It has now, officially been an entire year of nothing new!

It started as a sort of whim/challenge and has ended as a lifestyle. I am solidly entrenched in repairing, repurposing and generally trying to always buy used rather than new. I may go back to shopping the clothing clearance racks, but only because I am so good at it that I feel I was getting better bargains new than used (and it's not like I buy that many clothes anyway). Plus, I think there are so many women shopping the thrift stores so effectively that you have to be a rather cut-throat early and frequent shopper to get the best stuff...and I am just not that into expending that kind of energy on clothes shopping. That said, two of my favorite clothing items were purchased used. But, consider that during these 365 days, my "cheating" on buying new clothes added up to a total of $75 for 2 pairs of pants, 5 tops and a dressy hoodie, I did pretty good value-wise. I'm still looking for a not-new engineered hardwood floor. I know I'll find one. Can't wait.

$9 Bose speakers at Goodwill. Pays to search the whole store.

Sorry that life has been keeping me from posting, but it has also been keeping me from doing any "not new" stuff, so there hasn't been much of interest to post about. I did get out to Goodwill to pick up a pair of shorts (Elizabeth brand, which is Liz Clairborne's fat lady division), a pair of jeans and the Bose speakers.

Was I shopping for speakers? No. Am I delighted to have them? Yes. It pays to search the entire store over as long as you are there. The speakers aren't wireless, but that's just fine with me. Maybe now I'll get more music and Science Friday in my life. If I ever get around to hooking them up.

Making "not new" glass garden flowers to sell at the Art Show

Hoping to sell some garden "art" this weekend. Made these from upcycled glass I've been collecting at thrift shops. FYI, none of the adhesives I've seen recommended on various blogs work for $%&t.

"Not new" shopping: too much of a good thing?

I haven't been shopping in quite some time, which makes me wonder if I have some sort of inner cash register that makes me want a certain amount of stuff. When I went to Savers yesterday, I seem to have overdone it. This stuff is not for me, per se. I am hoping to upcycle it into yard art that I will (hopefully) unload, ahem, I mean, sell, at a craft show in July. In the meantime, storing it and keeping it clean is a chore...not to mention that I feel the need to examine every single piece I have "in stock" before I put together a single garden stake. So far, I have one half-done. And July is looking closer by the minute. (BTW: basketful added up to $105 after my "senior" discount. Fairly pricey, but the other local thrifts don't have the inventory Savers does.

Some thrift stores are hard to find...but worth it.

I found out about a thrift store I'd never heard of at a meeting I attended tonight. I came home to look up the details on the Web, but could not find it on an Internet search of thrift stores (but, I did find dozens of thrift stores I'd never heard of when I searched "thrift stores" in the Yellow Pages, so I have lots of 'sploring to do when I get the chance).

Anyway, the thrift store in question is run by the Mental Health Association and is on the Buffalo Psychiatric Center campus. Apparently, lots of doctors donate to this store and almost every item sells for $1 (except coats are $4). The meeting members were raving about what great clothes they had there. (I imagine doctors can afford some nice duds.) It got me thinking that there might be some other thrift stores associated with local hospitals that aren't well known unless you are part of the hospital community. I'll have to nose around some. And so should you!

New lipgloss and "not new" perfume.

Full disclosure: I bought a tube of new lipgloss. Could I live without it? Yes. But, it's an $8 pick-me-up that puts me in a good mood, makes me feel special, and helps me put in a bit of effort on the otherwise lost cause of my appearance. Lipgloss is the only girly thing I use. No other makeup, no facial products, nothing fancy for me. I even buy Covergirl Outlast lipgloss because it lasts all day. I'm not one to touch up the hair or makeup during the day.

I was surprised to find that you can buy second hand perfume at the thrifts. (Note: the photo is from a drugstore...look at those high prices.) They had it at AmVets and I've seen it on shopgoodwill.com. I seldom use perfume as the smell makes my mother ill, so I'm always conscious about whether I'm going to be close enough to anyone to bother them. I do enjoy perfume, but have enough to last me a lifetime (mostly from gifts). If I needed some, I would not be shy about going "not new" for perfume. But, um, the lipgloss...that has to be new.

The offspring now has a real wardrobe, just shy of $100

Took the 20-year-old to Goodwill and Savers. Boy, was he in a shopping mood! (Unfortunately, we have a very small Goodwill, so most of his shopping was accomplished at Savers). Still, he has all the shorts, t's, belts, sunglasses and hats he needs for the summer, all in one swoop. Glad he was in a mood for "used"...often, he won't go near the used stuff.

Wishing I started shopping "not new" sooner.

