Thrifty Finds

Are you ready for this post?  I don't know if you are.  It has been a FULL week on the thrifting front.  It started Tuesday, while my older kids were in their two hour chemistry class.  I went to one of my favorite thrift stores in northwest Arkansas, Potters House (Romans 9:21).  The really great thing about PH is their pricing system.  They have five different colored price stickers, and everything that gets priced in a given week has the same color sticker.  As things have been in the store for some time, the prices go down.  A chart on the wall tells you what colors are on sale that week.  It works like this: an item is full price for the first two weeks on the floor, 25% off during the third week, 50% (sometimes 75%!!) off during the fourth week, and 50 CENTS (sometimes 25 cents!!!) during the fifth week.  That's right, any item that is entering its 5th week on the floor is 50 or 25 cents.  That really helps them keep their merchandise moving, and prevents seeing the same things at inflated prices on every visit.  I try to visit at least once a week, and on Tuesday I got this gem.

(the desk, not the girl)  I had noticed it a few weeks earlier, but at $25 it was a bit more than I would pay.  I'm a cheapskate?  Maybe, but I'm also a frequent thrifter, and I really try to keep my actual expenditure low for each week.  Anyway, this little 50+ year old beauty was in very nice condition, and I was a bit surprised it made it into the third week (25% off) on the floor.  I was even more surprised to walk in on Tuesday and find it 75% off!  Yes, folks, a hair over $6 for this lovely.  And as you can see, it is the perfect size for Bekah (the height of both chair and desk is adjustable).  She is the only one of my kids who still does most of her homeschooling in the actual schoolroom, so this little desk is prompting me to rethink our school room.  Since the other two kids do most of their work in their rooms, I think our little 3 desk, 2 computer L-shaped set up might transform into a bunch of bookcases, some computer nooks, and this little cutie.  She'll get some cleaning, sanding, and painting, and be quite a jewel.

And speaking of bookcases, there is a reason that I am contemplating adding to the 10 that we already have in our home.  We are book fanatics.  I'll do a post some day on just our bookshelves.  Most are filled with like groupings of books, such as theology, classics, textbooks, vintage kids books, etc.  I add to our book stash almost every week.  This week was no exception, as you'll see.

So I said it was a full week, what did I find?  Well, let's start with fabric!  I have a fabric addiction, and this week I indulged it.

The three pieces across the top are all still available at Hobby Lobby for around $6 per yard.  I have about 4 yards of the polka dot, and about 2-3 yards of each of the other two.  In the middle are two pieces I got from Potters House, and the bottom two are darling vintage fabrics from an estate sale.  The one on the right is so vibrant.  The total cost for all was under $5.

Next is a random collection of awesomeness.

The shirt is for me, and that is embroidery on the front and at the neckline of the back.  I walked into a small charity thrift in a neighboring town, and this was on the mannequin by the door.  I loved it and hoped it would fit me or Rachel.  It was my size, and when I paid for it the nice lady pointed out that since the date on the tag indicated that it had been in the store for one month the following day, she was giving it to me at the 1/2 price that any item that's over a month old gets.  Nice.  The Seal A Meal was from the same store, and is for Husband.  He likes to dehydrate fruits and veggies to use on camping and backpacking trips, and he has expressed a desire to try the vacuum sealing as well,  This came with a variety of bags, so he should be able to get a good feel for it.  The hat is for me.  It was 97 cents at Potters House (i know!!).  I will get a lot of  use out of it during outdoor shooting competitions and Boy Scout events this summer.  In the center is a darling little brass set for the girls' dollhouses.  At $4 it was actually one of the most expensive things I bought this week.  Last is that cute set of (retro?) measuring spoons from a yard sale.

Are you bored yet?  I hope not, because I'm not finished.

Along the top are three sets of new twin size sheets for the kids' beds.  I had not even thought about new sheets, but when I saw these still in the packages, for $2 per set, it made me realize that most of their sheets are fairly old and pilled, so why not?  Under the sheets is a huge enamel baking pan that I got at a yard sale for 50 cents.  On the left is a complete set of books about American history (our family's favorite subject).  I got them for 50 cents for the whole set.  That's the Potters House magic again.  The set was priced at $19.99 when it went on the floor, but because it was in its 5th week, it was 50 cents.

In the center is a milk glass Holly Hobbie mug.  It's very cute, and will be in my Etsy shop soon.  On the right are some canning jars.  I got about twice that many from two different sales.  We are being overrun with strawberries right now, so we will be making jam soon.

Next are some planters and pots that mom and I picked up for Rachel.  She is planning to make some mixed arrangements to sell at our little farmer's market for Mothers Day.  We'll probably put them on Facebook, too, so if any of our local friends are interested, let her know.

Joshua told me he wanted some black and white Converse All Star type shoes, so I told him I'd keep my eyes peeled.  While at Potters House (see what i mean?) about three day later, he found a pair that were his size and 25% off, so they were around $1.  He also found a pair of the real deal for Rachel.  Later in the week she found the pink pair for $2 at a yard sale.

We are almost at the end of this post.  Are you still with me?

I found these goodies at various yard sales.

The four books along the back will probably end up in my Etsy shop, but we are enjoying them for now.  They are all from the mid 1960's through early 1970's.  The book Twenty and Ten is for Bekah to read, and the crayons are for ME.  Yes, me.  The colors are all unusual, and the tips are sharp.  Don't judge me.  The little dress is very cute, but after I got it home I found two holes.  Oh well, it was only 25 cents, and can either be creatively patched or cut up and used as fabric.  Last is the old book.  It's an interesting story (i think).  Rachel and Bekah and I stopped at a yard sale in a neighboring town.  It was pretty, umm,  how should I put it... junky.  Most of the stuff looked like it had been in boxes or at the bottom of a toy box for a long time.  The odd thing was the books.  They were really, really good books.  As in, the content was interesting and cerebral.  Much more so than I would have expected from the other items for sale.  But they were all in terrible shape.  I think they had been stored in cardboard boxes in a damp place like a garage.  I love old books, and will overlook some damage, but these were too far gone.  I chose this one because the illustrations were amazing!

Don't those just suck you in?  I don't know what I'll do with them, but they were too enchanting to leave behind.  Do you have some display or craft ideas for book illustrations?

So that is my haul for this week.  I actually found a few more items, but I had either already put them away, or I forgot about them until after the pictures were taken.  This is a really good example of how great the thrifting is in my area.  All of the things in this post, the shoes, books, hat, dishes, fabric, sheets, planters, desk, and everything else, cost less than $35 total.  Seriously.

I'm linking up with Me and My Shadow for Magpie Monday, Her Library Adventures for Flea Market Finds, and Apron Thrift Girl for Thrift Share Monday (if she returns).  Go check out everyone's finds.