Goodwill, Better-will, Best-will — Let’s Celebrate National Thrift Shop Day!
by Katy on August 17, 2020 · 62 comments
I’ve been wanting to put together a fresh “Goodwill, Bad-will, Questionable-will” blog post, and what better day to do so than National Thrift Shop Day? (I know this sounds like I made it up, but I didn’t. I promise.)
I haven’t been doing as much thrifting as last year, but I’m starting to venture out a couple times per week, (gloves on, mask in place) to scope out my favorite Goodwill store. (The one on S.E. 52nd Avenue, off of Woodstock Boulevard.) It’s a perfect miniaturized version of the “Superstores,” so it’s easy to nip right in and out of. Plus, I have a sneaking suspicion that their prices are secretly lower due to their limited floor space.
Seriously, this Goodwill location is ah-mazing!
Ideally I’d be coming across the wonderfully weird items that I rely on to stock my Goodwill, Badwill, Questionable-will blog posts, but lately I’ve been coming up short. All wonderful. No weird. Bubkis, zilch, nada.
C’mon Goodwill, mama needs some weird in her life!
Remember when I found a box of cat cremains back in 2013? Those were the days.
So what have I been finding?
This complete Thule bike rack system for $4.99!
This new with tags Queen Bee Creations purse for $7.99!
This pair of “sample” Nike sneakers for $4.99!
This queen-size Marimekko duvet cover for $7.99!
What didn’t I find? Anything that could be categorized as bizarre or weird. Oh well, there’s always tomorrow!
Do you love thrift stores as much as I do? Do you have a brag-worthy thrift store find? Please share in the comments section below!
For those who want to score awesome Goodwill deals from home, GoodwillBooks.com is offering 20%-off two or more items when you use the discount code LEARN, which is good until 8/28/2020.
Want to know more about Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette?
Check out MeetGoodwill.org, ShopGoodwill.com and GoodwillJobConnection.org
to learn more about the important services that they provide for our community.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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Double 5FF: Extended B-Day Edition
1. Enjoyed delicious & frugal b-day meal @ DD’s restaurant – 50% off DD’s meal & 25% off our meals courtesy of her employee/family discount, free birthday Baklava, and leftovers sufficient for subsequent meals for both myself & DH. Supported DH’s employer @ same time.
#3-5 birthday freebies: A complimentary large mocha ($6) from coffee chain shared with DH; a “Monster Burger” ($14.69) from gourmet burger chain split with DD (splurged on limitless sweet potato fries for a whopping $1.49 & of course, tipped accordingly); and New York Cheesecake with strawberries & blackberries with a sparkler on top ($8.99) from a BBQ chain, spread out over the course of several days.
#6-7 birthday freebies: After DD got off work she & I quickly went through our local 4-day/month antique store (able to go in & get out with no purchases, can’t say the same for DD) & then headed to a Mexican chain where we split a barbacoa burrito with an extra wrap & enjoyed complimentary chips & guacamole ($3.65) & headed to a casual gourmet chain for a smoothie ($2 off).
When DD asked what I wanted for my b-day, I said I did not want “things” but instead her presence enjoying the annual freebies. Felt that my fellow NCA cohorts would appreciate this.
2. DD was sorting through accumulated school paperwork from the last 2 years. Confiscated 2 binders & a folder in brand new condition for DH, & by simply removing ~ 5 pages with writing, convinced DD to retain 2 spiral bound notebooks for potential use this school year.
3. Received a large amount of cherry tomatoes from a friend who was gifted by her sister-in-law. As is often the case in produce overproduction, my friend said she would be unable to use them all before spoiling. I passed along the goodness, washing & packaging & sending 50% of those red beauties home with DD.
4. Was given an opportunity to perform jury duty but excused late in the juror selection process. Was reimbursed mileage & took my lunch daily. I took reading material & spent many hours re-reading a book that I found brand new in my work parking lot several years ago. Science fiction would not be my 1st choice but it is a decent book & served a purpose this time around in preventing boredom & maintaining sanity. It was a beautiful time of the year to drive the 40-mile round trip to our county seat & admire the beauty of nature & abundant corn & soybean fields in late summer.
