just needed a little pumping up) and a free soccer ball (complete with a patriotic color scheme). On our last road trip we also found a football hiding deep in the bushes of a camp ground (lets just say the bathroom was way too far from our camp site). Since the sun is starting to come out more we've actually gotten some use. Below is a pic of the soccer ball and football. Sadly the basketball is downstairs in the storage area, so maybe I lied about getting some use out of these.

2008-04-02T11:46:00.001-07:00

Usually I don't post retail finds. This is because in this consumer culture we live in almost anything that someone buys new can be found used somewhere (excluding disposable goods of course). People seem to just go through stuff rather quickly in the US. However, last year I read an article about Japanese dollar stores coming to America. The article listed the first of these stores as opening in the Lynnwood mall, which is not too far north of Seattle, but never on the way to anywhere I go. I will be heading up North soon and thought maybe I would check it out so I went to there website (http://www.daiso-sangyo.co.jp/english/) and found that there is also one conveniently located at Westlake Center in downtown Seattle. Now dollar stores are usually full of cheap and low quality goods, but somehow when those goods have cute Japanese packaging they look like a lot more fun. They also had some really cute stationary and fun ceramics. Most things are priced at $1.50. I resisted many of the fun things to buy and contented myself with this:

Its a set of play dough accessories for DD to use with my homemade play dough. I realized the hard way that just giving her things out of the kitchen drawer can be messy and hard to clean up. Anyway if you get a chance I recommend checking out these cute stores.

These shoes are not meant for walking

2008-03-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

Another quick post for a cute find from my thrift store adventures with Kara in Fort Collins, Colorado. Above are a pair of Robeez crib shoes for babies. In Seattle everybody loves these shoes so I rarely see them at thrift stores. These are size 0-6 months so clearly they will not fit my toddler. I contemplated saving them for baby #2, but since I already have too much stuff saved it seemed best to post them on Ebay. I paid $1.99 for them. I think I can make a pretty good profit.

Saving the world

2008-03-28T09:31:00.001-07:00

DH and I don't currently own a car. (Which by the way is kind of hard. Sometimes idealism sucks) Because of this we use a car sharing thing (service? organization? club?) and sometimes find fun free stuff in these cars. Now just for the record if I found something big I would leave it or report it to lost and found. However sometimes I find fun little things like small Earth key chains that seem to have been tossed in the backseat. For those of you with a very good knowledge of Cameron Crowe movies you may remember this as the key chain that Kyra Sedgwick had in Singles, which generated some nostalgia for me. Anyway I had to save the world from a life of existing in the back seat of a Zipcar so now its my new key chain.

Free find

2008-03-26T12:46:00.001-07:00

Above is a basket I found on the street next to a dumpster today. It was filled with Easter grass so I imagine it had its day and then was cast aside. So sad. Although its really not that exciting of a find in and of itself it might signal that its getting to be the season to leave junk on the sidewalk in front of your house (my favorite time of year) so maybe I will soon have bigger and better things to post.

Home Improvement

2008-03-24T14:14:00.001-07:00

Recently we have embarked on a home ownership journey, which means we have all kinds of new home improvement-y things to find good deals on. One of our first projects for our new home will be to paint it. Recently at the Goodwill we found drop clothes, rollers and painters tape for what seemed like good deals (around $1-$2 each for the small stuff and $3 each for the rollers). This brings up a recent trend I have noticed at thrift stores. They seem to be supplementing their regular used wears with new dollar-store type items. This can be tricky because sometimes its overpriced and is usually lower quality than you could find at a drugstore. I am not really sure what painting supplies run, so I may not really have gotten a good deal. However it did save me a trip to the hardware store so we'll go ahead and count it just this once. Have others noticed this stuff in thrift stores now? What do you think about it - good deal or no?

2008-03-23T14:21:00.001-07:00

You may have heard that everything you are using is bad for you. Since having a child I have started reading way to many blogs and books about getting toxins out of your home. Because of this I have been inspired to get rid of my Tupperware and start using non-plastic water bottles. I usually just go buy a Snapple or something in a glass bottle and reuse it, but because of my nasty habit of dropping glass things I have been thinking about going for stainless steel. Unfortunately these new-fangled water bottles can run up to $20, which seems a little silly to me. However I found the below water bottle at Goodwill for $2.

