It’s been a busy, successful morning with lots of bargains. I don’t have any chit-chat in me this morning, so we get to skip straight to the good stuff!
Here’s what I bought this morning:
$1.00 – A plastic tote – I saw it and knew it would be great for storing all my gorgeous fat quarters of fabric for my upcoming quilt project. It was marked $2 and I was willing to pay $1 but I wasn’t sure if she’d take it. You might hate me or love me for this, but I offered $0.50, the lady looked at the $2 sticker and said $1. I got my price and she felt like she’d done a bit of bargaining. We all walked away happy!
And, I walked away with a more organized sewing room!
$0.50 – a string of 150 white lights on green wire, brand new in the box – I just told Ryan yesterday that now that September was here I was finally emotionally prepared to consider things like Christmas lights at yard sales (no matter how good the bargain, it’s hard for me to think about sweaters and wreaths when it’s 98 degrees out). Sure enough, I found a box for $0.50! I’m going to thank myself in December when I have enough working lights for our tree and don’t have to run out to the store mid decking the halls!
Free – 2 large manilla mailing envelopes (I am always buying these things to mail skirts and things. Two free envelopes are two fewer that I have to spend cash on!)
Free – bundle of pipe cleaners (I love it when people just give me things. Oliver will get a little joy out of these, then I can pitch them guilt-free!)
$0.50 – expanding file folder and brand new box of Crayola crayons (Had both of these on my to-buy list!)
$0.50 – awesome shape and color sorting tool/game – There are a lot of basic preschool skills that can be taught and tested with this game. I picked it up for our co-op, but Oliver played with it for a solid 30 minutes when I brought it home. Evidently he’s got those skills figured out.
$0.25 – Agatha’s Alphabet book (pictured above) and a transportation puzzle. Not bad to get two for a quarter! (I love that alphabet book, by the way – it’s excellent!)
$0.50 – Melissa & Doug 100-piece puzzle – It’s time to move Oliver up to some more challenging puzzles now that the 40-piecers are no longer a challenge. I think this one will be tough for a while and I’m looking forward to working with him on it. It’s going to take some real focus!
$0.50 – Linen tablecloth – it’s totally ‘Anthropological’ (as in, it looks like it’s from Anthropologie) and it’s just in line with the color I have in my kitchen and dining room right now. Unfortunately, it’s a little small for the table so I think I’ll cut it all up and make a bunch of lovely reusable grocery bags. (I use those things all the time for so many things!)
$3.00 – sleep shirt, black cardigan (H&M), grey tank and super cute trousers. I never know whether to show each one individually or to just show them as a bunch…
$0.25 – Handsome striped hoodie for a certain fall kid.
Free – Madeline magnet. For Bea. :)
$0.75 – bunch of decorative lemons and limes – weird price, I know. The lady gave me these and the puzzle & book above for a dollar. I think they look sort of Eric Carl-ish in person. They’re neat!
$0.50 – “Au Lait” milk bath powder – hm… might need to use this during Oliver’s nap today!
Okay, I totally win today’s Tuck-And-Run prize. I’m so excited – it was the first thing I bought and my mom was so jealous!
(I’m guessing some of these will end up at her house anyway!)
$0.50 – NINETEEN Yankee Candle tarts. NINETEEN!!! For fifty cents!!! Um, I love these things and always want to buy them but it’s hard to bring myself to spend $1.99 for one tart. (I’m sounding cheap, aren’t I?) Anyway, I just got almost $40 worth of tarts in my favorite scents for $0.50!! (Just picture me doing a happy dance and you’ll have it about right) :)
And, since I’m not technically allowed to award myself the “tuck-and-run” prize, I do have a legitimate winner for the week as well:
Congratulations to the VanOrden family who described a tuck-and-run sort of feeling as they drove away with a beautiful bike trailer/double stroller for only $15 last weekend! Those things are hard to come by and they’re killer to buy brand new. Excellent find, VanOrden family! Thanks for sharing!
Are many of y’all still going out on Saturday mornings? Is the weather beginning to slow down the sales in the North and midwest yet? We usually get garage sales into October here (although I bought one of my favorite sofas at a yard sale on a sunny December day one year!).
Show me what you found this morning – I always love to see!
>You found a lot of bargains today! I'm so jealous about those tart candles. I love those things, but am too cheap like you said! Have a great weekend!
>Great day for you. I'm not finding many .25 items at my garage sales but then I don't have a little one to buy for so don't really look at those goodies. I love your tuck-n-run find. Great buy on the tarts…love them!
>Your garage sale finds amaze me. I have never been much of a garage sale shopper. How do you decide which ones to stop at? Do you pick an area and just hit all of them? Do you look in the newspaper or Craigslist for advertisements?
>Yep, the tarts are quite a deal! Well done! I was just thinking of running up to the store and getting some fall-themed ones… and whenever I think about tarts, I invariably think about Marcie flushing a molten one down the toilet. Oh, Marcie. (sigh)
And I'm with you on the Christmas stuff. I've now bought holiday decorations 2 weeks in a row, and it's feeling like a good and right thing to do.
>Love the fake fruit! And the candles were a total steal! Nice weekend. And we garage sale all year round here in Arizona. The summer is actually our slow time; it is just starting to pick up a little. . .
>I have been reading your blog for several months now but this is my first comment…I think. :)
I live in Chattanooga, so yard sales are plentiful around here, but I can just never bring myself to go. I wish I had someone like you who lived close to break me in! I love reading about all your deals, and the pictures are great, too.
:)
>I love the candles!
I can't believe you got them all for 50 cents!!
I wish we had some good yard/garage sales here in Alaska.
>Great haul today! I went out and hit 4 sales. I paid asking price for everything I bought (I have so much to learn from you) and spent about $6.75 on minor things like a book, a frame, a lamp. I paid $2 for the most expensive item and $0.25 cents for the cheapest. However I spent $17.50 at a used kids clothing sale for my nieces. I am not brave enough to put my finds on my blog yet. haha.
>unbelievably productive, i can see why you didn't want to chat…you are in business mode! :)
>I have never shopped at garage sales…until last week and it's because you have inspired me! I don't have a way to post pictures but I have 3 great finds. A wooden tile top dining room table and 4 chairs that I repainted for $30. It was 20 minutes into her first day and I didn't feel right talking her down. A wooden daybed for my 5 year old that I can paint as well for $15! I thought they were going to ask about $40 so I was thrilled. And 8 outfits for my 14 month old daughter. They are almost brand new, from childrens place, and they have at least 2 pieces, some have 3. $12 for all those!
>Dear One,
Please don't cut that beautiful table cloth! I'll gladly pay you Monday for a table cloth on Sunday!
>Hi there. Just stopping by to say hello and I LOVE reading about your garage sale finds. You could have a career in AMAZING garage sale finds if there was one!! I'm so inspired, keep up the good work. We don't really have garage sale here (in the UK) but if I end up back in the states I will so be hitting the streets for those Sat. AM sales.
May God bless your day with love and laughter.
>Wow! Great finds for you! I'm jealous, but I didn't do so bad myself.
>You are a woman after my own heart! It's so fun to see your finds and inspire me to get up early this Saturday for the first time in a while!
>I am so jealous of the Yankee Candle tarts! Amazing deal!!!
>I´m so happy for all your good crap!