Smash a Goodwill Light? Get a New Goodwill Light!

by Katy on October 28, 2015 · 24 comments

Remember the thrifted vintage light shade from over my kitchen sink?

vintage kitchen light

I accidentally smashed it with a mop handle a few months ago, which meant the look above the sink transformed into that super classy aesthetic of “bare bulb.” I kept an eye out for a replacement one for awhile and finally picked one up at yes, you guessed it . . . Goodwill.

It’s not as groovy as its predecessor, but the price was right. (Plus I think it was the half-off color tag.)

Goodwill glass shad

Sure it’s a little dated, but isn’t dated just a synonym for vintage? I like it and it’s growing on me. Plus, Rejuvenation Lighting sell almost the exact same shade for $200, which I find pretty funny.

So my fancy (ha!) kitchen no longer boasts that bare-bulb look, and I can go back to important matters such as dumpster diving and drafting senatorial bills.

kitchen light

One of things that I love about hardly paying for most everything in my house is that it’s not too upsetting if something gets broken or otherwise ruined. If the shade had set me back $200 I probably would have cried, but since I knew I’d only spent $3.99, my main emotion was relief that no one was hurt. Plus I knew that it could be replaced for just a couple of bucks.

Non-consumerism rocks! Having an out of control mopping method? Not so much.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }

A. Marie October 28, 2015 at 12:54 pm

I totally agree with the philosophy of this post. I know that I get a lot less bent out of shape when a secondhand item doesn’t work out (for whatever reason) than when something I paid close to full retail price for doesn’t. Fortunately, I haven’t had a lot of full retail price items lately!

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Tammy Brackett October 28, 2015 at 1:01 pm

I have a precious little girl doggie who doesn’t like to get her tush wet in the rain and sometimes uses the area rugs when it’s rainy out. Luckily, I snagged my current rugs from a gallery in town. When artists move out of their space, they often leave their stuff. So it’s put in the common area of the gallery with a sign marked FREE. My astute friend alerted me to this and I got three area rugs for nothing. They were a bit dated and dirty….but did I mention the little girl doggie who doesn’t like to get her tush wet in the rain? I did give them a good clean before bringing them in the house, but because they didn’t cost anything her “accidents” are a lot easier to take.

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LisaC October 28, 2015 at 1:40 pm

I agree. I’m looking for a new mixer, one of those hand held ones. A colleague said, its not that expensive new, you’re really going to look in a thrift store for one? Well, after just two weeks, I got a blender, exactly what I was looking for, for 3.99. I wasn’t sad when the old one broke, because I’d gotten that at a thrift store too.
Plus I’m a grandma. I don’t get mad when thrift store finds break.

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Pamela October 28, 2015 at 2:12 pm

Woohoo for thrifting! I was helping a friend yesterday move some yard decor around when screws snagged my shirt & caused two holes. She apologized tons but it didn’t even phase me because I got it for a buck 😉

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Brooke October 28, 2015 at 2:21 pm

Beautiful new shade!!!

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NMPatricia October 28, 2015 at 2:24 pm

I like the new one.

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Ruby October 28, 2015 at 2:36 pm

The new one looks really nice! How awesome that you found it fairly quickly and it fits. (I also have a vintage house. Finding things that fit can be hard.)

I love finding useful things at the thrift shop and putting them to work in my home. The thrill of the hunt is fun that way. Regular retail shopping is stressful and tiresome to me.

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Marcia October 28, 2015 at 2:54 pm

I totally agree. The last thing I remember paying full retail for was a suit I absolutely loved and bought when it first arrived at the store to make sure I could get my size. That was probably in about the mid 1990’s! I wore that suit thin, and felt good every time I wore it. That happens very very seldom.

I prefer thrift store shopping as vintage means “more interesting” to me, and besides that, my house is about 105 years old, so it’s more appropriate to buy vintage.

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Jeana October 28, 2015 at 3:06 pm

I get more upset when I break something that I got cheap. I’m more attached to the great bargains than things I paid retail for. Weird, I know.

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Katy October 28, 2015 at 3:17 pm

I can get that way too if the cheap item was a rare bargain.

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Bobbi October 28, 2015 at 3:36 pm

The new shade looks great in your kitchen! And hey, at least your floors were getting mopped! This post made me realize my kitchen floor is looking a little, shall we say, “rustic chic”?

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M Wahl October 28, 2015 at 4:20 pm

Glad (or hoping!) no one was hurt (other than the light and the mop…)!!

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Patti October 28, 2015 at 4:34 pm

I feel that way about a car, too. I have not been too upset with my family if we have some bumps and dents along the way because our cars are used and some of them have been really used – one is a 1968 VW Bug and we just got rid of our 1989 Volvo that my son drove until it had 400,000 miles on it. I say that since my son happened to back into a telephone pole today….

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Marilyn October 28, 2015 at 9:22 pm

When my kids were young, we used to play a lot of board games. “Clue” and “Monopoly” we’re their favorites. From time to time, various game pieces went missing — lost or misplaced or maybe even vacuumed up by mistake. No problem. I could always find the missing pieces in the games being sold at Goodwill. Usually didn’t have to pay more than $1 for the replacements when a new game would have cost $8 – $10.

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Bonnie October 29, 2015 at 2:28 am

It’s very nice! Someone said to me recently that the key to thrift is that nobody should ever be able to tell. I am sure if I walked into your kitchen I wouldn’t be able to tell it was less than $4!

Bargain.

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Kim from Philadelphia October 29, 2015 at 4:52 am

Patience paid off! I really like your new-to-you cover.

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JH October 29, 2015 at 7:22 am

Great find! Habitat for Humanity has ReStores in communities all around the country where you can find light fixtures and other awesome replacements for things in your home. It’s a great resource!

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Katy October 29, 2015 at 7:41 am

I had looked there without luck. Great reminder though, thanks!

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Vickie October 29, 2015 at 8:01 am

Love the new shade! Goodwill – my favorite place to shop for household stuff.

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DD October 29, 2015 at 8:52 am

I love the new light! Bummer about the old one, but you found an awesome replacement and how cool that you were able to find it at Goodwill too. I really think it looks nice!

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Katy October 29, 2015 at 9:14 am

Thanks. It’s actually the same style as the one in our entryway, so I like tho think that it’s helping my hodgepodge house look a bit more cohesive.

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Senga October 30, 2015 at 2:22 am

This post needs a selfie of you violently wielding the mop! Please … Pretty please?

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Jill October 30, 2015 at 8:21 am

I completely agree. Out last two microwaves have been from Goodwill. My daughter forgot to add water to her mac-n-cheese and blew up our expensive, pre-nonconsumer one. I was somewhat upset, but when she blew up the Goodwill replacement, it didn’t bother me. Interestingly enough, they now print “Don’t forget to add water!” right on top of the package, so obviously, she was not the only one blowing up microwaves.

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Momma L September 15, 2019 at 11:11 am

I felt that way while raising my children. I’d rather not yell at them for breaking something expensive. I’d rather they try not to break things, but we danced a lot in our house, and played fun games. By buying from yard sales, I wasn’t too upset when something broke, and they knew they were more important than things.
The same goes for stains. My father once commented when my children were toddlers that all of my furniture and rugs were the color of apple juice! I bought dark tan things on purpose. Less stressful for all of us.

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