5. Used my August free card from the card store to be ready to congratulate my niece & her family on the impending birth of my great-niece this fall for 21 cents tax.
6. Recent kitchen creations: Crockpot Lasagna; Crested Butte Grilled Chicken Thighs; Deli Potato Salad; Tikka Masala on Naan Bread. A tad challenging working around jury selection time commitments but juggled successfully.
7. DD received 2 complimentary pair of lenses from optical office – 1 pair d/t extended length of time required to see eye care practitioner & 2nd pair d/t inability to perform lens eval as she had already disposed of 1st pair. I was aware but thrilled when she pointed out the fact. This exceeds any frugality on my part, as a high priority is to instill the trait in her developing brain cells. Shall we say it is a work a progress?
Assembled significant documentation required for DD’s contact lenses rebate from manufacturer. Always a tedious process but she never tires of receiving & using that plastic pre-loaded debit card.
8. Enjoyed “Rectified” series on Netflix, a component of which interestingly intersected with questioning from lawyers during jury selection process.
9. Repaired a couple of dog toys in the destroyed-beyond-saleable bag for DF, as she mentioned that her male dog enjoyed this type of toy. They are far from perfect with one missing an ear & the other missing stuffing but they have a little entertainment value left considering they no longer have gaping holes.
10. Registered for another complimentary 2-hour CE webinar to have excess hours for both professional licenses, to ensure that there are sufficient amounts should validity of any be called into question.
How have I never heard of Birthday Baklava before?
Would be a hard choice between that and Birthday Eclairs, if I could ever find real eclairs in my small town.
Sounds like a good day!
Heidi Louise – My DD works @ a Mediterranean Grill which is why they offer Baklava as a birthday bonus. Well, Baklava or a shot. Since I don’t partake of alcohol often, Baklava it was. And my, was it melt in your mouth goodness!
On the thrifting front – DD & I walked through one of our local thrift stores recently & I left emptyhanded. She was thrilled with clothing she found. Wish I could go back in time to be interested in clothing. Its been several years since we visited our local GW, so our next outing will be a return to see if it lives up to the wonderful memories we have of years past when we were frequent customers.
Lovely finds! Are you going to sell the duvet? Thanks!
Yup, already did!
I love that National Thrift Store Day is also my daughter’s birthday. Today I gave her a top I crocheted, an ice cream maker that does not require electricity to run and a doll house kit. These days I trying to have my gifts embody some kind of activity. We had a small party for her in the back yard. One friend was able to join her and my son and his girlfriend also came to celebrate. Because of the pandemic, everything is low key, it I think we still made it a fun time.
Oh darn, no weird stuff. But….cha-ching!! Nice finds. I miss my nearby GW Outlet but I don’t even know if it is open and I keep thinking of the time I saw a box labeled with “careful! Blood”.
1. Picked up a new pioneer woman travel cup for $3
2. Successful garage sale Friday and Saturday
3. Donated a number of items
4. Decided to keep oak dining room table father in law refinished in the mid 50s. We will get some chairs to create a farmhouse look
5. Enjoyed fresh tomatoes a friend brought from her garden
I have had SO many good thing come my way from Goodwill. But one of my favorites is a Waterford Lismore wine glass I got for 29 cents, and a water goblet for $3.00. Those went for about $50.00 per stem back in the day, goodness knows what they cost now. I have several Waterford wine and water goblets, they don’t all match, but who cares? They’re beautiful! We like to get them out when there’s a tornado watch and toast the sky.
More recently, a beautiful Haverty’s loveseat that we love for $34.99. Like new, couldn’t believe it, retail would have been around $500. Hee hee!
We don’t have as much quality stuff here in Kansas as I see you have in Portland, so it’s even more special when you find real goodies.
Love the Waterford — so much that I even commented about it on someone else’s posting. d’oh! anyhoo, GREAT find!! Enjoy!
