Thrifty Thursday: Vintage Finds + a Few Bags

Thrift Store Finds for this week:

*feel free to click on the images to enlarge them*

I'm obsessed fascinated with vintage, some say I was born in the wrong decade. I went to Sun City off the rec of a blogging friend to go to the Thrift Store mall. This place is awesome and has at least 8 thrift stores in it and most of them benefit a charity. If you are local and would like to check it out, it's at Peoria and 107th ave. Of course you should only venture on over there if you are looking for older items as they typically do not carry "newer" stuff and it is pretty much an all day adventure so make sure your afternoon is free! I got everything above from this "mall".

As you probably saw on my Grandma's Treasure post, I love classic glass items. I also love lace, vintage or not I love the look of it and I am one who believes you can never have enough lace.

I really love the "white milk glass" bowls and vases. I actually had one I bought with this thrift store run and when I went to take it out, it broke. I was so disappointed as it was my favorite find of the day. However, life goes on and I am sure I will find more.

While at Goodwill recently, I found these vintage wooden spools of thread:



I simply bought them just because they just look awesome and were only $1.50! Remember that apothecary jar I made a few weeks ago? Well I now have a new filler for one of them!



At Salvation Army this week, I found a Franklin Covey leather briefcase/bag practically new for only $6! These retail between $80-$150! I say practically new because a few of the pockets still had tissue in it and there is no wear on it at all! I love it because I can use it for the conferences I attend and it will hold everything I need with it's many pockets including my laptop!



Here is the inside:



The cute purse was too good to pass up. I found this at the Goodwill by my house on 50% off day for only $1.50!!

Super Savings: Goodwill Fall Fashion Finds

This past week while shopping for goodies at Goodwill, I found a few things to add to my fall/winter wardrobe. Everything here was between $1 and $4.00!

Savers ~ Half off on Labor Day

If you have a Savers Thrift store in your area, you can take advantage of 50% off on Monday September 6th!

Visit www.savers.com for details

Thrifty *Friday* Buying Off Season

In Phoenix, not many people are thinking about buying jeans when it's 110 degrees outside. Nor ar they thinking winter coats and sweaters. Buying clothes off season has a real benefit in saving money. This week at GoodWill I found many pairs of brand name and trendy jeans for just a buck each. Really, look at all the pink tags I found! Lucky, Gap, Tilt, AE and more! I also found 2 winter "bomb" jackets for the kids for only a dollar each.

In the summer look for :
Jeans
Boots
Sweaters
Long Sleeve Shirts
Jeans
Snow Wear

In the winter look for:
Shorts, tees, tanktops and dresses.

What is Dollar Day? In Phoenix on Thursdays, Goodwill stores feature a certain color tag and week # that are only $1.00. If you find an item already marked at $.99 cents, the items is half off. If you find an item that has a week number that has been featured previously, it is a dollar.

Week # signifies the week # that the item was put out. For example, this week Goodwill is putting out Week 35. In about 4 weeks Week 35 will have been out for a month and the number will be rotated to the dollar feature of the week.

Let me know if you have any questions, I would be happy to help!

Second Hand Love

A large portion of my featured writings of “Frualing, Thrifting and blogging my way to Blogher 10 series will include buying second hand. I think some may shutter at the thought of purchasing second hand, but really there are many benefits besides saving money. A while ago I talked about buying second hand and the how to’s and why’s here: http://www.supersavingsense.com/2010/02/thrifty-thursday-advantage-of-thrift.html

Stores like Goodwill are a great source not only for purchasing second hand but for helping your local community. Find a Goodwill in your area and learn more about the mission of Goodwill at www.goodwill.org

Don’t have a Goodwill in your area? Search locally for a Thrift Store in your area, most support a great cause. Most including Goodwill offer a “discount” coupon on a future purchase when you donate.

You also don’t have to limit yourself to a thrift store to buy second hand. Check your local Craigslist listings or other online communities.

When purchasing second hand there are a few important tips to remember:

• Do The “Leg” work

Make sure that item you are buying is working properly, no holes dents etc. A few weeks ago we experienced “second hand woes” with a freezer we had purchased at a yard sale. It did suffice through the winter, but once it got hot, the freezer had a hard time working. Now, the sellers said it worked and in fact it did. But because it ran on coil they didn’t warn that it could be overcome with ice and cause everything to go bad. Make sure you ask the seller for any and all information regarding the item. If you are purchasing from a store, plug the item in or give a thorough look-over to make sure everything is in good working order.

• Think of “how” you will use it.

Don’t buy something just because it’s a great price, make sure you can think of what you’ll do with that item.

• Remember your bargaining skills

Often times the thrift stores will have a special day for a sale where everything is on sale or a certain tag is on sale. If you are in AZ, you can click here to see what/when sale days are. If you are purchasing from an actual seller, make sure you offer a fair but low price. Of course it is at your comfort level if you want to ask for a lower price but it doesn’t hurt to ask for a lower price.

