Becky's Frugal Living

January Buys

2012-01-14T20:53:00.000-05:00

I found a couple of bargains at the Discovery Shop yesterday and at the Rocky Mount Goodwill today.

At Goodwill I bought this cute little cabinet for $1.95. I'm not sure what I'll put in it, but it will go in my study.

The doors open to reveal a shelf. Magnets help[ the doors stay closed.

Someone hand-painted flowers on the doors.

A sticker on the back says "Countrymommi Originals '2003' NS."

I also found this pretty planter for 50¢. (The two items behind it are Goodwill finds from several months ago.)

At the Discovery Shop, this basket was $2. It's the right size to keep files in. I also bought the little velour-covered "Anything Book" for 75¢. It'll be good for jotting notes.

Jim-Bob likes the basket.

Maybe he likes it a little too much. Or maybe he's just checking to see how much it will hold.

Today I also bought a bunch of books at the Franklin County Library book sale.

Banking on It

2011-11-20T19:00:00.000-05:00

Last week I bought a metal bank at the Westlake Goodwill. I didn't really need it, but I thought it looked interesting. It's a little old-timey car.

To deposit coins, you drop them in the slot at the bottom. Getting your money out requires unscrewing four screws.

While the bank looked old, it didn't look like an antique, so I didn't think it must be worth much. However, while I was in Lynchburg last Thursday evening, I went into an antique store on Main Street and saw a similar bank. It was a different car model, but the color and the metal were the same. It was marked $20. I asked the proprietress about it; she said that it was more likely "vintage" than antique.

On Friday, I did a bit of Googling. Banthrico Inc. of Chicago made a lot of model car banks. Earlier the company was Banker's Thrift. Apparently, during the 50s (and probably earlier), the banks had keys. Since mine has screws, it must not date back that far. Yep, vintage but not antique.

I found the little car bank on eBay for $22.50 . . .

. . . and for $19.95 (although the wheels on this one don't look in very good shape). . .

. . . and for $75!

I guess I did all right by paying $1.99 for mine.

More Catty Things

2011-11-11T21:25:00.000-05:00

Today, on my way back from Lake Writers, I stopped at the Westlake Goodwill just to see if they had anything interesting. As a matter of fact, they did. I found this little cat plate that, according to the lable on the back, is actually a "candle plate" in the Cattitude line from Waxcessories. It's about the size of a salad plate.

It's dated 2007 and labeled "handmade in China." I couldn't find anything about this particular plate online. I did find some other Waxcessories candle plates that varied from $6 to $8. I paid 99¢. I like it because the cat on it looks like Olivia.

I also found some ceramic cat wind chimes for $1.99. There is no identifying mark or label on them, though. I thought they'd look good hanging from the ficus.

Here's a closer look at the main cat. . .

. . . and some of the kitties.

Also at Goodwill, I found something not cat-related—a small Emerson Creek Pottery flower pot, dated 1996, for 99¢.

I own some other Emerson Creek stuff (the pottery is in the next county over) and I paid way more than 99¢ for a flower pot this size years ago.

I hadn't intended to buy anything today, but I was glad to find these little decorative items.

Oneida Blues

2011-11-09T21:22:00.001-05:00

While I was in Roanoke today, I stopped at the Goodwill at the intersection of Brambleton and Rt. 419. I rarely find anything good in that store, but today I was feeling lucky. I just happened to see a few things I maybe could use—a large wooden initial (55¢), an outdoor sun plaque (55¢), a little cat basket that I can use to hold office supplies (99¢), and a small ceramic something that looks like a coaster (55¢).

Not great finds, but cheap enough. I kept browsing, though, and found some white soup bowls with blue rims (4 for a dollar).

I can always use bowls that size and I loved the color, so I bought all six. Further down the aisle I spotted some matching salad plates. Further down, I saw dinner plates.

Hmmm. Should I get them. Why not? I checked the backs and discovered they were microwave and dishwasher safe. Plus they were a brand name—Oneida—and they were in really good shape. I bought all they had—four salad plates and five dinner plates. My total Goodwill bill came to $6.47, including tax.

Did I get a good deal? I Googled the name—Maitre de Porcelain—and found that the pattern was one Oneida had discontinued, but plenty of it was still for sale online. Here are three screenshots:

Given the prices I found on the Internet, I guess I didn't do too badly.

Plus these Oneida dishes look great with the Pfaltzgraff ones I bought over a year ago and some I bought last May.

Cat Plate

2011-11-08T14:56:00.002-05:00

At the Discovery Shop yesterday, I saw a plate I just had to have. It had just been put out. Although it was marked $4, the shop was having a special sale 25% off almost everything, so I got the plate for $3.