I was excited. However when I got it home and used it realized why it was in the thrift store in the first place. To begin with it is totally a dribble glass. You would think it must be from a joke shop or something by the way it leaks. Secondly it tastes weird. I tried not to think too long about what it tasted like in case I could identify it and get freaked out. So back in goes to the thrift store and back I go to QFC for a Snapple.
PS - you may notice a bonus picture of my daughter in the background for all you lucky loyal readers.

Back on track

2008-03-22T20:24:00.001-07:00

Wow its been awhile. Sorry all. Things seem to be settling down plus its starting to be nice out which means garage sale season starts. Yee haw!
Just to kick off this season of thrifting I did some shopping in Colorado on vacation with Kara and ended up with some fun (if not entirely practical) finds. Below are two fun bags I got for $3 each at the Fort Collins Goodwill.

So cute no?
I recently cleared out about 6 old bags I was no longer using. I figured when your handbag collection threatens to bury you every time to try to get a new bag out you have too many. However we just bought a house and now I have all kinds of room for excess bags. Unfortunately buying the house took care of all of our excess money so I will have to find some really good deals. Strange how space and money seem to be inversely proportional. I have heard the same thing about time and money. Mmm.... I will do further research and get back to you.

2008-03-05T14:12:00.000-08:00

Hi Loyal Readers,
This month we're
1. buying a house
2. moving (see #1)
3. going on vacation
4. finishing up a lot of work towards our up coming adoption
5. dealing with illness
6. teaching a double load
7. taking care of a busy toddler

Due to the above events my blog has taken a back seat. Don't fear! I have some good finds and some upcoming posts. Hopefully next week I'll be ready to get some new posts going. Sorry all.
Just a quick apology/excuse.
Alicia

2008-02-13T12:39:00.000-08:00

You may have heard that Starbucks is doing some major retooling of their business due to the recent news of their dropping profits. Well today we benefitted from this in a rather unexpected way. DH was walking by one of the many neighborhood Starbucks and found this basket on the curb along with lots of other random stuff. (the nuts were not included. Those we also got for free from a relative in Oklahoma where apparently pecans grow on trees.) The basket is a nice size and made from wire so its pretty sturdy and in good shape.

DH also found a bag full of sample size cups to use for glue for his students. (no he doesn't teach first grade) Incidentally, immediately after this picture was taken I picked up the basket and dropped it on the floor spraying nuts everywhere. I then tripped on some and almost fell. I wonder if I can sue either Starbucks or the state of Oklahoma for that...I'll have to call one of those lawyers who advertise on TV late at night and find out.

2008-02-08T12:08:00.000-08:00

Seattle is a rainy city. There is really no denying it. As a Seattlite and a parent of a young Seattlite its important to know (and to teach others) how to survive a winter in Seattle, especially now that we don't own a car . Hannah has a pair of rain boots courtesy of her grandmother and recently I found this coat at a thrift store:

Its so cute no? I know its a little overboard with the pink, but its 18-24 months meaning it fits now and may even still fit next winter (or this spring, summer or fall for that matter). It only cost be $2 so I figure I would have to make do with the cutesy-ness.

2008-02-07T11:54:00.000-08:00

For those of you, gentle readers, who do not know my husband is a graphic designer and as such he has always had a fondness for letters (as in the alphabet), posters and other random bits of paper. He also has taught college for the last 5 years or so and has occasionally gotten some pretty fun gifts via his students.

Above is a large S (about 2 feet by 2 feet) from a remodeled Savemart one of his students worked at. It was just going to be thrown out to make way for newer (and I guess the management was thinking more sophisticated?) neon signage. This S has been in our family for many moves and always finds a prominent place in our home. Recently Dan also acquired an N, which was placed on the facing wall and coincidentally also orients us to north and south. This old signage has been a fun and thrifty addition to our home.

