The On-going Thrift SAGA

We stayed home last wkend due to grey & sprinkly weather & explored the neighborhood on our walk. Up at Hollywood Blvd. I noticed a flyer for a yd sale at a local retirement home a block away - so we went over there, even tho it was supposed to be over. Sure enough,there was STUFF all over the place that they were beginning to pack up. 

The common thought is that to get good ydsale stuff is to get there EARLY - but in my experience, to get the really CHEAP deals, arrive just at the END, when they just want to get RID of everything!  I found a Chico's Indian chiffon jacket, a nice craft pendant, some scarves, a tape for hubby, some greeting cards, and a stack of paperbacks that must be review copies and a bag for $10 (hubby negotiated). And then I saw 2 pairs of those large "Jackie O" sunglasses that are so in vogue, and I handed over another $1 for them! Just the jacket OR the scarves OR the books were worth that! And they were so grateful to have a little bit more cash & less to pack up!

We walked over to our neighborhood coffeehouse & treated ourselves to coffee (& cake for hubby).  All those young people sitting around solo with their laptops.  Hubby & I, and a senior citizen couple were the only ones not alone.  Notice a book swap shelf, and got 2 books.  Plan to bring some of my many oldies over this next week.   Me love book swap shelves! 

We walked along further to the Out of the Closet thriftshop - and I landed a few $1 tshirts and even a $1 sweatshirt & a classic novel in paperback. Even thriftshops have sales & markdowns.  Look for them.

Sunday, I decided to go to Macy's up in Topanga near my Sun. gig - becaz I had a coupon for a Clinique eyecream from freestufftimes.com - I met a charming elderly lady having her face done at the Clinique counter, and found myself talking about fruit acids and newer skin care.  I must say, after she had a few moisturizing products applied, her skin was markably improved! (But I can get the same results for a lot less, myself.)  That little mall is very nice for walking -  not so crowded.

When we passed thru the Macy's furniture dept. hubby cried "Who BUYS this stuff?" Well, not us.  OUR recliner chair & wing chair were considerable less than $400+ each! (one from Goodwill & one from another thrift store...& perfectly nice...)  Actually, I think it's therapeutic in its own funny way for hubby & I to walk thru upscale to regular shopping venues - He is entirely TOO used to the frugal habits he has picked up from ME & sometimes even beefs about MY purchases.  I had to gloat a bit when I pointed out the underwear in Macy's at $8-10 a PAIR almost identical to the ones I had picked up recently at the dollar store in quantity.  SEE why I bought all that underwear?  SEE?

Recently read a mystery story in which one of the victims (there always are some in those) was being categorized by his CLOTHES.  It made me wonder what would be said about me...I wear high end labels, such as Bill Blass, and Rampage and Chico's etc., not to mention my Minnetonka moccasins I had on Sun., which w/their fringe are very trendy & "Boho." They would be flumoxxed, to be sure, especially with my new underwear! Who would know where they came from??

We may not have a lot of $, but we have very nice things.  My Calif. impressionist oil painting came from an Animal Rights thrift shop in Ventura - on sale for @ $15 - not hundreds of thousands, as the paintings cited today in an article in the L.A. Times! But mine is quite good enuf for me!

Ooh - also recently rec'd a sample of the new scent Delices de Cartier in a convenient little spray bottle.  And also in the mail were samples of bodycology from Walmart, shampoo, and moisturizer.  I put the Walmart samples in my purse, as one was a hand sanitizer, the other fragrance + a moisturizer.  Handy - those samples are also great for the traveler.  Know someone who is still able to take planes?  Gather up those samples for a gift basket.  The big containers are confiscated by Homeland Security, you know! Lost some spa goodies destimed for me that way, when my buddy forgot to pack them up!

Hubby's birthday is tomorrow, and I have been gathering things on my very ltd. budget.  Earned a $25 gift certificate for barnes & noble.com online - which I handed over to him & ordered a book for him.  Also found some excellent values at alibris.com! Last night finished knitting him a sash for his robe(s) - what can one knit for a guy when you are at the scarf level?? I have seen some tie patterns, but they are still beyond me.  Well, I wanted him to know that SMTHING I had knitted was for HIM.

Also have some vintage books I have picked up.  And cards, etc.  It's a secret, but someone I know has sportsteam associations & a "tshirt vault" of freebies he gets and I sorta begged for a couple of  tshirts for hubby.  Hubby also was handed over a lovely vintage LEATHER  briefcase & I got a bag to hide the  tshirts in which is nice enuf to use as a sporty purse! Do you know someone who gets swag regularly?  It's no big deal to them - so deals can be made to get that stuff as presents for YOU to GIVE.  (For ex., I used to know a lady who was into dolls & had extra ones lying around she didn't care about- which were great for the kids I knew.)

Oh, and hubby got $ back from recycling all of his ink cartridges thru Staples and he put that coupon to use against buying another expensive ink cartridge for ANOTHER printer.  We do use them a lot in our home ofc.!  (He has 2 more coupons in the works.) By the way, the clearance/sales tables at ofc. supply stores can yield nice things for yourself or to use as gifts....I am sure I have told you all about the nice bags hubby has picked up for me on those clearance tables....

NOW - gotta take our daily walk - up to the OUT OF THE CLOSET thrift shop again, because one of the tees I got on Sat. was very large & BRAND NEW & perfect as a gift & there were several more, which I would like to get for the gift box, if they are still there!  See ya!

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