At home, I looked at the back and saw it was from "Cats by Nina."

A bit of Googling turned up her website: Nina's Big Store. I checked her site to see if that plate was on it. It wasn't, but there were some similar cat ear plates:

I clicked on them and found what they sell for:

I guess I got a good deal.

Edited to add: I got in touch with Nina Lyman, who creates wonderful animal art on her website. Turns out my cat plate is a reproduction. But it's still a really nice plate.

Saving on Gas

2011-09-25T20:45:00.000-04:00

We always let our Kroger gas points accumulate to the end of the month. This afternoon, following a recent drop in gas prices, we figured we'd better fill up.

Here's the recently lowered price:

We packed Ol' Blue with a lot of gas cans. (When we pulled in beside the pumps, we noticed two other people who had done the same thing.)

Here's how much we'll save on each gallon:

Naturally, we chose Y. We filled up Ol' Blue and a bunch of the gas cans. So here's how much each gallon will cost:

That's a lot better than the price had been for a long time. This particular Kroger has a $125 limit, and we reached it. See?

Coming Up Roses

2011-09-02T10:31:00.000-04:00

I love miniature rose bushes, and I have several planted in my yard. But I hate to pay full price for them, so I usually wait until the store reduces the price. That's what Kroger finally did last Tuesday. When the price dropped to $1.99 each, I bought four.

I'd almost thrown away the coupon for a dollar off a $5.00 or more purchase from the floral department because I figured I wouldn't use it. However, it was still in my coupon holder, so I used it. Plus, it was Senior Citizens' Day, so that took off another 5%.

It pays to shop at the right time—and to use coupons.

Going Blue

2011-09-01T15:16:00.000-04:00

When I visited the Discovery Shop and the Westlake Goodwill yesterday, I must have been feeling blue.

At the Discovery Shop, I found some towels and washcloths in blue. Each pile was $2.00 They'll go in the main bathroom with all the other blue towels.

I scored a even better buy on blue placemats. The two on top were 75¢ for both; the two on the bottom were 25¢ for both. Also in the 25¢ bin was a little book about the meanings of dreams. It even had an attached bookmark. Well, it's not blue, but it was a good deal; originally it sold for $4.99.

At Goodwill, I found more blue—or at least bluish—stuff. The decorative dish, receiving a cat scan from my senior cat Foxy, had a lot of blue. It was 99¢.

You can see the blue details here:

I also bought a grapevine wreath with blue flowers for $1.99. It looks great on my yellow door.

Finally, I splurged and spent $4.99 for a Vera Bradley bag. The picture below doesn't do it justice. It's a lighter blue than what appears.

The bag has been modified, though. It originally had a zipper closure, but the zipper part has been turned under and a velcro closure has been sewn inside. I don't know if the buttons which secure the turned-down part originally came on the bag or not, but they look good with it. Here's a detail (with the correct color of blue):

Finally, I bought a blue top for $3.50. It's kind of whimsical, but I should be able to find a place to wear it. Again, the picture doesn't do it justice:

And those are my blues from yesterday. All are things that I can use.

Good Buys for July

2011-07-19T19:17:00.000-04:00

I scored a few good buys in the last few days, although a few were splurges for me.

Saturday, we went to the new Tractor Supply grand opening, but it was so crowded we didn't stay long. While we were in the neighborhood, though, we stopped at Purrfect Treasures. I'd heard the cat lamp that had been $50 for months and months was reduced to $35. I splurged and bought it.

I'm not sure where it will end up, but it looks nice in the den—which has a cat and horse theme. On the way home, we stopped at Foster's Greenhouse. I figured some of their plants might be reduced.

I was right. I bought two daisies and an ornamental oregano for $6.25

Closer to home, we noticed a yard sale. This metal flower holder was marked $5 but I got it for $3.

Here's how it looks propped up with my new plants in the holders:

I'll still have to find a good place to hang it. I'm thinking on the patio. Meanwhile, on our way to Bedford yesterday, we stopped at the Westlake Goodwill where I found a full-sized quilt for $15.99.

That price was another splurge for me, but I really liked it. Here's a close-up of the center.

I love the colors. It was made on a sewing machine, but was hand-quilted. It looks old, but the backing is a polyester cotton blend. It has been washed several times, appears colorfast, and is wonderfully soft. Because it's so lightweight, it's perfect for summer.

So—those are my good buys for mid-July.

Pot, Pig, and Plants

2011-07-05T17:25:00.000-04:00

I stopped briefly at the Rocky Mount Goodwill and found two goodies for only 50¢ each.

