Yard sale bargains...

I LOVE yard sales. Drives Scott batty, because I spend money at these things... he likes to HAVE yard sales, so we can get RID of stuff, but I like LOOKING.

Recently hit a spate of yard sales. I had a few specific items I was looking for. I was looking for a large kitchen fork...you know, the 2-tined "meat" fork used for moving large pieces of meat from a pan to a plate. Found a good one, metal handle, sturdy... ten cents.

The next best find are books...particularly if I can find Ann Rule paperbacks. I generally won't spend full price on these, but I do love to read her true crime books, so that's always one on my list. And of course, kids' books. And certain toys are always a good find. Like Rescue Heroes.

So, at one yard sale, we stocked up on kids' books. They were in OUTSTANDING condition and they had wonderful titles (like Curious George) etc. They were a bit pricier than I would have liked (3 for a dollar), but they had a "if you get three, get one free"...so 4 for a dollar, for the quality, was worth it. Scotty found a few Rescue Heroes (they truly ARE hard to find) and we found a few computer games (including, why, yes, RESCUE HEROES).

But it was the Pampered Chef that got me at one sale. I got TWO great, BRAND NEW stones. The "vanilla" deep dish New Traditions Pie Plate, which usually costs $30,
and the Mini Fluted Pan (makes 6 mini bundt cakes)


which sells for $12.50. Because they were brand new, I didn't mind paying what I did. I paid a total of $15 for BOTH. The pie plate was $9 and the fluted pan was $6. Oh yes...I WILL be using them, too!!!

And while we were there, Hannah picked up a "Skip It" for 50 cents.

This has frustrated her to no end. It requires coordination and skill. And PATIENCE, of which she has NONE. Remember, from my previous post about bike riding, she needs to do it ALL AT ONCE. And this toy was a lesson in patience, at the very least! But, as with all, she finally mastered it and loves playing with it (it probably didn't help that the boys in the neighborhood had it mastered before she did!).

And at one yard sale, we got some CARS stuff (not often found yet), and one woman was selling Beanie Babies. I told Hannah she could have ONE and I was fully prepared to bargain with the lady, as they were all in fantastic condition with tag protectors, etc. Hannah picked the purple "Yours Truly" bear. I went to pay and the lady said, "okay...twenty five for the bear..." and I was about to start MEGA bargaining, when she said, "and fifty for the CARS, so that's seventy-five cents"...my jaw about fell to the ground. I told Hannah she could have another bear for THAT price, lol!

Do you have any GREAT yard sale bargains to share?

bargain, anyone?

I went to Pier 1 yesterday. They had 90% off their Easter things. I spent a total of $31.22...take the $2.12 off (7.3% tax) and it was less than $30.

For 30 bucks I got:

13 Li Bien eggs. For those of you unfamiliar with Pier 1, Li Bien is a Chinese word meaning "inside"...thus, these eggs are painted on the INSIDE. They are very delicate eggs and come with a small stand. The egg itself is mouth-blown glass. They come in a very nice, solid presentation box that is padded to protect the egg. I got 10 of the "chick" eggs, and 3 of the "bunny" eggs. They will make nice gifts next year for friends...perhaps as prizes for Bunco or other raffle prizes. The original price for these was $8...EACH. I got them for 78 cents each.

12 miniature snow globes. These were $3.50 each originally. They rang up at 28 cents apiece. Again, nice raffle or prize. Maybe even a goodie bag item for Hannah's birthday.

5 glass frames 5 x 7. They are just glass, no outside frame. They clip on all 4 sides. These are great for showcasing scrapbooking items. There may be a few Christmas presents in these! Originally $3, paid $1.88 apiece. That was my biggest expenditure!

11 packages of Easter sidewalk chalk. These contain 4 molded pieces in various Easter shapes. Each package was originally $2.50, but they rang up at 18 cents each. So...for less than the original price of ONE, I got ELEVEN. I don't care if they're Easter designs, chalk is chalk is chalk, right?

2 packages of wooden spinning tops. There are 5 in each package. Goodie bags, no doubt. 48 cents per package...original price? $5.00.

2 absolutely GORGEOUS glass eggs...wonderfully ornate with glitter and BLING. One is chartreuse (my favorite color lately), and the other is purple (my all time favorite color!)...it's like these eggs were left there especially for me. Each egg was 38 cents...originally priced at $4.50. These are pretty enough to hang on a Christmas tree. I seriously doubt anyone would say "hey, are those EASTER eggs in your Christmas tree?" (except all of you readers, of course, who now know where they will be!)

Then there was the FLOCKED ornamental eggs. These are heavy (read: NOT made of plastic) and flocked in a soft velvety covering. They are really quite ornamental, like lace. I emptied the basket, because they were so pretty. There were 15 total...three blue, 6 fuchsia, and 6 more in that wonderful chartreuse! Once again, these will make great gifts, perhaps package toppers, or even more ornaments for my tree! These were originally $2.00 apiece, but rang up at 18 cents.

I think that these were fantastic bargains, and I will be able to use them. And hey, maybe if you're nice and ask me sweetly, something will find its way to you!