The Best Thrift Store Day!!

This day happened before Kramer passed away:  I stopped at the thrift store on my way to pick him up from the hospital on the rare time I went home for a two overnights and left him there.  I wrote this then but am posting it now.

You all know I love thrift stores.  You also know I have the best thrift store close to me…seriously, the VERY best.  I will forever credit that thrift store for some of the success our family has had.  It has allowed us to save money and have money for other things.  It’s also allowed us to buy some fun items our otherwise limited budget wouldn’t have allowed….

That was so one day last week.  I have the BEST day ever!!  I spent a total of $58.  I got everything from an end table I am going to repurpose, to bibs overalls for Georgia, to toys for the childcare kiddos to a couple new bags.  I was thrilled.

I’ve been wanting a better overnight bag for when I stayed with Kramer at the hospital….I found this one….

The bag is huge.  I can easily have enough for a week’s stay with this bag.  It’s is new condition.  Seriously, I doubt it was used.  I paid $3 for it.

I got a Fossil purse.  Oh my.  I love it.

I am using it as my busy bag that I take just to appointments.  I LOVE leather but have never afforded it.  I am too cheap.  BUT…this was the right price.  Again, $3.

I was so happy.  It’s the perfect size. It opens and I can easily get into the bag to find everything.  I can keep a book, cross stitch and a kindle in it.  Seriously…I love it.

Typically I am not a bag girl..but today was a day for bags.  I’ve learned that going to the thrift store, I need to buy it when it’s there as I’ll likely NEVER find it again.  So sticking with the bag theme, I bought two more.

This is another Fossil brand.  Again, it will be a busy bag.  Again, it’s leather.   I think this one will hold the punch needle things.  $3 was the price of this one too.

Recently Kayla got a great bag from Spencer for her birthday.  It’s leather.  It was a bag that could be a backpack or it could be a cross body bag.  I really liked it but again, I didn’t want to spend that much money on a purse.  This one was $5.  I’m excited for it too.

Seriously…I’ve NEVER bought so many purses.  I buy a purse and I use the same one for 4 years.  Typically they come from the thrift store or Wal-Mart.  This was a HUGE splurge for me.  I’m so excited for them all….LEATHER!  I finally own LEATHER!!

If you’re looking for me, I’m likely sniffing my leather bags.  HA!!

I caved for some fake leather…this tote.  $2

I’m not sure what’s happening with this yet but I always need things this size either in the sewing room or my own closet.  I’m thinking it will go to my closet.

I found these two make up sized bags.  They are going in my suitcase to hold some essentials.

I got this end table for $5.

I’m going to paint the bottom and redo the top.  I plan to keep it in the corner between the new couch and loveseat once they get here.  The living room furniture was more expensive than I really wanted to spend.  Rather than buying end tables that are new, this one will do the trick and help balance off the money spent on the other pieces.  It will be an easy fix too…one I’ve done before and one I can do myself.

Other goodies…..Some toys for the childcare kiddos…nothing fancy but some new things.

I have some kiddos that are big time puzzlers.  This will freshen that up.  Puzzles are only 25 cents each so this is perfect.

I bought a bag of used markers.  It’s a great time of year to buy them at the thrift stores.  Kids don’t want their markers from school.  I used to buy new markers for the childcare kiddos but they NEVER put the lids on so why buy new?  I got these for $1.  There were even some colored ink pens.  The kids are already using them.

I found not one but TWO kids sewing machines.  I paid $4 for one and $3 for the other.  I am hoping that I can get them running and use them with my school aged childcare kids this summer.  How fun that can be?  I’m so hoping they work.

I found more toys…  Stamp set…book…

PUZZLES!!  I have quite a few kiddos into puzzles right now.  24 pieces is best but I wanted a 50ish piece on for a challenging puzzle.  Everything shouldn’t be easy for them!!

I got a bug jar.  I already have two but that wasn’t enough to prevent fighting.  Dinosaurs for the sand box.  They have already hid them in the sand and enjoy digging them up.

I got a few pieces that Kelli or I might use for finishing cross stitch pieces.  I showed them to Kalissa when I got home and she laughed.  She said I need to do more stitching and less buying of finishing pieces.  HA!!  She’s so right.  It’s so hard to not buy them though.  They are only 25 cents to a $1.50 each!!!

I picked up these aida cloth bags….I can cross stitch on them.

Here are some bids for Georgia and a small pack of size three diapers.  $1 each.

I have a lamp that needs to be rewired…what a cool wall lamp though.

I had gone into the thrift store when it was raining.  There was no one in the store so all of the clerks were restocking.  Typically one clerk is stocking and one is at the register.  Today three were stocking and one was at the register.  When they stock they have a shopping cart of things they are putting out.  The cart is a mixture of many different things.  Customers aren’t allowed to take things out of the cart.  Once they are put on the shelf by the clerk, customers can buy the items.

I’ve “stalked” a clerk before.  I’ve seen something in the cart and hung around the area until she put it out and then bought it.  Well…This time there were so many clerks, I couldn’t stalk.

So I paid for my cart of things, put it them in the car and then came back in and shopped again.  You’d think I wouldn’t have found things…but I did!!!  All of this.

I got two more things to attach cross stitch projects to…$1 each.

I got some brand new Old Navy shoes for Georgia too… 50 cents.

This was 50 cents.  I got it for Kalissa to put in her booth…she has lots of floral things.

I got nice cars for the childcare kiddos and a pad of watercolor paper.

…and I got fabric.  That will wait for Sunday’s stash report.

WOW.  I can’t believe all that I found.  I still can’t believe it was all for $58!!  I LOVE my thrift store.