The pot (or maybe it's a vase) is, according to what's left of the label on the bottom, from an FTD arrangement. No markings were on the little folk art pig.

Later, at Kroger's, I noticed that the mums had been marked down from their regular $9.99 price. I bought two.

How much did I pay? Can you see the label in the picture below?

I paid $2.99 each.

May Savings

2011-05-31T22:01:00.000-04:00

On the last day of May, we wanted to up our Kroger gas points to 1,000. We'd let our points accumulate so we could get a dollar off a gallon. Gas prices have been so high, that we had cut back on our driving. But now that prices have dropped, we decided to fill up again. We only needed to spend another $200 at Kroger today to make our 1,000 points, so we knew we'd do it.

I had a lot of coupons to use. First I downloaded some onto my card from www.kroger.com and printed out the list:

I'd already clipped some coupons from the newspaper and filed them. Plus I had a bunch of coupons that Kroger had mailed me, including two "checks" for $15 each.

At the Rocky Mount Kroger, I couponed another $25.39 off my total. Plus, I'd used my card to get some discounts ("Kroger Plus Savings") of $74.90. Then there was the senior citizen discount of $12.83.

My total grocery bill came to 222.88. We ran out of our resusable bags and had to get two paper bags. It took two large and one small shopping card to get the groceries to the parking lot, where they filled the back of the old PT (which holds more with the back seats removed):

After we'd unloaded the groceries and had lunch, we took my old truck and a bunch of gas cans and headed for the Westlake Kroger, where gas was a few cents cheaper than the one in Rocky Mount. We were able to get 51.889 gallons (at $2.409 a gallon) before the pump stopped. Total $125. That'll keep the lawn mowers and the truck going for a while.

On the way home, we stopped at Goodwill, where I found some three Pfaltzgraff dinner plates in my pattern (either Blue Sky or Denim—they're similar), four salad plates, and three saucers for 49¢ a piece, a picture frame that looks like it's made of money, a interesting-looking tote bag, and a flower pot.

I spent a total of $9.54 at Goodwill.

I'm proud to be a cheapskate.

Goodwill Hunting

2011-04-12T17:28:00.000-04:00

Today, I went hunting for bargains at the Westlake Goodwill. Did I find any?

I found this heavy ceramic mixing bowl for $2.99. The color goes nicely in my kitchen. The bowl is 9 inches across and 4 and 1/2 inches high.

Here's a side view. I like the wide rim that makes it easier to carry. I suppose it could be used as a serving bowl, but it's very heavy to pass around.

One of the workers had just brought out this handmade fabric shoulder bag when I grabbed it. It's very well-made, has one outside and two inside pockets and—despite the decorative button—has a velcro closure. It's worth way more than the $2.00 I paid.

This ceramic cat used to hold something. A bowl, maybe? But I could think of a lot of things it could hold, so I splurged at $2.69

I thought this picture frame—probably designed for a teacher—was well worth it 99¢ price tag. It could be a reader's frame—or even a writer's frame, too.

Here it is beside a cat folk art lamp. (My husband asked for a light bulb to make sure it worked. It did.) It's missing a shade but I think I can find a suitable one. I love the cat and birdhouse theme.

The bottom says "Figi Graphics" & "Country Primitive" & "1994" & "San Diego, CA." It's made of resin, is 11 inches high (base is 5 inches by 5 and 1/2 inches and is fairly heavy.

Anybody have any idea what's my lamp is worth? I splurged at $3.99.

I also bought a pair of tan slacks for $3.50 and two pins for $1 each. All in all, it was a pretty good hunting trip.

Book Bargains

2011-04-09T18:07:00.000-04:00

The Franklin County Library in Rocky Mount has a used book sale every month. Here's what I bought today:

How much did I pay?

$3.75 for everything. Not bad for 10 books!

Purrfect Stuff

2011-02-20T20:18:00.000-05:00

Saturday, on my way home from Roanoke, I stopped at Purrfect Treasures to see if I could find a good bargain. The place was really crowded. Word must be getting out.

Eddie-puss gives what I bought a cat scan.

A cat tote (I'll use it as a grocery bag) and two handmade pins:

I spent a whopping $3 for my treasures.

Purrfect Treasures

2011-02-12T15:50:00.000-05:00

Today I stopped at the Purrfect Treasures shop.

This doghouse out front looked so inviting.

Purrfect Treasures, located on Route 220 just north of Rocky Mount, is operated by Planned Pethood, one of my favorite charities. Their Facebook page is here.

Look at all the neat stuff Purrfect Treasures has:

The cat lamp was $50. I was tempted, but I have no place to put it.

