"Not new" artwork can be a bargain.

I love art. So much so, that I consider it a whole different category and have not vowed to only buy "not new." However, I probably won't get anything "new" this year, but I leave that option open. Last week I picked up this oil painting at an estate sale for $25. Can you believe that bargain? It was at a lower end home, so I assume they didn't think they could get more for it. Today I was at an estate sale at a wealthy doctor's estate and there were some beautiful oil paintings, all over $100, but definitely worth more...I wish I could buy them!

Overpriced estate sales

What's a good price for something used? Unless it's a special item, my feeling is that thirty cents on the dollar (from the original price) should be considered a good return for the seller. Lots of times I see people asking up to ninety cents. Really? It's not worth driving out in hopes of finding something.
I went to two sales today and found nothing priced well enough to buy. With the huge, ancient population dying or retiring around here, estate businesses are going to soon realize that prices gotta come down. It seems like the companies that plan multi-day sales (with staged discounts each day) purposefully overprice on the first day.
If nothing else, I thought I would find the electrical tape or laser pointer I needed at one of the sales. Alas, no luck. I can wait on the laser pointer as it is just to engage the dog in jumping on the offspring when I need to get him out of bed early. For the time being, I'll just continue to strain my voice.

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.