IT’S NIFTY TO BE THRIFTY

 

When my granddaughter (now almost 17) was 14 or 15, she and her buddies taught me the art of THRIFTING.  None of them could drive then, so I was often asked to be their chauffeur.  We would hit up the only THRIFT STORE in our small town, then head 30 miles away to a GOODWILL.  Those girls would just crack me up going through all the clothes as if they were looking for the Golden Egg at an Easter Egg Hunt.  And they would always come away with a bag full of tee shirts and other items and their pocketbooks still holding some change.  (Yes, I’m old-fashioned and still say pocketbook!)

Well, you guessed it…I caught the bug, and I’ve been thrifting ever since.  I don’t mind wearing “slightly used” clothing since I grew up wearing my cousin’s hand-me-downs.  And although I do love getting good bargains and saving myself money, I am also happy that I am helping the environment.

“Shopping at thrift stores is a simple & easy way to go green.  Manufacturing, producing, packaging, & distributing new clothing takes a lot of energy & water.  Disposing of unwanted clothing also takes a toll on the environment.  In the U.S., individuals throw out 60  to 80 pounds of textile waste each year.  It can take months & even years for these materials to fully break down in landfills.  By choosing to buy secondhand clothing instead of brand new, you reduce waste & help the planet.  In this way, thrift shopping is the ultimate way to live out the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ motto.”

              www.cincinnatigoodwill.org 

 I recently visited our local BROTHER CHARLIE'S THRIFT STORE which helps drug-affected and homeless men in the community.  You can get some great deals for only $2 or $3.  For example, this is a GAP jacket I recently bought and it’s like new.  I absolutely  love it…and I got it for the grand price of $3!  I snatched that thing off the rack so fast it made my head spin.  

And look at this sweet jacket by EMMA JAMES that will be perfect for spring that I got for only $2!!!

 

 And this is the prettiest sweater by CHICO'S that I also swept up for $2.

I don’t find too much at Goodwill…the nearest one is just not very good.  But occasionally my husband and I make a trip to SAM’S CLUB for supplies and we’ll do a little thrifting there.  I’ve even got my husband hooked after he got these ORVIS pair of pants that normally sale for about $119 for $15!

My favorite place to thrift, however, is online.  Although I’ve only found a couple of sites I like my favorite is POSHMARK.  It is sort of an “upscale” thrift store with prices from very low to very high.  I even have my own “closet” on there which I’ll tell you about in a moment.  Here are some recent goodies I scored at (to me) great prices:

 $7 + shipping

 $10 + shipping

 $16 + shipping

 $10 + shipping

(Yes, I’m a shoeaholic!)

 $17 + shipping

  POSHMARK is amazing but can be a little overwhelming at first because there is SO MUCH at all different price points.  It takes awhile to get the hang of it whether you are buying or selling but I think it’s worth it.  One good thing is that if you don’t like the price shown, you can make the seller a lower offer and every time I have done that (and I always do that), the seller has given me a better price.  The down side of POSHMARK is the shipping…$7.97...unless the seller is nice enough to give you discounted shipping.  There are some good youtube videos to better explain POSHMARK.

 Another online thrift store I have had luck with is THRED-UP.  With this one you have to look through a lot of duds before you find that diamond in the rough.  To make it a little easier, you can search for what you want and you can set your size, preferences, etc.  You can also save your favorites (can do in Poshmark also) and go back to them later.  THRED-UP has good sales often so that’s a plus.

 Both pieces $29

If you like a good bargain, don’t mind hand-me-downs, and want to help the environment, I highly recommend THRIFTING.  (By the way, I do wash/clean each piece when I receive it...just in case!) And to get started, I’d love to have you check out my POSHMARK CLOSET at:

CHERI'S CLOSET

https://poshmark.com/closet/cherischatter

HAPPY  THRIFTING!!!

Try it....you just might like it and the environment will thank you!

PS:  This lady on youtube (LITTLE POET) does a lot of thrifting and finds the neatest things.  There are also lots of other youtube videos about thrifting and about Poshmark.

PEACHES to BEACHES

On Saturday Mr. Chatter and I went on an adventure....

PEACHES to BEACHES  is middle and south Georgia’s counterpart to THE WORLD’S  LONGEST  YARD  SALE.  It begins in Barnesville, GA and travels all the way down Highway 341 to the coast at Brunswick.  We had never participated but decided this year we’d give it a try.  We left home at 7:00 a.m. and took in about 7 or 8 towns and surrounding areas. 

There was definitely a lot of “junque” along the way with people set up on both sides of the highway.  Many places we passed on by, but we made quite a few stops and picked up a few things here and there. 

                I always think of my sister-in-law when I see Raggedys...but she likes the "real" thing!

                                                          Isn't this just the cutest thing? 

 

 We even found a food stand selling FRIED GREEN TOMATOES and they were awesome!  If you’re not a Southerner you might not have ever eaten this yummy treat but trust me...they’re delicious.  (We were so busy devouring them, I forgot to take a picture!)

Here are the things that came home with us....

        These are both candle holders...the big one was $7 & the small one $3 (after I bargained for them!)

We also found an Estate Sale along the way and Mr. Chatter bought this antique oak table to refinish for his office.

Mr. C. loves birdhouses and he found this one for $5.00  We also found some beautiful plants and just had to buy some Gerber Daisies.

I have been wanting an antique watering can for ages but whenever I  found one I wasn't willing to pay $50 or more for it.  I got this one for $15 (again I bargained!)

