It's not new, but it's not needed. Still, I couldn't resist.

Sorry that I've been negligent on posting. I'm busy getting things done before the weather changes and too exhausted to post. Plus, I haven't been buying much. Today, I did go to Savers (senior's day). And I bought this stupid machine. Even the offspring was wise enough to tell me not to buy it. But, the price was right and the dream of knitting a lovely sweater on a cold Winter's day was too alluring. If I ever get the time and will to open this thing, I'll likely find it's not all there. Doesn't matter if you know you shouldn't do something if you're gonna go ahead and do it anyways. Sigh.

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!

Cheap jewelry makes me happy.

Not just cheap as in a bargain, but cheap as in not valuable. My husband has no idea how lucky he is. I like chunky, funky stuff. Have no desire for diamonds or gold. (Not that I don't find these attractive on others.) These pieces were picked up with a 30% off coupon at Savers (the pickings were slim, but I like these just the same.) The zebra necklace was $3.50 and the pin, $2.

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.

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).

How's it hanging? At Savers, pretty good.

I'm not much of a brand-sensitive gal. However, I do have one brand/model of jeans that fits me perfectly and am too lazy most of the time to bother looking for other jeans at the second-hand stores. Which is why I appreciate the way Savers hangs their jeans (one of the few things I really like about Savers). It is very easy for me to go through an entire rack in just seconds to see if they have what I'm looking for.

Never be hungry for bread again...for under $20.

The shelf at Savers is always loaded with bread machines. I'm sure other thrifts may be similarly well stocked. I've seen what look like brand-spanking-new ones (in the box, with instructions) for up to $19.99. Usually they are much less, like the one pictured on the right for $5.99. I believe that is the same one I used to have. Loved that machine (lost the paddle, replacement didn't fit properly), bought a new machine as it was before I discovered the joys of going "not new."

It pays to do a little research to find out if the models available receive positive reviews (and if a manual is available online if you are not familiar with bread machine operation). I understand some don't bake that well, but I have been very happy with the two I've had (of course, I checked the reviews before purchasing).

It's really lovely to know you are just 3.5 hrs. away from a great loaF of fresh bread at any time. I usually buy my yeast in a jar and keep it in the freezer so I always have fresh. Many recipes/machines can be programmed to start at a given time, so you can set it up in the morning and have fresh bread when you get home from work...or whenever. The only downside is, it is very difficult not to eat the whole damn loaf when you have it sitting there hot and fresh in front of your face.

I'll leave you with a final bread baking tip: I've found I can add a 1/4 cup of flax seed (ground or whole) to a recipe without making any other adjustments. The resulting bread is somehow of a better (moister?) texture and you get the health benefits of the flax. Really doesn't seem to affect the taste much, if anything, the taste is better with the flax seed.

$3 brooch, pricey, but it makes me happy.

Got this at a half price sale at a thrift for $3. Probably paid too much, but my sister envied it today, so that alone is worth $3. She mostly just mocks me.

I finally got some used jeans that fit

Forgot to mention, yesterday when Savers denied my coupon (that I had earned through making purchases), I did buy some jeans that were 30% off because it was a "sale" day. One pair of Gloria Vanderbilt Amanda jeans was $6.66 and the other was $4, both were in really good shape. I also bought a pair of Gloria Vanderbilt jeans that weren't "Amanda" and they did not fit at all. Took them back today (Savers allows you return an item within 7 days if it still has the tag on it and you have the receipt, though you must take your "refund" in merchandise that same day...a lousy return policy for a for-profit store like Savers, but better than most thrifts). I returned those today and bought some of the stuff I was going to buy with my coupon yesterday (today was "seniors" day, so I got a 25% discount). I think Savers is very expensive for most stuff, but I really needed some jeans.

My love/hate relationship with Savers is really more a hate/hate relationship

I had a 30% off coupon from buying a certain amount of merchandise during the Christmas shopping season. I went to use it today, after a long shopping session, only to be told it expired. While the dates during which you had to do the shopping to earn the stamps were somewhat prominent (for fine print) on the coupon, the expiration date of the coupon was hidden in even more fine print on the back. Sigh. It's bad enough that they seem to go out of their way to make you think they are a nonprofit (they are not), but then they have this kind of thing going on. Wasted all that time shopping for nothing. I must have had at least 20 pieces of glassware in my cart. Maybe I'll go back tomorrow and see if any of it is left (tomorrow I get my senior discount).

What's a good discount for something used?

They say your car loses thousands in value the minute you drive it off the lot. Seems these days, other stuff may not. I see Savers charging close to the original price on some things. Lots of stuff on goodwill.com goes for over half the original price...and they don't even guarantee that it works! I try to pay no more than .30 on the dollar since you never know how much "life" is left in the product and usually have no way to return defective items. (Of course, I prefer to pay much less.) Still can't get over people who will pay too much for used stuff. Are they new to used or just don't care what they spend?

The offspring broke my Ninja blender

Being frugal, and especially going "used," is all about planning. But, you can't plan for premature breakdowns. Sigh. We use the blender a lot. I make myself a nice, low-cal frappucino-type treat every now and then. The offspring makes these ridiculous fruit smoothies. (I say “ridiculous” because he does it in a difficult, nonsensical fashion). He, of course, put too much hard fruit in the blender and it broke. I hate the idea of buying a blender used (who knows what someone might have put in it?), but I suppose I will have to. I’ll just be sure to soak it in bleach water when I buy one. I looked for one at Savers, but they didn’t have anything I liked. I am hoping to buy the same blender I had as I still have all the various blades and bowls for it...and I liked the way it worked. I did see a few other things at Savers that might come in handy. I will go back on Tuesday (a discount day) and hope those items are still there. (Savers is, in my opinion, one of the higher-priced thrift stores. But, they are very well organized, making the shopping experience more pleasant. However, I don’t like the fact that they make themselves appear to be a nonprofit. They are a for-profit store and only give a small percentage to charity. They won’t even tell me exactly what the percentage is. I assume Target donates far more to charitable causes than Savers does. But, Savers fits the “used” criterion.) As far as the blender is concerned, I will just have to wait for one I want to be available, used, at a good price...or maybe at just an okay price...depends how much I miss my frappes.