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.

New, but not-the-usual-way, prescription eyeglasses.

A post from a friend reminded me about my way-cool (I think), but way-cheap glasses. I got these a few years ago and they have forever changed the way I shop for glasses.

I found the frames on closeout at a store when I was on vacation, so I bought three pair (at $25 each, different styles). I didn't want to lay out a lot of cash getting three new pairs of lenses all at once, so I nosed around. I found an eyeglass place that would put in plastic lenses for $25 per pair. (Look for places called things like Value Vision, etc., and located in working class neighborhoods.) I thought I'd scratch up plastic lenses fairly quickly as I am not careful about putting my glasses down properly, but this was not the case. The lenses have served me well for years. And the store told me that they could put prescription lenses into almost any glasses including "readers" or sunglass frames from the drug store. I may have paid a small upcharge for getting these tinted to sunglasses. I cant recall. But, now I never pay more than $50 (complete) for trendy prescription eyeglasses. (But, I still love this old pair the best.)

Love my "not new" wet saw from craigslist.

One of my favorite craigslist finds, perhaps because I decided I needed it, found it right away and bought it (neaby, even!) the next day. This wet saw goes for $99 or more new. I purchased it for $40. The seller said it was very lightly used. He bought a pallet of them to resell. He does a lot of stuff like that as he is handy and can fix broken stuff to resell (but only one broken one in the lot he got). We are both guessing as to why anyone would have a pallet of slightly used wet saws. A very interesting guy (another bonus to the purchase). Can't wait to try out the saw.

Finally got around to making lentil soup with my "not new" ham bone.

If you've got family nearby that aren't so domestic as to be making soup, you can usually get a fee ham bone from them. They'd just throw it out. This one's from my sister's Easter dinner. Luckily, they freeze or even store in the fridge very well. I love soups as they can be all five daily servings of veggies in one big bowl. (Especially if you tend to make them more like stew, as I always seem to end up doing.

Full disclosure: I had to buy a couple "new" things.

I could not find a "not new" soaker hose, so I bought one for $7 for the raised garden bed I am building. I understand that water on leaves can lead to problems. Also, I walked by a display of $5 t-shirts and picked up three. I needed some that look good for when I have to dress nice and finding a crisp t-shirt used is a difficult task, so I gave in.

Free "not new" mulch is actually better than the stuff you pay for

The pine needles and chopped leaves (both shown) make a terrific mulch, as do grass clippings (not shown as no one has mowed their lawns here yet). The pine needles will help acidify my soil (needs it). You have to be careful not to put the leaves or clippings on too deep (and the leaves need to be chopped up...mow them if you have no other way to do it). These will "feed" the soil much better and faster than wood chips and similar expensive mulches bought at the store. If you are lucky, you can find the pine needles already raked into a nice pile at the curb for you. The first mow of the year makes nice mulch as the grass tends to be longer, untreated and has no seed heads in it yet. Since I get the leaves from my own yard, it's a lot less lugging, too!

(Half) homemade pet-proof ant traps from "not new" tins.

The ant traps from the stores can easily be chewed up by my dog (it seems like they mix the poison with peanutbutter bait, so he would definitely be interested. So, I poke two holes in a tin, place the ant trap inside and and tape it shut with heavy duty packing tape (heck, I have a hard time getting into them each year to swap out the poison). I put these puppies out as soon as it gets warm and I can go through the year with never seeing more than two ants in the house. (Wish the same could be said for stink bugs, which have invaded us the past couple years.)

Another repair combines two "not new" jewelry items into one.

While I don't know how to darn socks, I have learned how to repair jewelry (sort of...thankfully people don't look too close). I purchased this bracelet at a garage sale long ago. It had quite a few missing beads, but it sill looked okay. Fortunately, the beads that were missing were very common, so I picked up a broken necklace for a quarter, took it apart, and filled in all the missing beads. Turned out just fine. At least, it looks good on my Easter egg.

Wondering if you can mix wood flooring for a cheap, "not new" foor.