I am such a, ahem, frugal gal that I can't believe I didn't commit to "not new" sooner. Perhaps it was the time involved in going to garage and estate sales...time I didn't have much of when I was working full time. Or maybe the amount and quality of second-hand merchandise wasn't as good. People used to hang onto their furniture and other belongings, especially treating stuff inherited from mom and dad like treasured heirlooms...now, I'm shocked at what people can't wait to get rid of (wedding photos? Really?!). My mother always looked down on "antiques" as rebranded trash...so maybe it was not having a role model. Whatever the case, I realize that I do already have a lot of used stuff that I love, but I could have gotten a lot more if only I'd thought to embrace the notion of trying to buy used first, instead of heading to a regular store first.

Robertson: Worth it to Pray Away Demons on Clothes, Inanimate Objects

Pat Robertson: There could be demons attached to your thrift store finds

Pat Robertson: There could be demons attached to your thrift store finds  According to Pat Roberston:  ”Can demonic spirits attach themselves to inanimate objects? The answer is yes. But I don’t think every sweater you get from Goodwill has demons in it. In a sense your mother is just being super cautious, so hey — it isn’t gonna hurt you any to rebuke any spirits that might attach themselves to those clothes.”



I'm not worried, but I thought I'd better warn ya so you don't go putting hexes on me if a deal I directed you to is possessed.

The video didn't post so I put it in its own post (next).

Getting married? Go "not new."

There is a bridal consignment store opening near me. What a fabulous idea. Might even be possible for all the brideesmaids to get second hand dresses (they will kiss you). Of course, bridal gowns are always available second hand online or at Goodwill. I understand some cities even have rental places now. Starting a marriage out on a thrifty foot is a very good idea. Much better than the over-the-top extravagance of so many modern bridezillas.
To be upfront, I hadn't yet discovered the joys of "not new" when I married 23 years ago. I did sew my own gown and my bridesmaids wore off-the-rack numbers ordered from a catalog (I think it was Talbot's...still not cheap, but not as expensive as official bridesmaids gowns and two of my bridesmaids wore theirs several times...still, I heard the other complaining about the purchase). I wished I could have gotten one of the store sample bridal gowns that I'd seen on clearance for under $100...but I don't have a store-sample size body.

For $1.50 I can look uber professional in a second (and save my top from getting ruined)

Got these two scarves at Goodwill: $1.50 for the silk and $2.50 for the larger scarf. As you can see, they washed up beautifully (I will "iron" the silk scarf by sitting on it while I eat my dinner...I never iron-iron). I love prints and have discovered scarves are a cheap way for me to indulge (learned this early on after discovering all my print skirts didn't match my print blouses). While doing so, I also discovered that everyone thinks you are fabulously well dressed when you throw on a nice scarf. It's amazing. I was always a very casual dresser and the addition of a scarf made me look instantly professional.
Another nice thing about inexpensive, second-hand scarves is that they are de-facto bibs. As a, ahem, (unhappily) well-endowed woman, I've ruined a good number of tops. Putting a napkin in your lap is useless when any droppings never make it past your chest. However, a scarf protects the shirt. Sometimes the scarf washes up just fine. Other times, with the busy pattern, you can just fold the scarf a different way and no one will know there is a stain. If lunch results in a mishap, the scarf can be rearranged or removed and you can go through your business day without looking like a slob.
But, mostly, scarves are just beautiful and fun to wear. And warm. And hide cleavage until it can be displayed more acceptably at a later hour. So there.

I didn't NEED a leather jacket...but what would have happened to it if I didn't buy it?

I'm not saying I couldn't USE it, but I really didn't need it. However, at 50% off at Goodwill, $17.50 for a buttery-soft lambskin leather jacket was difficult to resist. Plus, late on a Wed. of that tag color's "sale" day, the chances of the jacket being purchased were dwindling. I'm assuming merchandise not sold after its 1/2-off week gets cycled out. Does anyone know where it goes? I hope it is sent someplace where it can be used. In case it's not, this one jacket got "rescued" and will be appreciated. Difficult to find anything that doesn't make me look like a total dump (I may look dumpy to you in this, but believe me, it's one of the more flattering fits I have found.)

"Rent" a punch bowl at Goodwill

While punch isn't as popular as it once was, sometimes a nice, big bowl of punch takes a burden off the hostess. But, punchbowls take up so much storage space and are used so seldom. I "rent" them from Goodwill (or whatevever thrift is handy), by plucking down the $9 they want for a complete set. Then, I donate the set right back when I'm done. It would cost that much to rent from a party company. I save storage. And the money goes to a nonprofit. The only thing is, you have to think ahead a week or two, as every now and then, there are no punch bowls at Goodwill.

To return or not to return...the saga of the blender continues.

So, the offspring broke my beloved $40 Ninja blender. My several-weeks search for a used same-model replacement has been fruitless. (Why would anyone giveaway such a great blender, right?) The Chefman $25 blender I found, which I think is by the same maker as my beloved blender, has new safety upgrades rendering my spare parts from the old blender useless. Do I:
1. Toss/giveaway and keep the $25 new blender because who knows if I'll ever be able to find one again.
2. Return the new blender and keep hoping I'll come across a used unit of an identical model to my old one.
A blender isn't that essential that I can't go without one for another month or two, but I am missing its use and the spare parts from the old one are taking up a lot of space.