I love secondhand shopping. I would love to thrift in Portland some day. I usually head to the thrift stores on Tuesday. My big find last week was a new Wustrof Chef’s knife. I bought it for resale. However, after using it, I decided to keep it. It was perfectly weighted and balanced. It is a great addition to my kitchen for the very affordable price of $6.
OOoh nice find!! I love that they don’t all match — it is so much more interesting and eclectic. Well, everything will taste better in Waterford! congrats!
oops — sorry I replied to the wrong message, but yours is a fabulous find, too!
One of my best Goodwill finds was a pair of Cole Haan dressy flats in my hard to find size for 4.50. My favorite find ever is my vintage dining table, Duncan Phyfe style with pedestal legs. It seats 6 with the leaf. The top was a mess but the legs were perfect. I only had to refinish the top. I paid $25 on half-off day.
I have seen so many unusual things in Goodwills but the one that sticks in my mind was a goat drenching kit. I had to look it up. It is sort of a giant syringe to make goats swallow medicine. Certainly bizarre but I don’t think it tops cat ashes.
I have been scoring in the shoe dept at ours (Kentucky) lately. I got a pair of Manolo Blahnik leopard flats. These shoes are $750 new. I paid $3.99 plus tax. They are in great shape and my size. Now, I need to decide if I want to wear them a few times and then sell them or just go ahead and sell them. I got a pair of Michael Kors boots for $5.00. In perfect shape. I don’t understand Goodwill anymore though. They have $100 Nikes behind their counter and are still trying to sell them for $40. At least at our local store.
one of my best thrift store finds was 5 vintage bakelite marble-y bracelets for .99 cents each. this was in a small rural town in the central valley of CA, a few miles outside the larger city my parents inhabit. i could not believe my luck that day! and this was in the last 5 years. it seems like thrift stores know what they’re selling more lately and hike up the prices. not so at this little local place.
I love a good thrift store. While I can’t recall a specific brag-worthy find, I am always delighted when I find exactly what I was looking for – as if I were at a regular store like Target.
I haven’t actually been in a thrift shop since March! I’m not sure if they have re-opened, but you’ve all inspired me to check! I have made one estate sale (excellent and safe), and one church rummage sale (also great!)
1.) I am finally taking my car- which someone hit in the parking lot- to get fixed! Their insurance is paying for the repairs and a rental car, which I will be using for the next week.
2.) A few friends paid me back- these were purchases I was willing to let go of, but since they paid me, I feel a little financial room to breathe.
3.) I am in the process of reselling some gently-used clothes.
4.) I got an oil change. This might be a stretch, but my car is an investment that I plan on keeping for several years, and I will take proper care of it!
5.) I didn’t buy a Lear Jet, but I DID spend an excessive amount of money on self-care- massage, Prose hair care, skin, makeup, etc. I am trying to find the balance between taking care of myself and spending extravagantly- it was difficult to find my “frugal things” for this week as it has been more of a “frugal fails” week for me.
April, I know what you mean about finding that balance in our frugal mindset with self care. I get about 5 pedicures a year and I love it. I also spend an embarrassingly large amount of money on my hair. Not on make-up or massages or fingernails, but yes hair. I get it cut and colored every 7 weeks and I am very very happy with it. Yes there are other things I forgo to enable me to spend this on my hair but it makes me happy. I have to remind myself that this is not a “frugal-fail” if I am wisely allocating my funds to use my money the way I want to use it. So are you! (:
My opportunities for thrifting are now limited not only by COVID, but by DH’s decline: He doesn’t enjoy it, and it’s increasingly difficult for me to “work” a thrift store properly with him in tow. And the two mornings a week when I have home aide coverage for DH often have to be devoted to other things. But I still enjoy it when I get opportunities.
My best recent find was one I think I’ve described in an earlier FFT: a lovely midcentury Syracuse China pitcher (hey, for once I liked something midcentury!), which I scooped up for 4.99 at one of our local Thrifty Shoppers. I sent it as a birthday gift to a friend who collects SC, and she was thrilled with it.
Nice finds! We don’t have a Goodwill near me, only an overpriced Salvation Army. We do have a resale store that has good sales and a couple churches that host annual rummage sales.