In my search for a "not new" wood floor, I've come across many people selling off the remains of their wood floor installation. I wonder if it would be possible to mix several of these remains of unfinished floors to make a whole? There certainly would be enough narrow width, 3/4" unfinished oak flooring. I would think if you let it sit in the room for a very long time, the humidity levels of the boards would even out so the shrinkage would be consistent. Perhaps if you took samples of one board to each purchase, you could ensure the tongues and grooves matched up...I would think the different milling of these might be the largest problem. Does anyone know if this would work? I cannot find any definitive info about this on the web. I'd also be interested in mixing different engineered hardwoods...possibly even different species as you'd likely not get matching finishes, so it might be best to buck consistency and go for a variegated type of look (though, I would think all lights or all darks so as not to make it busy). How do you think that would look/work? Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/exalthim/4207906252/in/photolist-7pQBVN-5BD82W-5BD3PC-7PBUPc-7PFT6W-ejoaei-6YFQbe-e2BzNM-a4uEfL-oFQ2hD-6NP3wK-nVgUYj-8kSFH9-cELKWf-9yrw8P-8YBWy5-oewuHR-nVgGFw-ocB2UU-ocLff8-4Wc7rw-jJiJFs-8MQHo6-gGnFR7-cpEJVU-ocBJm5-nVgWVA-7BYghi-avpuKM-kuD1bS-a99rqC-78enag-ccVyzy-9W6LdQ-7W9zaX-dmxwKS-62ainT-kuAmpn-nVgoB7-ocLHyg-7BYgir-jPoUHD-6aAAXM-4W7PLD-epcgLY-nVg8Wp-4Rrg1E-e1qVM5-7PFTLq-boquRD

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.

My "not new" leather chair and my "new" feral cat. Sigh.

Finally was able to coordinate getting my sister's van and my son's muscles together to go check out a leather chair I saw on craigslist. It was not cheap ($250), but it seemed like it would be perfect (emphasis on "seem").

Nice people, but the "flawless" chair had a major scratch smack dab in the middle of the seat. Still, I had made so much effort to coordinate the pickup, I bought it anyway (with a $25 discount for the scratch, which, in my opinion was not enough...I'll post about that later). When we got the chair home, the husband determined I hadn't shoveled a wide enough path (our snow is still shoulder high, a shovel's width is all I opted for this year, and that nearly killed me) for he and the offspring to get the chair in the front door (likely the only door it will fit), so the chair is staying in the garage overnight.

Sooo...the problem is, a cat moved into our garage last night! We couldn't get it out, so I left the garage door open about a foot on the bottom so the thing wouldn't be trapped. Again today, kitty doesn't want to budge. Even my dog barking at her half the day hasn't phased her (she has plenty of spots to hide). The dog sure is enjoying the entertainment, the neighbors probably not so much.

I am worried the cat will use the chair as a scratching post or toilet. I have it covered, as you can see, but I am still worried. Tonight I am building a little cabin for kitty: plastic storage bin with lid askew, 2 liter bottle of hot water wrapped in a towel, blankie and an open can of tuna in front of the whole shebang. Hopefully this will lure kitty away so I can close the garage and protect my chair. Things never seem to be easy. The first time I have a cat in the garage and the first time I have a leather chair in the garage...and it all happens the same week.

I could not find a "not new" kitchen rug.

Well, I promised I would reveal any "new" purchases and this rug is one of the few. I have been searching for "not new" kitchen rugs for a couple weeks and really couldn't wait any longer. The offspring can be very clumsy. His "dropsies" have cracked three of my porcelain floor tiles. I need some cushioning on the spots he is most likely to drop. I couldn't find any used scatter rugs that came close to being the right size/shape/color (I am still looking for more as I have ugly unsuitable rugs in place in two spots right now), so I purchased this rug on clearance (only $5 off, bringing it to $20) at TJ Maxx. I would have preferred a prettier one, but I didn't have time to waste as I had nothing for this spot.

The good news is, while used rug shopping, I've found that you can get decent area rugs suitable for a living room second hand, so when (if?) I get a wood floor, I can get a nice "not new" rug.

$3.25 earrings felt like a splurge.

