Treasure Hunting - The Strangest Estate Sale, Ever!

We recently stopped by an estate sale. That's what they called it anyway. Both parents were alive and kicking. In fact, it was the strangest estate sale that we had ever been to. They had an amazing number of antiques and treasures that we could see anyway, but no customers. Their signs were not visible unless you were turning down their dirt road and the print was tiny, but this was not the strange part.

We learned more about the situation with their parents, and I think that the grown children were just overwhelmed by the circumstances that they found themselves living in. I don't think they were prepared for the enormity of the task at hand and therefore were unable to put forth the effort that would produce the best results.

I found this Griswold cast iron square pan #768 inside a Conex trailer right inside the door. The Conex was clean and well organized, but I didn't dare venture further inside the trailer for my own safety after a very strange warning from the son. This is where the strange came in. 

The pan is in great condition and after a good scrubbing I made a pan of cornbread. We paid $15 bucks for it which was apparently a great price. I had no idea!

I don't think that they should have been having an estate sale under the circumstances. I won't go into any more details. The world sure is a messed-up place!

Stay safe!

Mrs. Smith

Thrifting For Profit - Treasure Hunting...

We had to go into town today, so we stopped by a thrift store to see what we could find to resale and pay for our trip. We do this as often as we can. The last time we stopped at the thrift store we did very well. You can find the post here: Treasure Hunting

Our goal is to pay for our gas, groceries and other expenses that we buy when we go to town. This time was also profitable. I found A Sirius XM that was brand new in an opened box and Number One found a Backgammon game that is like new. I think that those two items will bring about $120-$150 bucks. This will more than pay for our gas, groceries and other necessities. 

This is also great way to supplement an income without having to take on a second job. Most of the work can be done from home. It is a perfect side hustle for us. I picked up a couple of Anchor glass storage bowls for our home too. These are heavy duty glass bowls. Very nice and the same shape and size as my Pyrex storage bowls, so they will stack nicely together. I have been searching for a Pyrex set to replace the large bowl that I broke and like everything else the cost has gone up exponentially. 

There are a few things that must be known before treasure hunting like what is selling and what it sells for, or you will end up with a pile of unsaleable stuff. This is where a cell phone comes in handy. Items can easily be looked up while in the store, so you don't have to waste time and money returning items that are not in demand if the store even has a return policy. 

If you live in a city, items can be sold without fees on Facebook Marketplace or there are other platforms where goods can be marketed on like Ebay. However, other platforms require shipping, and they charge fees that eat into profits. 

Do your homework and find out what works best for your situation before diving into the deep end. Also be aware that home runs don't happen all the time. Be prepared for this reality. Don't count your chickens before they hatch. 

Mrs. Smith

Treasure Hunting...

We had to go into the city the other day. It was scorching hot there and most of the roads were under construction, so we were stuck in traffic many times. Vehicles were overheating. It was terrible. We turned off the air conditioning to prevent any issues and suffered through the heat. 

We had many errands to run including finding treasures to re-sale. We went to six different thrift stores. We were able to cover the cost of our trip including groceries, gas and treasures with one find. Overall, we did very well. We also ended up finding a few items for ourselves. 

These hiking backpacks are in great shape. They need to be dusted off a bit. They will bring just over $300. Five of the books - $80.

Treasure hunting is a great way to put a few extra bucks in your pocket. This trip, I must say, was the exception to the rule. We rarely knock it out of the park like this. It does happen, but usually it is small gains that add up over time. In fact, we were returning two items that would have been great from our last trip, but they did not work at all. This is one reason why we had to go back to the city so soon. We should have tested the items, but the store assured us that the items were in proper working order and that they were tested before they were put on the shelves. It all worked out for the best. We were given a store credit and we used it all up in one day at several stores. 

I found a collapsible dish drainer. I wanted one for when we have a lot a dished to do. 

Stores away compactly. Great for small spaces.

Our margins are slim since we live so remotely, and the cost of fuel is so high. So, it is nice when we are able to find a great treasure to resale and cover our expenses and then some. We do not get to do this often, but we try to do it when we have to go into the city. 

New with tags. Sells for $20.

PartyLite retired votive candle holders. NIB $20

We needed a small ice cube tray.

The pie plate is for us, and the thermos sells for $50.

It was a very long day. We left at 7:00 in the morning got back at 6 pm and then had to turn around and go back to town, because we needed to pick up something else. At least we didn't have to drive all the way back to the city. We ended up getting home around 10 pm. 

We were exhausted, hot, hungry and a little dehydrated. We carried plenty of water, but we couldn't drink enough to keep us hydrated. On our way back we picked up another sandwich from Walmart along with a bag of chips. I must say that Walmart has really good foot long roast beef sandwiches. They have plenty of meat and cheese on them and they are large enough to split. I guess that there is a shortage of mayonnaise packets, because they were out. I carried a jar of mayo for the return trip. 

We had to top off our tank again too. It cost almost $25 bucks for the return trip. A costly error. Fuel continues to rise in cost. It actually went up in-between the two trips that we made. 

This Bento box will be great for day trips.

$30

$70

We found some great water bottles. They sell for $12 each.

Keeping an eye out paid for our groceries, gas and other expenses plus we will make an additional $250. Not bad for a long hot day in town. Like I said, this was an exceptional day at the thrift stores, and it was a fun looking for treasures. We will have to go back into the city next month for an appointment, so we will check the thrift stores out again. Then it will be another three months or so before we have to go back unless something comes up. 

Happy hunting,

Mrs. Smith