2008-02-03T12:47:00.001-08:00

Last week when Dan was riding his bike to work he came across this in the QFC parking lot:

I know its hard to tell, but its a large bag (actually "Super Mega" size. Don't get me started on diaper package sizes. When did small, medium and large go out of style?) of diapers that has apparently been run over by a car. The bag was ripped and since it had been lightly raining some of the diapers were wet, but the entire package was there. These are my DD size so Dan grabbed them. At first I was unconvinced that these were usable, but now that they have dried you'd never know they had been run over and rained on. We're a cloth diaper family, but these come in handy when traveling and/or when feeling lazy. Its nice to know we have a some extra lazy days prepared for now.

Basket Case

2008-02-02T19:54:00.000-08:00

For the past several months I have been in major purge mode around my apartment. I just felt overwhelmed by the amount of stuff crammed everywhere. As part of this purge I got rid of my handled baskets, which I was using to hold tea. Now baskets are kind of a pain because they don't fold down and those with handles take up a lot of space. However, ever since I got rid of them I missed my baskets. They seem like such a nice way to contain things. So today I replaced one of my old baskets with a new thrift store find. It was only $1.50. I consider that an ok price to pay to realize what I need and what I don't.

Back to G.O.

2008-02-02T19:40:00.000-08:00

Just two posts ago I mentioned the Grocery Outlet and gave it only a so-so review. Well tonight I have a good find from them so maybe I need to amend my previous comments. Dan and I were in Kent and stopped by the local G.O. in hopes of finding some cut-rate whole wheat flour. Instead Dan walked out with a new pair of Teva tennis shoes.

Now Dan's standards for shoes are not that high. You may remember that he has been wearing shoes for the last 6 months or so that he found on the street and previous to that he mostly relied on his brother's cast offs. Since his shoes were getting old and since the Tevas were only $25 (they normally run around $100) he went for it. Although this definitely qualifies as a good find I am still on the fence about the Grocery Outlet. Just think about it, we went in for baking supplies and came out with shoes. Its hard to understand how that kind of impulse purchasing would happen at your local Safeway.

Painting with Picasso

2008-01-29T12:50:00.001-08:00

I have been on the hunt for a toddler size easel for awhile. It seems like a great toy that will last awhile and promote creativity (which I assume she got a measure of from her father). I found this one at the Ryther Childcare Center thrift store in Ballard for $4. Plus it came with a bag of chalk and an eraser. So far Hannah has enjoyed it. Although truth be told she seems to enjoy chewing on the chalk as much or more than drawing.

Yum, Yum Yogurt

2008-01-25T15:29:00.000-08:00

Some of you may be familiar with the Grocery Outlet. I have mixed feelings about this potential bargain source, but still manage to find myself there about once a month. You can find some really good deals there including the cheapest price on whole wheat flour and chocolate chips I've ever seen. However you can never count on what they will have in stock and I would guess 80% of the stuff they carry is not really worth buying anyway (like organic Cookie Crisp cereal and frozen dinners that seem to be made entirely from transfats).

Last time I went to GO I went with my friend Kris who bought a couple of the above yogurts. They rang up for 1 cent each. Seeing an unbelievable deal I went back and grabbed 10 or so for both her and myself. When it was my turn to check out the manager happened to be walking buy, noticed my yogurts and told the checker that they were priced wrong so she needed to manually put in the price of 25 cents each. This made the yogurts unappealing to me, so I skipped them and Kris offered me half of hers that she had got at the 1 cent each price. However, when we were walking out of the store she noticed she had been charged $1 each for the last three yogurts (it is still unclear how this could have happened). So waited until the checker was free and she got a price correction. She still split her 1 cent each yogurts with me which my DD enjoyed. I guess the point is...hmm, there really isn't a point. Interesting story though, no?

PS - sorry about the recent down turn in picture quality. It seems that our digital camera is finally dying after 8 years. My husband is pretty excited to replace it and I have a feeling he won't paying the kind of price that will make it a blog-worthy deal.

