Free Natural Room Freshener

Some rosemary sprigs from the yard and lemon rinds left over from the kitchen make the house smell fresh and crisp when set to simmering on the stove.

Thrifting Tip #3 - Ball O' Yarn

I only add this one because I figure you're a fiber person if you're reading this blog. If not, I'm sure you know someone who knits or crochets, right?

While you're out junking, keep an eye open for bags of yarn. That's how my local thrift stores package the yarn donations they get from overly ambitious crafters who planned to make a king size afghan but somehow never found the time (been there, done that).

It also helps to look at buying yarn this way as a personal challenge - what do I 'see' in the yarn just waiting to be created? A hat? A scarf? Not to compare myself to Michelangelo and a block of marble or anything, but you get the picture.


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Thrifting Rules to Live By #2 - Church Bazaars Rock!

I've decided the best place to find hidden treasure is at a big church yard sale. It's a lot of driving around to hit more than one garage sale on a Saturday morning. And the thrift stores are on to the potential value of their stuff and lately seem to overprice accordingly. Or maybe it is just this rough economy - more people are shopping at thrift stores these days. Anyway, I went to a church yard sale this morning and scored: $10 bought a Dale of Norway sweater (not my size but perfect for making back my $10 on Ebay), a set of 6 linen embroidered place mats with matching linen runner, two large bright cotton mexican blankets, a round vintage Christmas print tablecloth (complete with cotton fringe edging), a cute 50s chalk mama fish plaque and her two babies, and a lovely Limoges teacup and saucer (perfect for mom, the Anglophile). And the icing on the cake? My donation was for a good cause - the new Summit Autism Academy of Austin.

Thrifting Rules to Live By - #1

If it has a bar code or is marked 'Made in China' put it back.

Thrifting for Fun and Profit - Appliances

In the past I have tended to ignore the shelves in the back of the thrift store that are filled with electronics and appliances. Too boring - no color or texture to draw me in. But sometimes you find treasures back there, too. I can't count the numbers of bread machines I've found for friends at $8 a pop - some of them expensive brands. Yesterday I found a Cuisinart ice cream maker. No manual, but that's not a reason not to get it - you can find most any owner's manual online. (I found the one for this item easily once I got home.) With the economy in the shape it's in,
don't overlook the local thrift store as a cheap source for expensive appliances. Even frivolous ones like an ice cream maker.

Today's Junk-it

Today I was able to indulge my inner scavenger and spend the morning at my favorite thrift venues. Before I even leave the house, I find a Depression Glass guide in the mail from Paperbackswap.com. This is an auspicious omen for the upcoming hunt. By the way, if you haven't joined yet, I highly recommend it. I've been able to trade lots of old books I no longer care about for ones that I actually want - like crochet books. You can't have enough crochet books.


First stop is the neighborhood Half-Price books because they are having a 20% off sale during the Memorial Day weekend. I find this book on filet crochet for $3 (because you can't have enough books about crochet, right?) and two cooking magazines for 25 cents each (because I am a little bit cooking-impaired and can always use more recipes and instruction.) With 20% off, the total comes to $3.02.



Next stop is Thread-Bare (aka The Stitching Studio), a DIY thrift store whose proceeds go to a good cause. This shop is mainly for quilters and people who sew but they often have yarn and vintage items. I find a great 70s craft magazine and a vintage crocheted potholder booklet. (Did I mention you can't have enough crochet books/booklets/pamphlets/printed material?) Drive out is $1.08.


Onward to my two-fer: two thrifts stores side-by-side in a strip mall. I strike out at Goodwill but I find these four vintage hand painted Christmas mugs at the Salvation Army, regularly 4 for $4.99 but on sale today for half-price. I now own 4 mugs that I don't have an immediate use for and will have to store until I can figure out a crafty use for them. This sort of item is my Thrifting Achilles Heel. If it wasn't for my iPhone Ebay app, which encourages me to catch and release, I would be bringing home MUCH more booty than I already do. In fact, I think the savings from this app may more than pay for my monthly data charge. Hmmm....


My last stop is the mother of all junk stores - the Goodwill Outlet Store. I am slowing down now but I do manage to find four squeaky dog toys for a total of 81 cents. A few will go to the dog, but I plan to cannibalize the others in order to get the squeakers out. My son, who hates crafting with a passion, has actually agreed to make 'dog toys' with me. My plan is to use my stash of felted wool sweaters to cut and stitch together a dog toy or two using my thrifted squeakers. Sounds like a fun holiday weekend activity, doesn't it?

How to buy a bread machine for $10 or less

The short answer: Goodwill. I've noticed that Goodwill stores are a great place to find expensive appliances (like bread machines) for a few bucks. The trick is knowing that Goodwill lines them up along a back wall in the least interesting part of the store. My eyes used to just bounce off of them like some high-tech reflective surface. When I seriously started looking for a bread machine a few months ago I finally noticed them. Now I know what electrical treasures lay buried in the nether regions of the local thrift store.

For example, this morning I saw two juicers, three bread machines, a deep fryer, and several other appliances I couldn't even identify. For $10 I picked up this bread machine, brought it home, cleaned it, found the instruction manual online, printed the manual, and then made a loaf to be certain it works. My husband was convinced that something must be wrong with it, that it wasn't going to work, that no one would drop off a working bread machine at Goodwill. I, of course, knew better. Because I understand how those appliances get to Goodwill in the first place. One gets a fancy new gadget, uses it a few times, gets bored with it and finds somewhere to store it. Later (could be months or years) one gets rid of it while in a frenzy of de-cluttering.

By the way, this bread machine is headed for a friend who needs one - it's pictured loaded up in my car ready for delivery. I was tempted to pick up one of the juicers, too, but I already have one in storage that hasn't yet been de-cluttered.