1. I have been enjoying cutting flowers from our garden and adding a new batch weekly to the lovely stoneware vase I bought an an estate sale for 1.50 a while back. Pre-pandemic, I never took the time to cut flowers and bring them in the house. Flowers from the yard are free and are bringing us joy,
2. I have continued with my homemade pickle project, and DH has made and frozen 12 quarts of homemade tomato sauce. We had one batch with ravioli on Sunday-yum!
3. I have done a small amount of decluttering and have brought 2 tall kitchen bag sized goodies to Goodwill for a no contact drop off. I have gone through every area of the house and think I now know where everything is as a result.
4. As a result of decluttering, we discovered that we had a juicer attachment for my food processor and have been buying lemons and limes at Costco to make lemonade and limeade.
5. I discovered some calming, soothing Spotify playlists on another blog : Chillstep, Indie Folk for Focus, Mellow Beats and Productive Morning. They are perfect As background music for days when I have to get some work done for clients in my new life as a semiretired lawyer.
I want to share something I read about pulverizing citrus. You can cut off the end where the stem was once attached and throw the whole fruit, skin and all, in the food processor. I’ve never tried it since I don’t make my own lemonade/limeade/orange juice but thought I would pass it on.
I have found so many lovely things at thrift stores over the years. Probably my faves are our set of Buffalo China restaurant dishes in an unusual color pattern that we use every day, along with a perfect black suede handbag and the pressed glass plates shaped like fish that match a fish-shaped salad bowl I’d had for ages.
Honestly, there’s not a room in our house that doesn’t have something wonderful from a thrift in it, and I wear thrifted clothes to work every day. Otherwise I would not be able to afford a nice business casual wardrobe on the pittance I make!
Hurray for Buffalo China! I remember your mentioning your set when I told the Buffalo China joke a few FFTs ago.
And in our house as in yours, Katy’s, and many others’, the secondhand finds far outnumber the new purchases. This goes for furniture, clothing, kitchenware, and almost every other category. I confess that both of our current vehicles were bought new, but I have every intention of driving them both (a 2010 Honda Element and a 2013 Prius) into the ground.
I loved your Buffalo China joke. 🙂
We buy cars new and keep them forever. I hope to make my 10 year old Honda Fit my last car, as it has only 53K miles on it now and has never needed anything except routine maintenance.
Nearly every single thing in my house is a Goodwill/ thrift shop, flea market, curb find, or hand-me-down item from my mom who buys quality. When my then boyfriend (now husband) moved in he was proud of all his free furniture obtained over the years by helping friends move. OK, some of it had to go away, but collectively we have not paid very much for anything and like the furniture you’ve described in your house, it’s all good quality and classic.
In 2008 I decided to curb my thrift store/ flea market shopping because it’s easy to get into the “this AMAZING thing ONLY costs…” mindset and then it starts to look like your live in an episode of Hoarders. That’s when the purging came in and I sold all the vintage stuff I collected over the years on Etsy & Ebay and made a couple thousand dollars. Treated myself to Springsteen tickets ($80 for 2 and bought at the box office to save on the surcharges) and used the remaining to start an emergency fund. I now only go into a thrift store when I have a very specific item I’m looking for, shopping as a hobby is no longer a part of my life.
No single find comes to mind as being my favorite because I’ve whittled down my possessions to only the things I absolutely love and now live very minimally.
Shona – You make an excellent point that thrift stores can be a trap for those of us who, uh hmm “collect”, rather than re-sell.
That said I found them to be particularly frugal in the realm of kid’s items – many of DD’s clothes (@ least through grade school) & toys & books came from GW or a thrift store close to my then-office. I would buy the items for a pittance & then turn around & recoup a high % of the cost when DD outgrew the clothes or tired of the toys & books by selling them @ my garage sales. They were also easier to discard because of the lack of sentimental attachment as opposed to gifts.
The appeal of collecting vintage finds is now minimally existent for me as I have boxes of my dearly departed Mom’s items sitting in my basement, waiting to be unpacked with no where to put them. My take-away is to be generous whenever DD expresses interest in a family item (even as a college student) & ensure transfer to her, which also decreases her discretionary spending.