2008-01-24T11:51:00.000-08:00

I have been on a quest for new shoes for my daughter for awhile now. After a long delay I think its fair to say she is walking now and so shoes have become more important. Additionally those feet just seem to keep growing. I have been looking at consignment shops but have been greatly disappointed in both the selection and prices. I briefly looked at new shoes for her but I shuddered at the prices. (Lets just say a pair of shoes that will last a couple months should not be equivalent to or greater than one's electric bill in the midst of winter.) At the thrift store a couple of days ago I finally managed to track down a decent, semi cute pair of Gap tennis shoes in her up coming size for $1.99. Just in time too. I think when your daughter cries in pain when you try to get her shoes on it is a good sign they are too small.

Base to echo 5

2008-01-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

To begin this post I have a confession to make. Sometimes after my DD goes to sleep my neighbors who live down our hall watch her via monitor. We figure the distance between their living room and her bedroom is less than in some houses so it really is not that different than many people. OK, confession done.
A new tenant moved into our building with the exact same monitor as us. How likely is that? (actually its pretty likely since its probably the best selling monitor out there.) Anyway, they seem to keep their monitor on all the time, which interferes with ours and prevents the above mentioned escapes after she is in bed. Monitors can run $35 and up and I was unhappy at the prospect of having to spend this much to solve this problem. Luckily I am a pro when it comes to finding stuff I need cheap and I waited patiently and yesterday I found the solution.

Above is a new, higher grade, monitor still in the box found at our local Goodwill for $12.99. But wait, I had a 30% off coupon (who knew that thrift stores make coupons!) so it actually only ended up being $9. I checked and retail it costs $50 at Target. It works great too. I think the only reason is was there is because the box was damaged because it had never been taken out of the packing. Now we can go back to trusting modern technology to do our babysitting for us.

2008-01-16T14:45:00.001-08:00

What you see above is one of those squeezable stress balls. Yesterday I found it in a flexcar (www.flexcar.com) that I was using. Now normally I would not consider this a blog-worthy find since it really is not worth anything to me and will just clutter up my house. However I had my beast of a child with me while in said flexcar and she was just about to lose it when I miraculously pulled out this ball and handed it to her. (pardon to all for paying more attention to my child than the road. I really do try to avoid this usually.) She was impressed and managed to contain her rage at being strapped into her car seat for the next 20 minutes or so. Since she had chewed it thoroughly and since its not really something someone would come back to a flexcar for I decided to take it with us when we left. What a gift for my DD.

All time favorite finds

2008-01-12T20:30:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite thing to find at thrift stores are vintage bags. They are common enough for me to have amassed a fairly sizable collection over the years, but rare enough that I always get excited when I see a great one. Below are a couple of my favorite bags. Although I cannot recall exactly what each of these cost me, I am sure I didn't spend more than $5 for any bag.

A quick tip on finding fun bags like these, look in the wallet section. Vintage clutches are often buried in there. Plus those bags are among the least used (so they are in the best shape) and often under $2 a piece. I recently sold an 80's style vintage clutch by Charles Jourdin that I found at a thrift store for $30 on Ebay. Happy hunting.

Nifty tip

2008-01-10T16:38:00.000-08:00

I have been in search for the perfect earring storage for awhile. In part this is because earrings are a great find at most thrift stores and are small enough that I usually don't feel the need to purge them to make more space. I think I have found a pretty good solution. Below is a picture:

This is a reed style place mat hung sideways with thumb tacts. The earrings just hook in. It has almost unlimited storage capacity and I don't think its a complete eye sore. In fact its kind of cute.

2008-01-06T13:03:00.001-08:00

Another past good find. I found this fan at a rather lame thrift store in Oakland. It was really filthy, but was only $2.50 (after a 50% off sale). My sister spent an obsessively long time with an old toothbrush and washcloth to clean it up. It has always worked great. I think it turned out to be a great find. I do have a few concerns about why a spinning metal blade should be so easily accessible to fingers, especially now that it is in my daughter's room. Did no one think this would be a problem? (For the record it is out of my daughter's reach.) However my concerns do not overcome my delight for its lovely style, so I have kept it around.