So—what did I buy? These:

The calico cat draft stopper was $2.50. The metal pig hook and the Maxine potholder were $1 each, and the ceramic black cat was $4.

Here's a close-up of the oversize pot-holder:

And the pig hook:

While there, I also bought a raffle ticket for a chance on an iPad. You can't have too many iPads!

Tote & Bag

2011-01-18T15:24:00.001-05:00

Today at the Rocky Mount Goodwill, I bought two bags, a handbag and a tote bag. Both are big enough to carry my MacBook, should I wish to lug it around. I paid a whopping $8 for the handbag, which was new and still had some tags attached. It's a Maxine Marsh "Rosetta Shopper," but I wasn't able to Google up that particular bag, so I don't know if I got a good deal or not.

Inside there's a zipper compartment and a few pockets. I'm kind of disorganized and need separate compartments so I can find things.

I paid $3 for the tote bag, which has a dangly disk that says "Apostrophe." The well-made tote looks new, but I can't be sure. Again, I had no luck Googling it.

Besides the two bags, I bought 10 coat hangers for 75¢. I always need hangers. Here's what the backs of the bags look like:

Book Bargains

2011-01-08T22:45:00.000-05:00

I bought all these books for a total of $4.75 at the Franklin County Library's used book sale today. They had hardcovers for 50¢ and paperbacks for 25¢.

The Terrible Truth About Lawyers is for my husband, whose hobby is watching cases in court. The others are or me. Two books, How to Write a Children's Book and Get it Published (1991) and Writing for Children and Teenagers (1989) are horribly out-dated. I figured they'd be good for laughs. At 50¢ each, they beat the Amazon prices.

Since Edna St. Vincent Millay is one of my favorite poets, I was glad to score Savage Beauty. It's $10.81 on Amazon; I only paid 50¢. I'd wanted to read Growing Up, Russell Baker's autobiography, for a while. On Amazon, the paperback is $7.99; I spent 25¢ for it. Charles Kuralt's America, another book I've wanted to read for a while, is $10.76 for the paperback on Amazon. The one I bought is a hardback.

The old book just below Chloe the kitty is a 1945 edition of Laughing Stock: Over Six Hundred Jokes and Anecdotes of Uncertain Vintage, edited by Bennett Cerf. It was in the freebie box. The 2009 edition is $20.77.

On Amazon, Rhett Butler's People is $10.76; Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway is $10.49; Sharyn McCrumb's Sick of Shadows (the first in the Elizabeth McPherson mysteries) is a variety of prices: I bought the 1989 mass market paperback edition.

The Friends of the Franklin County Library hold a sale every month at the main library in Rocky Mount. I think I got some pretty good deals.

Danville Goodwill

2011-01-03T22:49:00.000-05:00

Today at the Goodwill in Danville, I bought a few decorative items—two small vases, a picture frame, and a plaque. These three, all in mint condition, were 69¢ each:

Here's a different angle:

I splurged and bought this decorative tile for $1.00. It fits my country decor.

The artist signed it on the back, but I can't make out the name. The date could be either 81 or 87. I like the way it was designed so a hanger loop fit right in.

I'll bet there's a story behind the pig plaque, but I'll never know what it is.

Total: $3.07. Not bad for cute little decorative items.

December Decor Discoveries

2010-12-30T16:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, the Discovery Shop was having a 25% off sale on everything in the shop. Since we were going to the farm store in Moneta (where I bought a really good manure fork), we'd pass right by Discovery. Naturally, we stopped.

Over a week ago, I'd looked at this wooden folk-artsy cat plaque, but at $7, it was a bit more than I wanted to spend.

I'm glad I waited for the sale. They also had another wooden folk-arts piece—and it was two sided:

The original price was $5, but with 25% off I decided I wanted it. I like folk art—here's a display of some (purchased at Goodwill or Discovery) in my kitchen:

In the 25¢ bin at Discovery, I found a little wooden cat. For 19¢, how could I resist? He looks so cute beside a mouse I bought a while back.

On the way home from the farm store, we passed Goodwill. Of course I found a few things I wanted. Like this little tiny tea set:

For some reason, the pieces were individually priced, so the whole set cost $2.25. A splurge for me.

The planters were $1 each. That's reasonable. I especially like the one that looks like a Western saddle. I think Jim-Bob like the other one better, though.

I didn't need any of this stuff. But the price was right. . . .