Sometimes, it's all about a mood pick-me-up. These are definitely not in style, but they are extremely sparkly (which I could not capture). And I could afford the splurge, so rewarding myself was worth it. Especially if it will help me resist larger $ purchases. Hard to believe this came from an estate sale at a McMansion. I soaked the posts in hyrdrogen peroxide and am a happy camper.

Somebody's gonna get this "not new" hardwood floor at an unbelievable price, but it won't be me. :-(

Saw this on craigslist. 500' of recycled solid oak hardwood flooring for $300. It is very narrow, but I like that classic look. Umfortunately, I don't feel I have the skill set to install solid hardwood and the husband won't spring to hire anyone. I'm glad someone has gone to the bother to recycle this floor. It will be worth the effort.

Never ceases to amaze me what you can get on Craigslist: a stuffed peacock?

Usually I get annoyed when search results are cluttered with stuff not remotely close to the term I was searching. But, craigslist seems to come up with the most interesting items I can't get too annoyed with. For instance, I was searching "antlers" and got this stuffed peacock. Who would even think there was such a thing?

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.

"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.

The ethics of being on the dole?

I've have never really been on the receiving end of the public dole. Sure, I have attended many heavily subsidized cultural events/performances (welfare for the rich that the wealthy so often forget they are receiving). I did have my Regents scholarship upped an additional $250 my freshman year due to my parents' low income, but my mother graduated from college and started working during my freshman year, giving me zero additional scholarship dollars thereafter.
However, I retired in 2014, at an age when it would be considered "early" retirement. My husband is on the autism spectrum and hasn't held a real job in over a decade. But, we did well financially...well enough to be able to afford early retirement as long as we keep our spending down...which I am very good at. I was born frugal.
The thing is, how much of "the dole" can I accept without feeling guilty? I've embraced whatever over-55 discounts that come my way...of course, those are from private enterprises. But, we did not apply for financial aid for our health insurance, even though we would surely qualify for it. Maybe that was a mistake? I retired early because I honestly believe I have less than 20 years left on this planet and I wanted to sort of relax for some of them (also because my work performance was starting to drop below my standards and I was having health problems that made it very difficult to perform my work on deadline...and was making my health problems worse...back problems exasperated by sitting for long periods). I certainly will embrace Medicare when I'm old enough. Maybe it is foolish of me not to apply for the health coverage financial aid. Maybe I will be forced to some year soon, but then, if I really need it to survive, I don't think I'll feel guilty about accepting it. (I'm figuring by that point, I wouldn't be able to work anyway, so I needn't feel guilty about retiring early.) What are your thoughts? If there is a disaster and you lose property, do you apply for aid even though the loss is one you can afford (I remember big controversy locally when such events transpired).

At least the gloves from etsy.com fit

I was bound to be disappointed in these gloves since they cost $5 more than some really sharp looking new ones I saw on ebay. But, they do fit nicely and they are long enough (I wanted long gloves as my dress coat sleeves creep up when I extended my arms). While they look okay, they seem mighty fragile around the edges. Not sure if that is from a lot of use or age. However, since I will only be wearing them when I am all gussied up, I shouldn't be putting too much stress on them. Hopefully they will last the couple decades I have left above ground. I suppose if everyone got just one pair of gloves used instead of new, it could make a huge difference, so I'll keep that thought to make me happy.

I seem to need something every other day. This time, it's gloves.

I thought going all-used would be easy because at this point in my life, I have everything I need, right? Wrong. Amazing all the little things that pop up. Yesterday, I found myself without gloves--in Buffalo, NY, winters, that is not acceptable.
The thing is, I'm forgetful. To offset that, I have a pair of gloves for each jacket. I keep 'em in the pockets of my jackets, so, when I need them, the gloves are there. And I almost never lose any gloves because I am so used to stuffing them in my pockets.
Enter the "not new" dress jacket I bought. I have been swapping out the gloves between that and my leather jacket. Didn't check before running out the other day, and ended up without gloves.
I have small hopes for finding "not new" dress gloves that please me. Gloves are one of the few things I splurge on, getting ones I really like for looks and warmth. For my "not new" dress jacket, I'd like to get longer black leather gloves. We'll see what happens. At this late date, I probably won't even be able to get any on clearance. Sigh.