Thrift store season

2008-01-05T12:30:00.000-08:00

A note to my readers - now is the time to head out to your local thrift store. People must capture the purging bug at the beginning of the year, or maybe they just have to make some room for all their new holiday loot. Whatever the reason the beginning of the year is when the best bargains can be found at thrift stores, craigslist or (in those sunny-all-year-round climates) on the street. Keep your eyes peeled and you may find some bargains soon. Below are a couple of shirts I got at my last trip to Goodwill. Nothing too amazing, but good finds at under $5 total. Good luck!

2007-12-28T13:16:00.001-08:00

Even a novice thrifter can make there way to their local Goodwill or Value Village. Most people have seen these stores and they can be a lot like your average big box store in some fundamental ways - their stuff is divided in basically the same way, there is lots and lots of junk around and the employees have the same general malaise to them. All these things can make people feel at home. However some of the best deals around can be found at very small, hole-in-the-wall style charity thrift stores. These stores tend to have a very small selection of stuff only slightly organized and a very chatty grandmother type at the cash register. It is more like a garage sale than anything else. The two bibs below I found in Ballard at the Ryther Childcare Center's thrift store just off of Market. It is one of my favorite places because it seems to be so over looked. These two bibs cost 10 cents each. I also got a bag of toys (which my daughter did not need) for 50 cents. Here is my bet on this - the people who are pricing these things grew up in the depression. Because of this their idea of what a good deal is is rather thrifty. Anytime I can exit a thrift store for less then it costs to ride the bus there I think I have a found a pretty good deal.

2007-12-19T14:24:00.001-08:00

Its time for this weeks installment of Remembering a Past Good Deal (aka I need a post and haven't found anything recently). Decoration can run a rather shockingly expensive gamut, but luckily there is a multitude of fun and thrifty decorations available all over the place. (i.e. the ground, your dumpster, the back of the closet and even the thrift store) One particularly enjoyable decorative item for me is paint by number paintings. These retro-y items usually are full of bright, rich colors and of very picturesque little scenes such as prairies, ducks, snow falling on cedars, etc. I recently have had experience painting a paint by number and although enjoyable and even a little meditative they actually take a lot of work. Because of this I find it sad to see so many at the thrift store covered in dust. Above are two examples of nicely done paint by numbers that currently decorate our baby's room. Once you dust one of these little puppies off and throw them in an Ikea frame you are good to go. Plus people will think you are being postmodernly ironic, which helps develop hipster cred.

I love the 80's

2007-12-17T21:22:00.000-08:00

My sister in law Stella has a mom who is either highly nostalgic or is thinking ahead. Whatever the case is I benefited from this personality trait recently. While down at her parents house with Stella we came across a box of kids stuff saved from way back when Stella and her brothers were little. It has some great toys, a collection of books and a couple flashy pieces of clothing such as the coat pictured above. Since these items were not being used I got to be the holder of them until a little Stella Jr is around to play with them. I think this coat is really the highlight of the bunch. It actually looks more stylish then retro on Hannah since this style is now back in stores. What goes around comes around I guess.

Thinking ahead

2007-12-14T13:43:00.000-08:00

For those of you who are wishing you could be enjoying some summer sun have I got an idea for you - stock up on sunblock now. I have become increasingly concerned about exposing myself and my family to chemicals so I have begun to buy natural cosmetics and organic produce as much as possible. This stuff can expensive though so good deals are always welcome. Anyway, last week while I was shopping at my natural grocery I checked out their sale table (as always) and found most of their sunblock was 50% off. Now I have heard that sunblock can lose its effectiveness, so in light of that I decided to stick with one tube for now. Hopefully my bargain will pay off.

Blue plate special

2007-12-13T11:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my dear husband (DH for all you cyberfriends) was walking home from story time with Hannah (DD) when he spotted a box of free stuff outside of an apartment building. Now these boxes can really be hit or miss and it sounds like mostly this box was miss - just the regular selection of mismatched men's shoes and unidentifiable clothing. However DH was able to spot a blue fiestaware dinner plate among the junk. Fans will note that these are the plates we registered for at our wedding and the ones we use everyday. Even the color is a match.