Apple & the Time Capsule

2010-11-27T18:58:00.000-05:00

Last week, my Time Capsule died. I'd bought it refurbished about a year and a half ago. (For y'all non-Apple folks, the Time Capsule is a little plastic box that backs up my iMac's hard drive and acts as a router to provide household wi-fi. )

The modem usually connects to the Time Capsule which connects to the computer, etc.—but, following the TC's demise, we had to connect the modem directly to the iMac so we still had internet access. Just no wi-fi. That meant only one of us had computer access at a time.

I checked the prices of both a new and a refurbished time Capsule. Replacing it would be pricey.

My electrical engineer hubby did bit of Googling and found we could get a refurbished one for about $190. But a bit more Googling told him that a lot of first generation Time Capsules died when they were 18 months old and that Apple replaces hardware connected to a computer that has Apple Care. Fortunately, I'd gotten the 3-year Apple Care service contract with the iMac.

I called Apple, was connected with a service person within three minutes, and was assured that Apple Care would take care of a replacement Time Capsule. I'd have to send the dead one back, though, or I'd owe Apple $300.

They Fed-Ex'ed us the replacement, we received it on Tuesday, and soon had wi-fi. I had to call Apple tech support for help in restoring the Time Machine backup function to the Time Capsule, but I was connected promptly and was walked through the set-up by a very patient tech rep.

We sent the dead one back Wednesday, and they received it yesterday. Both wi-fi and backup are working fine.

When in doubt, Google.

Book Savings

2010-11-18T10:10:00.000-05:00

I confess. I'm a bookaholic. A voracious reader. And I need to feed my habit—as cheaply as possible. That's why I shop the library's used book sales (plus it helps the library), browse the shelves at Goodwill and the Discovery Shop, look for deals on Amazon.com, and shop both independent and big box bookstores. I have a Barnes & Noble member discount card, but I like to bump up my discount if I can.

Sometimes B&N offers a coupon via my email, like this one:

This discount will apply after my member card's discount, but it's still money off my purchase. Because I'll be in Roanoke on Saturday, I plan to stop at the Tanglewood B&N.

But there's more: I figured I'd spend at least $25 on books, so I bought a $25 B&N gift card at Kroger last Tuesday. Buying a gift card at Kroger gave me double points toward my discount Kroger gas purchase, so I'll save on a non-book purchase, too.

Looks like I'm good to go.

Books & Cats

2010-11-12T20:13:00.000-05:00

I bought five books at the Westlake Library used book sale today.

The current Amazon.com prices:

Sea Star, Orphan of Chincoteague —$12.48
The Women's War in the South—$22.95
Monty Roberts: The Man Who Listens to Horses—$.99
A Dog's Life—$10.88
Tar Heel Ghosts—$7.99

Total: $55.29.

I spent $4.50, but that also includes three videos.

I already had the cats. They're priceless.

Coupons, Cats, and Sony

2010-11-09T20:05:00.000-05:00

Today was one of my better shopping days at Kroger—much better than last week. I had some really good coupons—including one for $24 off my shopping order that came in today's mail. Good thing we waited for the mail before we went to town.

With coupons I'd downloaded onto my Kroger card, a printout of current specials (including $5 off if I bought 10 particular items), coupons I clipped from yesterday's Sunday's newspaper, and coupons Kroger mailed to me, I bought over well $200 worth of groceries for $152.83.

After we returned home, put away our groceries, and lunched on barbeque chicken (I had a dollar off coupon for the chicken), we went to the feed store in Moneta to get some baled shavings and some horse feed. Instead of taking the truck, which uses too much gas, we took the old PT Cruiser with the back seats removed. There was more than enough room for four bales of pine shavings and two 50-lb bags of horse feed.

Since we passed through Westlake on our way to Moneta, we stopped at the Discovery Shop, where I found a couple of cat-themed decorative items. I paid a whopping $3 for the patchwork cat, but the little wooden basket had been marked down to $1.50.

Of course both items received a cat scan from Chloe.

Here's the back view of both Chloe and the patchwork cat (which nicely matches the color of the cabinet I recently painted).

My husband got lucky at the Discovery Shop. He bought a Sony headphone AM-FM sports radio for $4. He'll wear it when he mows the lawn.

Later he checked the price of the Sony radio online. Sony no longer makes that model, but he found several available from Amazon.com.

If the Amazon price is right, I guess he got a good deal.

Let's Go Krogering

2010-11-04T19:15:00.001-04:00

. . . again. I posted an earlier "Let's Go Krogering" back in 2008.

Grocery shopping used to be simple. Now, it's a bit more complicated, but I can save in more ways than I used to. I use my Kroger card which gives me discounts on a lot of items.

The card also gives me money back if I get enough points. Plus, I can go online to www.kroger.com and download coupons directly to my Kroger card.

