Secondhand Treasures -Thrift Store Hauls - Advice

This is an accumulation of thrift store hauls over a period of time. Most thrifts stores have senior and military discount days. Take advantage of the discounts on those days if you qualify. It saves 15% in most cases. 

$8 tabletop adjustable desk. Retails for $250

Number One Husband surprised me the other day when he returned home from an appointment. He had stopped by the thrift store and found another Sun Oven. We now have three and the ability to cook a large meal like Thanksgiving dinner or we can batch cook freezer meals completely off grid. The Sun Oven retails for $499. He picked it up for $49. 

He also found a set of Pyrex food prep bowls brand new in the box for $5.99. I'm pretty sure that they should have been $15.99 because their prices have increased so much over the last few years. I was so grateful for these bowls. My large stoneware bowls that I love are so heavy that they are hard for me to handle due to the herniated disks in my neck affecting my thumbs.  It is very painful. I can't even use a manual can opener. I will have to pick up an electric can opener the next time we are in town. 

When thrifting we have one rule and that is to not buy anything that we can't use or resale. If an item is not useful, we just don't buy it. It is a waste of money and clutters up our home. It is a nice feeling to walk out of a store realizing that we didn't need or want anything. Contentment comes in many forms.  

We keep mental notes on the items that we are looking for. It is exciting to find something that we have been hoping to find without having to pay retail. Watch for stains, chips, broken or missing parts. They can render an item worthless. 

We always check the value of an item before purchasing, especially resale items and we take the cost of shipping into consideration. Shipping can take a huge chunk of the profit leaving us with little or nothing at all for our efforts. We also check to see if there is a market for every item we buy. Just because we like it doesn't mean that there is a market for it. Ask me how I know? Sometimes thrift stores can be more expensive than retail. Know your prices. Do your research. 

I bought this pretty lace as a gift for my friend who uses lace in her crafts.

This is a large spoon rest. I was using two different ones so I 
wouldn't contaminate my spoon for tea. This one takes up less 
space on my counter and it only needs one spot instead of two. 

Okay, I didn't need this, but I wanted a glass tea mug. This one
is perfect for me. I love tea and honey. I found it while searching
for replacement mugs for my dishware. 

This is also something that we needed to complete a set of 
Chicago Cutlery that we already have. It was .79 cents.

If you are off grid than you know that a low wattage anything really 
helps especially if it uses a heating element. I have been looking for a
 replacement blow dryer for a long time. As far as I can tell it
has not been used.

This is an oldie but a goodie. The motor on older models
just last forever. This one obviously wasn't used much. It
is in perfect condition and for $6.99 compared to $150 it
is a bargain. 

I bought this pastry cloth and rolling pin cover for .90. I got it for
half off the sticker price.

We bought this for our aches and pains.

I have been looking for these two books for a couple of years.
I found them both at the same time. 

My house shoes(boots) finally bit the dust. I wanted the same kind, but I didn't want to spend the $30 bucks, so I compromised when I found these brand-new ones for $4. They are so warm and comfy.

I have been buying up colored pencils for my Inductive Bible Study.
While they are not too expensive at the store, I'm still saving $1a pack
or more. I think I am good now. I needed the glue to add additional
ribbons to my Bibles. 

I have been looking for a certain style of fleece for Number One Husband
for years. They started making them again and I finally found
a brand-new Columbia for $5. 

We have purchased two Instant Pots, a Luxe Mini and an Ultra 6-quart with
no signs of use. The cost for both was less than $30. If I 
would have paid retail both of them would have cost me over
   $300 before taxes which would be an additional 30+ dollars.   

It really pays to avoid paying retail as much as possible. There are things that I would not purchase unless they still had tags on them. Safety and hygiene are important to me. I will wait for a sale if I can when I am forced to pay retail prices. Plan ahead and have fun...

Happy hunting,

Mrs. Smith