Freegan in the making

2007-12-07T20:11:00.001-08:00

Tonight Dan, Hannah and I went to dinner at Baguette Box, a local high class sandwich shop. Although the food wasn't really a bargain we had a very nice cook/waiter who brought out a free meatball for Hannah and gave us some baguettes that they were going to throw out since we appeared to be the last customers of the night. Alas the meatball proved too spicy for Hannah, but luckily we were there to make sure it didn't go to waste. We were also there to take home a bag full of baguettes to freeze for sandwiches later. Lucky us!

Update on dishwashing detergent

2007-12-06T12:29:00.000-08:00

I have decided to rescind a previous post which stated that borax and baking soda make a good dishwasher detergent. I read this in a book about natural cleaning and it sounded good. It seemed to work ok the first couple of times as well. However after extensive and precise testing I have come to the decision that this is not a good deal at all. It does not clean the dishes. Please accept my sincere apologies for this crap suggestion.

Sorry to all my readers

2007-12-06T12:14:00.000-08:00

First a note to my extensive readership - sorry about the loooong delay in posting. To be honest I just haven't come across that many deals lately. I do have a couple of fun posts in my pocket now though and I will be starting a new segment called "remembering a past deal" which should help generate content. Ok, enough apologies. Here is today's deal of the day:

First off how cute is this sippy cup! We got this at Ikea for JJ when he was born and we picked up one for ourselves while we were there since it is just too cute. Well JJ's is gone. Sadly it melted in the dishwasher. Plus Ikea doesn't sell them anymore as far as I can tell which is why I was so excited to find one at Value Village in its original packaging for $.50. Now we have a back up in case ours bites the dust as well. It is definitely worth it since the other day I saw Hannah hugging her cup. No one wants to see that come to a premature end.

2007-11-06T13:37:00.001-08:00

So I already posted my recipe for laundry soap, but recently I have also converted to a baking soda based dishwasher detergent too. Basically I use equal parts borax and baking soda the same way you would use powdered detergent and it has worked great. A much cheaper (and more environmentally friendly) way to get clean dishes without too much work. You may think I should write a book called 1001 uses for baking soda and I would, but that book has already been written. I checked it out from the library when I decided to start buying baking soda at Costco.

Apples to Apples

2007-11-04T11:34:00.001-08:00

I have had this blog post all planned out for awhile, but things went awry to say the least. Dan discovered an apple tree at the cemetery in Volunteer park near our house. Sadly the apples were just falling off and rotting on the ground (perhaps to remind us of our mortality?) and it looked like no one was interested. So we did a family bike ride to load up on some apples with the intention of making some apple pie filling. I should note here that the reason we were going to do apple pie filling is because we still have many quarts of applesauce from a similar discovery about 4 years ago in Alameda. Anyway, we got the apples, brought them home and began peeling, coring and slicing them - a very messy project. When we got about 1/3 of the way through we discovered we didn't have any available quart jars so we would have to put the project on hold. Instead I made a giant apple crisp and we left the rest of the very ripe apples on the counter. The next day we were overtaken with fruit flies. Despite this fact it still took us another three days to get the jars and get the project moving again. Once the apples were cut and filling made we filled and processed the jars. This is when we learned the importance of head space in canning. We've never really worried about it before, but this time all the apples swelled and burst out the top making a big mess and leaving the jars unsealed. We dug out more space and reprocessed the jars unfortunately a jar broke in the pot of boiling water making another giant mess. (and safety hazard - boiling water with floating glass shards, good thing no social workers were coming by.) Once we actually got the jars processed we realized we had removed too much filling and now the jars were really only half full. To sum up we got 5 half filled quart jars of apple pie filling and it only cost us a huge hassle, a house of fruit flies and two broken jars. What a bargain.