Besides the coupons I download, I cut coupons from the supplement in the Sunday paper, download other coupons from the Internet, and download lists of Kroger specials. I try to shop the specials, too, and I stockpile things like papergoods, detergent, pet food, etc., if I find especially good deals.

We take advantage of the senior citizen discount at Kroger on Tuesdays. That saves 5% on our bill. We also take our own bags to pack groceries. My favorites are these we bought at Tractor Supply for $1.49 each. They're really sturdy and they hold a lot.

At Kroger, my husband and I each get a cart. Shopping is faster if we go separate ways. Since we live 15 miles from town, we try to get all our groceries in one trip.

I use my Kroger Mastercard so I can get points for discounts on Kroger gasoline. We save up our points all month—so we get between 70 cents and a dollar off a gallon—before filling up the truck and a dozen or so gas cans in the back of the truck. We usually get 60 gallons before the pump says we can't get anymore. The filled gas cans are used for the lawnmowers, two of the tractors, the ATV, etc.

I always pay off the balance of the Mastercard at the end of the month. I never let debt accrue, so I never have to pay interest.

On the way home, we might stop at Wal-Mart or Lowe's, since they're not out of our way. Last week at Lowe's, I bought a small fountain for less than a third its original price and some mums for a dollar each.

Helpful hint: If you take the back seats out of a PT Cruiser, you can haul a lot more stuff.

Just sayin'.

The Cabinet II

2010-10-30T11:56:00.001-04:00

The newly painted cabinet fits right into the space beside my laundry closet. Because the cabinet isn't very deep, the louvered doors have room to open. The burgundy red paint works well with the muted burgundy squares in the vinyl flooring and with the red in the wallpaper.

Olivia (mother of kitties Jim-Bob and Chloe) is breakfasting in front of the cabinet. Although Olivia coordinates well with the colors, I really need to find another place for the cat buffet.

Above the cabinet are some peg hangers that I bought cheap when Salem Creek (a decorative accessory store in Roanoke) was having a sale about 20 years ago.

From the pegs hang some cutting boards that my husband made from walnut lumber that came from our Smith Farm in the 60s. On the right is a stockyard cane that we've had for years, and beside it is a wooden thingie that measures dry spaghetti.

Let's take a closer look at my folk-art decorative items.

All were Goodwill finds; the cat, rabbit, and pie lady were a dollar each. The chalkboard was 75 cents. The bowl was 25 cents, and the pie candle that fits nicely in the bowl was $1.25. That little horse was my splurge at $2.75.

The Cabinet

2010-10-29T19:00:00.001-04:00

One person's trash is another's treasure, the saying goes. Last week, I found this little treasure leaning against a dumpster. Apparently, its last owner considered it trash.

It wasn't in the best of shape, but I didn't think it should take up space at the landfill. I decided it might be worth recycling. If I couldn't use it, I'd at least take it to Goodwill.

At home, a "cat scan" showed it had potential. I thought maybe if I fixed it up, I could use it in the kitchen.

Those shelves would hold a lot.

But the cabinet had plenty of scuff marks, both on top . . .

. . . and on the sides. The hinges were kind of cute, though.

I decided to paint it red, so I bought some spray paint at Lowe's. I let a bit of the woodgrain show through the paint to give it an antique-y look.

I think it'll look cute in my country kitchen. What do you think?

Total cost: $3.78.

Favorite New Things

2010-10-21T17:58:00.000-04:00

Here are some things I've acquired during the last two months.

This kitty tote was at Clay's Consignment Shop on Brooks Mill Road. It was new and still had the tag on it. I paid $6.00. My iPad fits nicely in the side compartment.

This little folk art horse with its load of wooden watermelons was at the Westlake Goodwill. I paid $2.75, more than I usually pay for knick-knacks, but it was so cute.

When I bought the horse, I also found a couple of pillar candles for 69 cents each.

Last month I also acquired a couple of freebies. I won this little book in a contest that Facebook friend Janice Lee was running. It's a delightful little book of inspirational poems and quotations.

I won this really neat bat-hat in a contest that blogger buddy Diane Cayton-Hakey was running on her Blue Ridge Gal blog.

I already owned the cat and the basket.

Cat Scratchscroll

2010-10-15T15:22:00.000-04:00

A while back, I bought this cat scratching thingie at the Discovery Shop.

I paid $10 for it, more than I usually pay for used merchandise. However, this didn't look used and was still in the original box. But would the cats use it?

They did.

I checked online to find the original price.

I guess I got a good deal.

Urn

2010-09-19T18:02:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, I found a large fiberglass urn at the dumpster. It looked as if someone had spray-painted it silver. I figured I could use it for something.