Thinking I am "allowed" to buy this "new" blender and charger.

The offspring broke my Ninja blender, which I loved. It was a $40 blender that did a fabulous job at a variety of tasks. I've been cruising estate sales and thrift shops for an identical blender for weeks to no avail. I wanted an identical blender not just because I loved it, but because I still had all the various blades and bodies (so, spares if any should break or get lost).
I found this Chefman blender at Ollies. It is identical to my old Ninja, so I'm guessing (hoping) it's a rebranded version and all the parts will be interchangeable. At just $25 and giving me the ability to interchange my existing parts, I could not resist (especially since I did have an "ick" factor in buying a used blender...I feel like you can never be sure plastic parts are thoroughly sanitized). I also picked up the charger I went in for. The phone chargers I use in my car get banged around so bad, it seems even the best ones never last a full year. So, I have a decent lighter-adapter "plug" that accepts a usb port and I replace the usb connectors with cheap ones as needed. At $2.99, you can't go wrong...if I could even find one at a thrift store it would cost close to that.

It is amazing how often I'm forced to buy "new."

It's just short of 2 months since I decided to spend a year buying nothing "new." In that short time, there have been 3 birthdays (gifts and cards), a death (card and flowers), a broken thermostat, toaster and blender and now, the pegs (plastic) holding up two of the shelves in my kitchen cabinets have failed. Pretty sure from perusing the odds and ends at the thrift stores that I'm not going to find those there and it's definitely not worth the time and gas to try (especially since it is 5 degrees F today). I was at least lucky enough to find some on clearance at Lowe's ($5 as opposed to $8). I'm having company in from out of town this week, so it was not something I wanted to put off.
If you're curious and too tired to look through my posts, I replaced the toaster with a $1 used toaster from an estate sale (after a week or two). The thermostat was replaced with a new one (though, I did first try to find one at a re-use shop) and I'm still hoping to find a used Ninja blender somewhere, someday.

Bought two tops at Savers 50% off sale...having regrets about one.

(This is the last post from my "stash." All future posts should be in real time.)
I really don’t NEED clothes. But, I fall prey to WANTING something new now and then. Add that to a 50% off sale at Savers (a thrift store) and all my resistance goes out the door. So…I got this plaid Geoffrey Beene number for $3.50 and I just love it. It's 100% cotton and such a soft, soft knit. Not the height of fashion, but I like the way it looks. The print top for $.1.50, I'm loving not so much. The thrill of 50% off blinded me to the fact that it has 3/4 sleeves, which I hate. But, buyer's remorse is a lot easier to handle at just $1.50. I also purchased several other items I will hopefully use in my mosaic art this summer. I had seen a $10 cashmere sweater the day before that I had hoped to grab up for $5, but when the sale opened, it was gone. Sigh.
Also purchased a book for the husband for Christmas (Savers books are pricey, but not bad at 50% off). It’s not part of my “nothing new” agenda, but I did pull out a bunch of MY tops to donate to Goodwill when I put these two my drawer. Trying to keep to only two drawers full of tops and one drawer full of pants (if I lost weight, it would be easier…and summers are easier).

Sign up for these services that send garage sale, estate sale and auction alerts...if you dare!

I picked up this Buffalo skull at a local (online) estate sale auction several months ago. The skull was in a lot with some longhorns I wanted. I payed more than I would for such as frivolous thing as longhorns because I intended to sell the buffalo skull for more than I paid for the lot, thus rendering the longhorns free. But, here's what actually happened: I fell in love with the big, durn skull and kept it. Getting longhorns and a great buffalo skull for $67 is still a bargain. But, it's still $67 more than I intended to pay. Not to mention whatever extra I'll eventually spend to redecorate around the skull. (Beware: the best-laid plans can go awry.) Still, if you think you have more spending restraint than I do, sign up with the services that email you notices of local sales: gsalr.com, estatesales.org, auctionzip.com

Christmas wrapping paper and cards were from the hoard, not the recycle bin

As a lifelong bargain hunter, I have a stash of cards and wrapping paper (and gifts for that matter) that I get at 75%-90% off every few years (when my supplies run low). So, I didn't have to think of any creative recycling. Have enough to last me through at least one or two more holidays. Probably enough bows to last forever (since I save them each year). Which may be a good thing: I am not the kind of crafty-ass gal who could make newspaper-wrapped presents look cute. I can barely get things to look nice with real wrapping paper. My dear grandmother saved used wrapping paper. The presents always looked like they'd been through a riot, but that never mattered much to us kids in the three seconds we saw them before we tore into 'em...though having to remove the tape neatly certainly slowed us down.