2007-11-03T21:33:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I was out walking around Greenlake enjoying one of the last few nice, dry fall days here in Seattle when I found this super cute eggplant hat. Kids dressed as eggplants have an oddly special place in my heart so I picked it up. I wondered about the morality of picking this hat up since its possible a parent would come back to look for it. However in the last two days I have donated two pacifiers to the free kids stuff cycle (or rather my feisty little baby donated them by throwing them out of her stroller) so I decided it might just be good karma. Hannah looks super cute in it, but she refused to pose for a pic, sorry.

Back Blogging

2007-11-02T16:55:00.000-07:00

Hi All. I actually had a time-sensitive post that required me to get back into the blogging game. Safeway is having a really good sale on sugar this week. Now I don't want to turn into a grocery blogger (how suburban housewife can you get !?) but grocery shopping is the only shopping I have done of late, so its all I've got. Its $2 for a 5lb bag, which works out to $.40 a pound, which is better than Costco and better than most sales. You may want to stock up. You may also want to check your pantry and make sure you have not already stocked up before you go. Trust me, it is hard to find places to store 30 pounds of sugar in a 2-bedroom apartment.

These shoes are made for walking

2007-10-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

After watching yet another pair of cheap tennis shoes literally disintegrate off my feet I decided I needed to find some good walking shoes that would last for awhile. I guess my shoe philosophy has always been get cheap shoes and get lots of them. That worked ok when I was wearing lots of different fun shoes basically from the car to the office and then kicking them off under my desk. Now a days I am walking a lot and walking out in the elements, which in Seattle means puddles and wet leaves. I needed a pair of walking shoes that were at least mildly cute and could stand the wet whether. Luckily I have two nurses in my extended family who know about needing shoes that are comfortable for being on your feet and they recommended Danskos. To my dismay these shoes cost a lot more than I am used to paying for shoes. Luckily I also have recently discovered Ebay and got a pair of used, but in nice shape shoes for $35 (after shipping). I am pretty excited about my purchase and I have to say these work great for my walking needs. I give them a hearty endorsement!

Recent thrift store finds

2007-10-18T08:18:00.000-07:00

I have had no luck finding free stuff on the side of the road lately. I guess I still see it occasionally, but anything I see is sopping wet and therefore unappealing. Because of this I have had to resort to the more standard way of acquiring thrifty finds - the thrift store. It can definitely be hard at times to find good deals at the thrift store. Many stores seem to over price their stuff and things can get really picked over. Sometimes I walk around a store and just feel like I am staring at a bunch of junk, which is a very sad state of affairs. However even on those days there is usually a couple of hidden treasures. Below are some earrings I got for $2 a piece at the Goodwill on Dearborn. My current dressing philosophy is wear all black or neutrals and accessorize with gusto. This is a significantly less expensive way to feel well dressed and takes up less space in a small apartment. Plus there always seem to be worthwhile earrings at the thrift store.
I also found a copy of one of my favorite reference books. Home Comforts is basically a house keeping how-to book that I have had since college. It is written by a philosophy PhD and lawyer who admitted to herself that she had a passion for housekeeping. I've always loved this book and it sells well on Amazon so I had to pick it up rather than let it sit unloved on a thrift store shelf.

2007-10-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

I have been lax again in posting so I am going to throw up a quick post so I can feel better. (that sentence really is very poorly worded, sorry) I recently found a great set of wooden building blocks at the Kent Goodwill for $3. It is a pretty large set that still has a lot of life left in it. Hannah is still a little young to get the concept of building and stacking but she certainly does have a conceptual understanding of digging through baskets and banging things together so even now she is getting use out of it.