I thought it might look better than the plastic tub that currently holds the ficus. Sure looked like the ficus would fit.

So I cleaned up the urn and bought some spray paint designed for plastic. The paint cost less than $5.

I thought sage green looked a lot better than the metallic silver. The urn, which looked as if it were originally a sand color, took less than a can. After the paint dried, I sat the ficus's tub inside the urn. Before I repot the ficus, I want to see how it looks.

Looks pretty good, considering the condition of the ficus (which someone gave me a few years ago). But I wondered how much an urn like this cost? The brand Grosfillex was stamped on its inside. I did some Googling and found these Grosfillex urns that are about the same size as mine:

They're not quite the same, but they're similar. I figure mine would have cost forty-something new.

I guess I got a good deal.

Sneakers

2010-09-13T14:06:00.002-04:00

Recently I was shopping the Prime Outlets in Williamsburg with my former college roommate. I'd needed a new pair of sneakers for months and found a pair at the Reebok/Rockport Outlet.

Where shoes are concerned, I'm hard to fit—plus I have some foot issues, but I found a pair of Rockports that fit perfectly.

The price on the box said comparable to $80 but was reduced to $59.00. The exact shoes were on a discount website for $76.95 (originally $81):

But wait! These sneakers were on sale for $49.00. A good deal, right?

But the deal gets better. If I bought another pair, I could get the second pair for half-price. Two pair sneakers for $73.50. And I could use a second pair, so I found a pair my size in bone/taupe.

But—the price could be even better if I had an AAA card. That would give me another 20% off. Trouble is, I didn't have one.

But my former roommate did, and the clerk accepted it. Total for my two pair sneakers, including Virginia sales tax: $62.94.

Sometimes it pays to shop with a friend.

New to Me

2010-08-10T23:21:00.002-04:00

I purchased my last car, a 2003 PT Cruiser, in 2004. I don't buy new cars anymore because new cars rapidly deteriorate in value.

Because that PT is getting old, I figured I'd up-grade—to another PT. I like PT Cruisers—they're cute, peppy, and practical. Plus they're easy for old folks to get in and out of, and they don't have a lot of confusing knick-knacks and doo-dads. They're good basic transportation. And easy to park. But Chrysler isn't going to make any more of them.

So, I went in search of a late model—I wanted one that was still under warranty and preferably a one owner car. I watched ads and checked the Internet for a couple of months. After a while, I zeroed in on this 2008 PT:

It was nearly two hours away, but I figured it was worth a look. So we drove out there and I looked. My husband looked under the hood.

I drove it around the lot, and it seemed to do OK. My husband crawled underneath to see if it was dripping anything. It wasn't. I compared the old with the new—er, the less old.

The 2008 is in the foreground.

Then I began the process of dickering. You know the drill—the salesman has to run to his manager, they give me a number, I counter with another number, etc. My husband and I went to lunch where we mulled over the "deal." I decided I really liked the car, so we phoned from the restaurant and went back to get it.

The car had been washed and the temporary tag was in place.

I wrote the check for the amount we agreed upon (I don't do payments) and drove away. . .

. . . for half what a new PT would have cost me. My husband followed in the old PT as far as Roanoke to make sure everything worked OK. It did.

Now we call the old PT, "Farm Use."

Fate and the Fountain

2010-08-02T00:03:00.001-04:00

About two months ago, Kroger had a special on a simulated rock waterfall fountain. The the Kroger ad listed the sale price as $59.95. The regular price was $119. The fountain looked something like this one:

Well, I'd always wanted a fountain, so I decided to get one when we went to Rocky Mount for Senior Citizen's Day (which would knock off another 5%). Unfortunately, they didn't have any in stock but Frank—the manager—said that the Westlake Kroger had one.

Later we went to Westlake, and sure enough they had one. Just one. And someone else had reserved it. A sign attached to the fountain said that the buyer would pick it up the next day. Oh, well—you can't win them all.

A few weeks later, I was shopping at the Westlake Kroger and noticed the fountain was still there. But it had a different note saying a different buyer would pick the fountain up the following Tuesday, which was several days away. Oh, well. . . .

I kept looking around for one, though. I saw the same one in a K-Mart ad in the paper—$79.95 on special. Um, no. Once I've seen something for sale for a certain price, I won't pay more than that price. $59.95 was as high as I would go.

I Googled the fountain and discovered the same model was for sale for various prices, all higher than I wanted to pay:

I figured that I just wasn't fated to be a fountain owner. At least not this year.