I also found this cake stand ($2)....you can change the ribbons for whatever season or theme you want ...and 8 salad plates ($4) to match some I already have.

It was an absolutely beautiful spring-like day and we even ran into some homefolks we knew.  With gas almost $3.50 a gallon (and all the tasty treats we gobbled up), I’m not sure we really came out ahead with our good deals, but we enjoyed our day together and will definitely go again next year to see what “junque-ing” treasures we can bring home!

And in case you want to try them, here is my favorite recipe for

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES:

(from Southern Lady Magazine)

5 medium green tomatoes

1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. salt  /  1 tsp. pepper

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 tsp. hot sauce  (optional)

Slice tomatoes 1/4 inch thick.  Place on wire rack & sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. salt.  Let stand 15 minutes.        In medium dish combine cornmeal, flour, 1 tsp. salt, & pepper.   In medium skillet add 1/2 inch oil and heat to 350 degrees.     In shallow bowl combine buttermilk and hot sauce.    Dip tomatoes into this mixture and then into cornmeal and flour mixture.    Place into heated skillet and cook 3-5 minutes per side or until golden brown.  Drain on paper towel and serve immediately.

Yield:  12 to 15 slices

Now that's some good Southern eatin'!

Tuesday Trivia

There's nothing much going on in my little neck of the woods.  It was a very rainy day earlier but now the sun is shining and the skies are basically clear.  You would know... I had to get out and about during the wettest part of the day! 

Cute grandkid story:  I often pick up my grandson after school and take him to his sitter's house.  On our way he loves to play games and lately his favorite has been a guessing game.  So it was my turn and I gave him these clues:
     *it flies but it doesn't have wings
     *it's NOT alive but it does have a tail
He guesses: an airplane.  No, I say, because an airplane has wings.
He guesses again:  a flying squirrel.  No, I say, because a squirrel would be alive.
He guesses yet again: is it a "dead squirrel"? 
I got soooo tickled and he did too.  We laughed most of the way to the sitter's!     (Technically his answer was correct, but in case you haven't figured out the real answer....it's a KITE!)

                                        

DH & I went to another auction this weekend.  There wasn't too much there but we did manage to get an old oak spindle table for our son who loves to refinish antique furniture...he was thrilled.  Also, this:

I know....it looks terrible!  But I do have a plan and hopefully will share the finished project in a later post.  One thing I've learned from my son's antique projects is that there are definitely lots of diamonds in the rough if you are just willing to look for them.

I'm taking part in Cindy's Kitchie Swap at

Rick-Rack and Gingham.  This is my first blog swap so I'm looking forward to it.  Our small, rural town doesn't have much in the way of shopping but I hope to find some items my swap-partner will like...and I'm really excited to see what Cindy sends me (she drew my name)!  I'm really getting into the blogging world...probably way too much as it's keeping me from getting started on projects (like laundry and dusting) that need to get done.  But those things can wait at least one more day!

     

How was your Tuesday?

What Will You Bid?

Hubby and I went to an estate auction today.  He loves auctions!  I, on the other hand, don't really care for them.  I like to walk through a place, look at the price tags, and if the price and my desire to have the item coincide, then I buy it.  I don't have patience enough for auctions.  However....I have to say that I actually enjoyed myself today and I came away with some great bargains.  Wanta see??

I eyed these two adorable guys immediately.  Had to outbid two other bunny lovers, but I got them for $18 and $20.  The concrete one is one fat and heavy fella, but isn't he just so cute?

I was the lone bidder for this large leaf plate.  I really like it and since I must have been the only one who did I got it for the grand total of $3.00!  Now that's the kind of deal I like!

Don't you love these pineapple statues?  We both saw these on the front steps of the home that was being auctioned and knew we would bid for them.  Had to bid against a friend who owns a local B&B, but I think he saw how much I wanted them so let me have the final bid.  I got them for $20.  Pineapples mean welcome and I put these at the front of our little garden to invite everyone in.

And finally green dishes.  I really only wanted the 9 salad plates but had to take the whole box lot.  I wasn't even sure what all was in the box until I got it home.  Would you believe I only paid $10 for everything?  And even better....I just found the plates on the internet and they are listed for $14.99 EACH!  I definitely got a grand bargain!

And while I'm sharing all my great finds, maybe you'll enjoy looking at some items I got at consignment shops when I was on my "girlfriend trip" last week. 

Two more cute little guys!

I saved the BEST for last...my candelier.  Isn't it BEAUTIFUL?  Just have to tell you the story behind this!  About a week before I found this I had told my DH I wanted a candelier for our front porch.  "A what?" he asked.  So I explained that it was a cross between a candelabra and a chandelier.  Anyway....3 of my girlfriends and I walked into this shop and there it hung!  Exactly what I had pictured in my mind.  However, I knew we were traveling back home with 6 gals, plus luggage, in ONE vehicle.  I just didn't think I could ask them to find room for my treasure even though I wanted it sooooo badly.  Well, my friends told me "where there's a will, there's a way" but I was still waffling....UNTIL I looked on the tag and saw "C.L."   Those are MY initials!  Was it an omen?  Surely it was!  And on top of it the beautiful thing was on sale for $50 and the lady running the shop was willing to give it to me for $45!  As they say...the rest is history and it now is hanging on my front porch!  I love, love, love it.

I could definitely become a SHOPAHOLIC but lately I have tried to be more discerning and only buy things that I really love....and I do love ALL of the above!  Thanks for letting me share.