2007-10-04T21:16:00.000-07:00

Although this is primarily a blog about thrifty finds I couldn't resist posting one of my favorite thrifty recipes. Normally this kind of thing falls out of range of my blogging, mostly because the most obvious way of being thrifty is to not buy stuff, and that is rather boring to blog about. In fact that pretty much sums up any blog you want to write on the subject of thrifty living - don't buy stuff you don't need. Well no one wants to hear that (it is America after all) so I have instead focused on finding cool stuff that you don't need cheap or free. That, at least, is moderately thrifty. Anyway, one of my favorite things I started doing was making my own laundry detergent. Basically this started because I wanted to buy natural and non-toxic laundry soap. When I looked at the ingredients in Seventh Generation soap I learned that basically that is made up of water, borax and lavender essential oil. Since I happen to stock all three of those things regularly it seemed like I could make it myself. Well after some searching this is the laundry soap recipe I now use to make my own soap. It works great and is good for my sensitive skin, which always tends to act up with other soaps. I use it on all our clothes including my baby's cloth diapers so its safe to say it should get out any stains. Plus it is non-toxic, kid and pet safe, and works out to be less then 1 cent per load.

Homemade Laundry Soap
1/3 bar Fels Naptha soap (can be found in laundry aisle)
½ cup washing soda (can be found in laundry aisle)
½ cup borax powder
Essential oil (optional)
You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. You can add any essential oils you want at this point. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load.

The finished soap will not be a solid gel. It will be more of a watery gel that has been accurately described as an "egg noodle soup" look.

2007-10-03T10:46:00.001-07:00

Some of you may already know I am a bit of a shoe horse. I love getting new shoes. Especially some high heals that give a nice clicking sound when walking on hard wood. Must be left over from childhood somehow. Unfortunately my lifestyle right now can hardly be described as professional and so most shoe purchases beyond the basic tennis shoes are a little silly. Luckily, I do have a professional mother who also likes to buy new shoes and who sometimes decides that the shoes she just bought aren't going to work for her after all. Luckily again, she has the same shoe size as me (must be genetic). Below are my latest free shoes handed down from my mom. They are nice quality shoes that fit rather well. Hopefully someday soon I'll have an excuse to wear them.

2007-10-02T14:16:00.001-07:00

The rest of this week's posts will highlight the advantages of developing a reputation as a thrifty person. (aka person who will take someone else's trash off their hands.) I often find that I am the recipient of other people's useful caste offs. Below is a picture of my medicine cabinet. If you notice a theme it is likely to be Mary Kay. My sister-in-law Stella recently got out of the business of selling Mary Kay and gave away her remaining inventory. Her loss is my gain as I have been enjoying this new influx of facial masks and creams. It is like being able to play at Sephora in your own bathroom. Stay tuned for more cast off treasures tomorrow.

Tribute to a fellow thrifter

2007-10-01T20:22:00.001-07:00

My sister in law Kara has been an inspiration this week. I have been out of luck, but she has made a couple of great finds. Below is a child's rocking chair that she found at a garage sale for $5. Since Hannah is the only Shafer child at this point she was the lucky recipient.
Additionally Kara found this full bottle of Dreft stain remover on the side of the road and passed it on to us. What she didn't know was laundry pre-treatment was actually on my shopping list this week. Nice work Kara.

Kara will soon be searching for thrifty finds in Colorado so beware those of you in the Rockies. You will soon have some competition.

Baby Bargains

2007-09-22T15:56:00.001-07:00

Note to all parents. Old Navy has some really good end of the season sales going on. I got three pairs of shorts for Hannah in the size she'll be in next summer for $.50 each. That's right $1.50 for three pairs of shorts. You couldn't get a better deal at a thrift store! Since I was there and had gotten such a good deal for Hannah I went ahead and picked up a couple of things for myself. Thereby negating the positive affects of my good deals. Oh well, you can't be thrifty all the time.

Free food (not as sketchy as it sounds)

2007-09-22T15:44:00.000-07:00

Dan, Hannah and I were walking to the library yesterday and came across a rather surprising sight. We saw many people walking by holding 3 boxes of these Red Baron microwave paninis. It turns out there were some reps for the company who must have been tasked with handing out samples of this new food product. They clearly were being paid by the amount of boxes they could get rid of because they gave both Dan and I three each, along with anyone and everyone else who passed. Frankly I am surprised they didn't try to give some to Hannah. Now we realized this food product is not the height of fashionable dining, but every now and then it is nice to have a microwavable lunch option. Now we that option six times....actually that is way too many. We may have to pass a couple of these on.