1. My tomatoes exceeded my jar capacity, so I called a friend who lives I her late grandmother’s house and often has just what I need in the basement. Nope, but she had noticed her neighbors’ recycling bin was full of canning jars. The jackpot.
2. Our dog with known lung disease had a horrible, awful, no good week last week. I had heard humans weren’t allowed indoors at the vet office, so I asked about home euthanasia and called around to get estimates of $650-$800. Called back to the vet office–$143 for long-timers such as ourselves. And the vet let me hold the dog. Heart-breaking, but we were sure Scout would prefer his legacy help the food bank and long as he could be held.
3. Otherwise—staying home, drinking water, cooking with what needs eating, exercising to Team Body Project videos in the laundry room.
So sorry about your dog, Mary in MD. But you did the best you could, on every level. Kudos.
Mary in MD, I’m so sorry about the death of Scout and glad that he could be in your arms at the end.
Mary – After just going through canine in-home euthanasia, the quotes you received seem high. Our price variance depended on type of cremation (group/separated/individual) more than any other factor. Your vet price seems low. Our vet quote was ~ $100 < expensive than in-home but we couldn't accept being limited to 1 family member present d/t clinic virus precautions. Our dog was a member of the family, so it was non-negotiable to us that all 3 of us were there to say our farewells.
I agree that you did the best you could with a difficult situation. My heart goes out to you for the heartbreaking loss of your precious dog, Scout.
I am so very sorry about your dog.
My heart goes out to you after the loss of your beloved dog. Wishing you love and peace.
I’m so very sorry to hear about the loss of your dog Scout. Take care.
So sorry to hear about your loss of your beloved pet.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Even death can cost a lot and being prepared with information about options help us all not be taken advantage of with price gouging when the time comes, whether pets or people.
You are in my thoughts.
I have loved thrift stores in the past, as well as yard sales. These days we don’t need much stuff and there are no good thrift stores in town, since Planet Aid relocated. If Covid becomes less crazy I’m sure I’ll go in thrift stores in the future, my husband loves them at least as much as I do (and usually finds things he wants to buy).
Gosh, so many good finds at thrift stores in my lifetime. I’ve been a thrifter since high school or a little younger and remember my first yard sale find for $1: a beehive shaped cookie jar with a bee topping the lid. Once I found a pair of very old Levi jeans which I resold for $500. That was good! I admit I long for the days of yore in thrifting as our thrift stores here in an affluent town tend to sell things at the most absurd prices.
This past weekend I had a good find: a wonderful set of Flour, Sugar, Coffee and Tea canisters in chrome by Lincoln BeautyWare. They look to be pretty common and stood the test of time.
My dd’s college did indeed let them out of their housing contract for sophomore year. We found an apartment (furnished) on Monday and we her moved in Sunday. I did have to get her completely stocked in the kitchen. I went and got pots, pans, utensils, cooking utensils, and casserole dishes, etc for $25. She went later and got all the plates and cups they need plus a mixing bowl for $12. I only had to buy a paring knife and peeler at Target.
1. Grocery shopped yesterday like my life depended on it, including getting supplies to make at-home versions of our favorite takeout (ramen, pizza, vegan chicken wings). A little more expensive up front, but the ability to make these things at home will save more over the coming weeks.
2. Been spending a lot of time with my family over the past month now that we can all get covid tests and spend time together responsibly (at home, away from others). Time on the deck has been a lifesaver, as has the elliptical in the basement. Free time outdoors and free exercise!
3. Remembering to return online orders that didn’t fit, and being honest about things I will not wear. Stayed under my online shopping budget for the first time since everything got shut down (Hey, everyone has their vices, right?)
4. We are beginning the process of cleaning out my grandparent’s house as they have multiple generations’ worth of kitchenware, clothing, and more. We have found many treasures from our childhood and begun the emotional process of deciding what we hold dear and what can go. Taking our time (while there is no deadline) means we can be intentional instead of being forced to get a dumpster and send things to the landfill. Plus, the amount of beautiful mad-men-esque glasses is impressive for a family that never drank!
