Thrifty Treasures

Tomorrow is Monday and Rhoda from Southern Hospitality is hosting her weekly Thrifty Treasures Party to celebrate thrifty finds.  I’m still new and still trying to figure my way around, but I do so want to join in on all the fun.  I’m really excited to share with you my thrifty finds from this weekend.

Well, I didn’t get to any garage ~ yard ~ estate sales but I did manage to get to a couple of thrift stores and here are the wonderful treasures I found.

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I love Mary Engelbreit’s designs because they are so colorful and bright and whimsical and just make me happy!  I can’t believe that any of her stuff would end up in the thrift store, but that’s where I found this beautiful set of bookends and canister.

The bookends are from 1994 and are a retired design.  The canister is from 2000, and I believe is also a retired design.  Brand new bookends from ME are about $50-$80; the canister is about $20-$30 brand new.  The thrift store priced the bookends at $7.99 and the canister at $3.99; and they were 50% off!  Plus another 10% off for my senior discount (hate it but love the benefit!) and I paid only $5.40 for both – SCORE!

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I love to collect things, such as dolls, holiday village buildings, music boxes and cookie jars.  I have found all of my cookie jars at thrift stores or yard sales.  Here are a couple I found this past weekend at the local Goodwill.

I just love the one on the top that looks like one big Christmas ornament.  It’s in great condition and I got it for only $2.70 (50% off plus my SD).  I think this one was originally sold in Target stores.  I have found this specific cookie jar on 2 separate occasions and have sold those; but am definitely keeping this one.

The one bottom looks like a giant Oreo cookie and it’s marked JAPAN ON THE BOTTOM so I believe it’s vintage.  I found a similar one in an old 1997 cookie jar encyclopedia valued at $30-$40.  I paid the grand sum of $3.99!

And I found this cookie jar over the weekend.  It’s neither vintage nor collectible, but I thought it was cute and would be great either for Christmas or Valentine’s Day.  It was brand new in the original box and cost $4.50.

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I found a few other goodies, such as:

• a brand new J.Jill blazer for $5.49;
• Hanna Anderson clogs for $3;
• a couple of girls leotards for $1.29 each; and
• a brand new water-resistant tote bag for $2.29

My total score for the weekend? Under $30!  That’s why I love thrifting and saling so much!  Not only is it good for our planet but also good for our wallet.

Thanks for swinging by and be sure to head on over to Rhoda’s to see more thrifty treasures.

Happy Saling and Goodwill Haunting!

Retired and Lovin’ It

It’s been almost 7 months since I retired and it has been an adjustment.  Like most folks, I eagerly anticipated my retirement.  I was finally going to be free from the slave colony!  So July 4 will be 7 months exactly that I retired – and it seems that it was only yesterday!  I must say it’s been an adventure …

Here’s what happened so far:

• I’ve driven to Texas with DS#2 to visit my DD and her family
• I received a speeding ticket (for going 86 Mph on the freeway … oops!)
• I visited my BFF in Big Bear where I injured my knee while tobogganing and almost passed out
• I stepped on a “AA” battery in a parking lot where I promptly fell and broke my finger
• I received notice of an IRS audit; and
• I’ve now been summoned to jury duty!

Wow, can life be any more exciting than that?!  Hmmm, I’m not so sure about this retirement, but I can’t wait to see what’s around the corner!

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The weekend is just around the corner – and even in retirement, I look forward to the weekend because that’s the time for saling! I’ve got my list of estate and yard sales so I’ll be making my rounds this weekend.  I hope to find some really neat things, such as this mug I found a few weeks ago at a rummage sale for 50-cents.  Sold it on eBay for $47.00 to a buyer from Texas.

What’s so special about it?  Well, it’s a Microsoft Windows 95 mug; and there are many folks who collect historical computer memorabilia. There is even a Computer History Museum and they have a compu-mug in their collection catalog. Our first PC was a Tandy from Radio Shack that we bought in 1984;  it used a DOS-system.  I wonder what that old relic would be worth now? 

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So, I’m off thrifting and saling for the next few days, and I hope to post more about my thrift finds and eBay sales!

Welcome to My Blog!

Retired: twice the time, half the money! How true is that!  Well, now that I have twice as much time on my hands (not really!), I thought it was time to join the hundreds – or is it thousands? – of folks who are bloggers.  So, welcome to my blog … and my first post!

I love to go treasure hunting at thrift stores, garage and yard sales, rummage sales, estate sales, flea markets, etc. … and have also been known to do a little dumpster diving!  Haven’t had as much luck with alley finds, although have found a few goodies on sidewalks and along freeway shoulders!

I’m also a seller on eBay … what else would I do with all those really great thrifty finds?  I’ve been selling and buying on eBay since 1999, and I think eBay still offers opportunities for folks to find one-of-a-kind treasures and for the sellers to make money.  So last year – with the anticipation of retiring – I decided to become serious about selling on eBay.  It’s been trial and error, but every sale keeps me motivated to keep at it!

This past year I’ve found some really neat things during my “thrift saling” adventures … some I’ve sold on eBay and some I’ve kept.  My hope is that in sharing my stories you will also feel the thrill of the hunt and the excitement I feel when one of my thrifty finds sells!  Perhaps it’ll inspire you to do a little “thrifting” of your own.