• Ask for a Return Policy

If you are purchasing from a store, ask what the policy is to return the item in case you change your mind or the item does not work. It is uncommon for a seller selling a personal item to take an item back after purchase but may be possible, just ask up front.

Thrifty Thursday ~ Cheap & Classy House Warming Gift

My friend recently had a housewarming party. She told me she needed wine glasses, so naturally I went to Goodwill. I found 4 glasses for .99 cents each. I found this basket for $1.00. and the cookbook was also at Goodwill for $1.00. The bottle of wine was around $3.00 at Fry's after rebate.

So after wrapping, this basket only cost me around $7.00! Gift baskets are so easy to make and looking at second hand stores first can save you a lot!

Cute Spring/Summer Centerpiece for Under 5 Bucks!

I made this cute centerpiece for my TV stand recently.

Glass Bowl: $1.00 @ Goodwill
Daisy Flowers: $.99 @ Michaels
Acrylic Stones: $2.49 @ Goodwill (were new in package)

I love going to Goodwill and finding items I can use and brand new items that have never even been opened.

This was quick, easy and cheap!

Thrifty Thursday ~ Thrift Store Finds: Kids Summer Wardrobe

Kids clothes seem to only last for a short time. Whether it's from stains, holes or just growth. No parent looks forward to dropping a large investment on Summer clothing, because let's face it kids play harder in the Summer! I highly recommend buying second hand when it comes to buying your kids clothes because when kids grow fast, it doesn't mean the good clothing can't be recycled!

A couple Saturdays ago I went to Goodwill, it was 50% off day, which meant kids shirts were only a dollar and shorts were 2 dollars!

In the picture above, there were 24 shirts and 5 pairs of shorts. My total was $34.00. Yep $34.00 for 29 pieces of kids clothing! As you can see, I really lucked out because I found Tony Hawk, Vans, Character Tees and more! I pretty much got a whole summer wardrobe done too!

Check your local thrift stores for deals such as Dollar Days and Half Off days.

For my local Phoenix readers:
Goodwill does Thursday Dollar Days ~ 50% off every other Saturday.
Savers does .99 cent Mondays and 50% off most holidays.

Other Second Hand clothing ideas:

Yard Sales
Local Clothing Swaps (find one in a moms group or host one)
Online such as Ebay or Craigslist
Second Hand Childrens Store

Thrifty Thursday ~ Thrift Store Finds for This Week

Okay I am changing up my Thrifty Thursday Posts since I do Frugal Fridays. My Thrift Thursdays will actually be about what I find at Goodwill for $1.00 an item.

This Thursday I found the following:

(pictured)

George Forman Grill $1.00

2 Glass Ornamnets New In Box (price on box is $14.99) $1.00

VSmile #1.00

An Older Clock (that works and goes perfect with my kitchen motiff) $1.00

Glass Village House (Christmas Decor) $1.00

Kitchen Utensil Holder $1.00

(not pictured)

Popcorn Popper $3.00

Food Dehydrator $5.00

3 Dome Camping Tent Still in Original Packaging $39.99

My New Bread Machine for only $7.00

*I wanted to add a picture but my card reader that attaches via USB broke today :(*

Last week, I gave you tips on thrift stores and the great finds there. Well this week I came across a bread machine. I've been wanting one and it was only $7.00. It came with the user manual and I tried it before i bought it. This model is also the one I grew up with so I was familiar with how easy the settings were.

I tried my first batch and it came out great, no complications whatsoever, definately worth the money.

My first bread I made was a Pumpkin Bread. The taste of pumpkin is very subtle, so if you try this you may want to add more pumpkin puree if you wish to do so. Otherwise it is nice and fluffy and makes a good dinner bread. This bread also tastes great with Honey Butter (recipe below).

Pumpkin Yeast Bread

INGREDIENTS
5/8 cup warm water
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (see my recipe from earlier this week)
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
2 3/4 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

DIRECTIONS
Place ingredients in bread machine pan in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select basic setting. Start.
To bake bread in oven: select dough or manual cycle. Once cycle is complete, shape dough and place in a greased loaf pan. Allow to rise in a warm spot until doubled in size. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the center of the loaf reads 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).

I substituted half the butter with applesauce.


Today I am making:

Bread Machine Bread
I am hoping this comes out with a slicing tendancy so I can use it for sandwiches.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 (.25 ounce) package bread machine yeast
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
Place the water, sugar and yeast in the pan of the bread machine. Let the yeast dissolve and foam for 10 minutes. Add the oil, flour and salt to the yeast. Select Basic or White Bread setting, and press Start.


Honey Butter

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup honey

DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl mix butter and honey until smooth.
Store, covered, in the refrigerator

You can also add things such as cinnamon, apple sauce, little bit of brown sugar, grated orange peel, etc.