5. My birthday was last week! So I’m sifting through my emails for all the free little perks I got. While I’ve almost completely cut out Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and the like, I’ll happily let them buy me a coffee.
Happy Belated Birthday! Hope it was a good one.
Thank you very much, Christine!
Vegan chicken wings? Recipe, please.
@sharon I usually just buy the morning star buffalo wings or vegan “chicken” nuggets and toss them in buffalo sauce, but here’s a phenomenal cauliflower “wing” recipe that we made every week for the first month of quarantine! It’s the only buffalo cauliflower recipe I’ve been happy with: https://www.drafthouse.com/news/make-your-own-vegan-buffalo-cauliflower-alamoathome
My favorite item I’ve found at a Thrift Store was a vintage dresser vanity tray that is so beautiful it makes me happy whenever I look at it. I recently found a painting of the Lake Michigan dunes with a lighthouse in the distance that I love and sits above my bed. I’ve found many items to sell over the years but nothing spectacular. The thrift stores around here are not great.
I rarely have good luck at thrift stores. I did find a mini muffin for .99 once. I have found a few lovely things at consignment shops. I am in awe of those of you find these treasures and are able to resell them at a profit.
Oh my…the cat ashes…who in the world would ever…some things just defy reason. My best resell was some Fire King jade glassware I bought at a church yard sale. Three pieces for $3 which I turned around and sold for $80 on FB Marketplace. I have a whole other three piece set but got no bites on it, surprisingly, but I decided to keep it for use in my own kitchen. Glad I did. I guess my favorite find that I purposely bought for my own home was a Swedish breadboard I found at a church thrift shop on Cape Cod. It was $5 and it was an exact replica of one my mother had in our house while we were kids. I have it hanging in my own kitchen now.
Finding stuff our mothers had is always a rush. My best one in this category is a linen 1965 calendar dish towel in like-new condition, found on the curb next to a house that was obviously doing a pre-moving cleanup. I smile and think of my dear Momcat every time I use the towel.
1. I am sheltering at home for the most part and experiencing withdrawal symptoms from occasional visits to my favorite thrift which is now featuring an annex with all $1 items. My behavior qualifies as a frugal non-action.
2. We are cleaning out and my husband plans to donate a vintage suitcase inherited from his father which might qualify as an antique so I am of two minds about what to do with this item. However, stuff out is by and large a good thing so we can more easily find out possessions and not duplicate them.
3. Tomorrow my special order stove is being delivered – not frugal except that I will bake up some goodies, and it is cheaper than redoing my kitchen.
4. Zucchinis in great abundance – a bargain if you grow them.
5. This is my break from the political convention which doesn’t seem to have the pzzaz of former years due of course to a lack of a live audience.
I have found some great work clothes second hand at a church run thrift store in our area. Our goodwill however feels like a waste of time. Certainly for clothes! Why won’t they organize by size instead of color? ALL the other second hand places do clothes by size…..my main reason for not shopping there. Also, I simply don’t need any housewares. I really don’t!
PS it has become impossible for me to read comments on this site on my iPhone. the site seems to constantly update for the ads at the bottom and it brings me back to the top of the comments continually (in 10 second increments). Katy, your partner who runs the ads should be able to fix this.
I was rooting around my parents house looking for this stack of Calvin and Hobbes books for my son – he’s really into them right now. Stashed in the back of a crawlspace boxes of original American Girls dolls with loads of accessories which belonged to my sister and I 30 years ago!
My mom said they are mine to sell but I plan to split the money between my mom and my sister. I started browsing the listings on Ebay and they run anywhere from $50- $500 for a doll. I have to evaluate and clean up the stash but I am really excited to see where this leads!
Talk about buried treasure in the attic…kudos!
1. I may not ever go in a thrift store again. It just makes me sad, nearing 200,000. 0 cost
2. I am learning to live with cement floors. Who knew flooring, furniture, and lots of construction stuff can only be ordered and is months away from delivery. 0 cost
3. Asthma cat is finally doing better without going to vet. 0 cost
4. I feel like I fell through a rabbit hole into the 1800s Appalachian mountains. All I want to eat is beans, greens, and sweet potatoes. Oh and fried apples. Very near 0 cost while I sit barefoot on the deck and pick the mando in my cutoffs and calico.
5. I didn’t know I could listen to Chopin on YouTube for FREE! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh
0 cost
6. Extra credit. I find I have no problem anymore wearing the same clothes for 3 days straight. Lol!!!! 0 cost!
#3 – Glad to hear asthma cat is feeling better with your attention & care.
Covid19 has been an absolute horror show in so many ways. The only thing it has taught me besides fear of a tiny little bug I cannot see is how much I can live without.
tia, your posts are always so soulful, so creative as you adapt and reframe. You inspire me!
LOVE #4 and #6.
I volunteer at a thrift store near my house and it’s my all-time favorite. There is a GW even closer, and it has a spectacular view, but I think their prices include a view premium. I rarely find anything there. My store has been closed since March. I worked a shift just before they closed, and I have missed it terribly during the pandemic. Our lovely manager took advantage of the break to clean, paint and reorganize the store from stem to stern. We all got regular photographic updates and could not wait to go back.
They reopened last week and I worked my first shift on Thursday. It was such a thrill to be back! There is so very little that I need. Most of my thrift shopping was in support of activities that are not likely to resume before 2021, so I amused myself by being thrilled with the treasures our customers found. I bought a Ravensburger Puzzle for fifty cents. They’re shorthanded, so I will be working again next week. We’ll see if treasure awaits. In the meantime, being thrilled vicariously by our customers’ finds is surprisingly fun and F-R-E-E!
My two facebook marketplace finds were a kichenette table with drop down sides which with the sides up makes a great table for my kitchen. It was $50 and came with 3 chairs. Other find was an Ethan Allen low chest that I use for my bedside table. It has 3 drawers, is a beautiful piece that I paid $55 for and love. I’ve also picked up 2 Longerberger – remember them? – from facebook.
Not a very frugal week. Dh was on vacation having a staycation. He played golf one day and went down the shore twice. Once to take our daughter for her yearly beach outing and then to go fishing with his sister and nephew.
We did Olive Garden takeaway one night and it was a cool week so able to lower the AC. Picked up my insulin and got it for $240 instead of $1000. Got two pens for free from manufacturer.
Forgot to pay the property taxes so now I have to pay a stupid tax of $33 on top of it. Grr… So all in all not a very frugal week.
We have a Salvation Army store where I have found great deals on kids clothes. I have gotten jeans, shirts, and coats that are in like new condition for only a few dollars. We get hand me downs from family and friends, and we pass bags of clothes on when my kids outgrow them.
We have been doing a lot of trips to local state parks to hike and picnic this summer. One park ranger told me that the number of visitors this year are three times the average. I meet a lot of people that are out getting fresh air and sunshine, camping and getting out in the woods, rather than going to the city, shopping or flying away for vacation. The nice part is access to the parks is free and people are getting some exercise. I would call that a frugal activity. I have seen some very silly people wearing masks and gloves sitting on the beach, riding bicycles and even one guy sitting at a picnic table 100 yards away from anyone reading a book. It is sad that people are so afraid and actually think the worthless cloth mask will protect them. It is like expecting a chainlink fence to stop mosquitoes. What is also a problem is all the discarded masks and gloves I am seeing on the trails and in the parking lots. I will be glad when this nonsense ends.
Perhaps the reader who sat so far away was trying to concentrate on reading his book and had come for the fresh air, not the social interactions.
Perhaps the glove wearers find them effective as reminders not to touch their eyes, noses, mouths – as do I.
Perhaps any and all of these people are immuno-compromised or similarly vulnerable, or perhaps they live with loved ones who are, but still needed the fresh air experience for their own mental and physical health.
Masks ARE proven effective in protecting others from *our* exhalations, differing materials have differing efficacy. What’s “silly” is being deliberately ignorant of the facts.