And then—last Thursday—we happened to be at Westlake, and we happened to go to Krogers. And, as fate would have it, we happened to see the fountain, with no sign on it. We went in and checked. The fountain—despite still having a $59.95 price tag on it—was available, we were told, for $69.95. The special sale was apparently over. Once I've seen something for a certain price. . . .

However, it never hurts to ask.

They let me have the fountain for 5% off the $59.95 price. Since we'd been to the feed store earlier, we just happened to have the truck. Even though the fountain came in two halves, each weighed a lot and I'm not sure we could have fitted them in the back of the car. The size and weight of the fountain might be why the other folks had decided not to get it.

Doesn't it look nice on my front porch?

Here's how it looks from a little further back:

I think it looks pretty good with the wicker porch furniture that I bought at the Discovery Shop a few years ago ($100 for a settee and two chairs—all in pretty good condition).

And those two plants? Someone discarded them a few years ago. They didn't cost me a penny.

I love a bargain!

Butterfly Pin

2010-08-01T08:30:00.001-04:00

Besides buying the decorated cat pin and the ceramic sheep pin at Westlake Goodwill the other day, I also purchased a butterfly pin. I'd never seen anything quite like it before.

It was still attached to its original card, which looked kind of old. The gold letters on the fuzzy card say " Princess Handmade." Here's what the back of the card said:

Hmmm. Real butterfly wings? Gold thread? Even though this piece was more than the usual one dollar for a pin, I decided to get it.

Back home, I did a bit of Googling. Apparently a lot of these pins were made, mostly during the 1940s. Some even came with matching earrings:

On this site, I found two "vintage butterfly pins" for sale for $80. On an auction site, I found these that had sold for $40. Mine looks similar to the one at the left.

Since the pin I bought is vintage—more than 50 years old, I doubt I'll wear it.

I guess I didn't do too badly pricewise, though—I paid $1.59.

Teapot and Sheep Pin

2010-07-31T14:29:00.000-04:00

More treasure hunting: While I was at Westlake the other day, I popped into the Discovery Shop to see what was new. I found this ceramic teapot.

I loved the color. It looked as if it might go nicely with the blue dinnerware I'd gotten at Discovery not long ago. And it was in mint condition.

Here's another view:

And here's a view showing what I paid for it.

Of course, I'd already stopped by Goodwill where I'd already found a few other treasures. For instance, I bought this ceramic sheep pin for a dollar.

I figure I can wear the sheep when I do presentations about Ferradiddledumday, my Appalachian version of the Rumpelstiltskin tale. I'll wear it on August 7 at the Hanover Book Festival, where you will find me sitting at the Cedar Creek Publishing table.

Decorated Cat Pin

2010-07-29T21:00:00.001-04:00

Today at the Westlake Goodwill, I made a few good buys. I hadn't planned to buy any jewlery, but I confess that I did.

Since I love cats, this pin caught my eye. Usually pins at Goodwill sell for a dollar, but this one was a bit more. Should I splurge? It was still attached to its original card and looked like a nice piece of jewelry.

The card the pin came on had an inside:

On the inside was a message from the artist. (You'll probably have to click on it to read it.)

Hmmm. The artist's statement bode well for the little pin. I decided to buy it. When I got home, I did a bit of Googling it to see if I'd gotten ripped off. I found the pin on the Zarah website, but—alas!—no price.

There was a link to Paul Brent's website, but no info about the "Decorated Cat" pin. So I Googled more. Finally I found some identical pins and their prices:

OK, that made me feel better. I guess I got a good deal after all.

How much did I pay? A whopping $1.39.

Cats 'n' Flowerpot

2010-07-27T20:31:00.001-04:00

My latest finds at the Rocky Mount Goodwill yesterday:

These little two-inch high pewter kitties were fifty cents each. They look like they might be for small candles, but I'm not sure. Until I figure out what they are for, they'll sit on a shelf and be decorative items.

The original tag on the back looked like it said $5.60, but that couldn't be right.

This flowerpot was a dollar. The colors are perfect for my kitchen. That shade of blue is my favorite color.

A hand-written tag on the bottom said $2.50. Here's another view:

The opening is four and a half inches across. I can't decide if I should use it as a receptacle for utensils, or if I should plant a spider plant in it. I'm open to suggestions.

And if you have an idea what those little pewter kitties were originally used for, I'd love to know.

Pet Dishes

2010-07-14T17:59:00.000-04:00

I bought a couple of nice ceramic feeding dishes for the cats the other day. The white "doggie" dish was $2 at the Discovery Shop at Westlake; the bowl was only a dollar at the Dollar Store in Bedford.

Yeah, both are actually dog dishes, but the cats don't care.

Book Sale

2010-07-10T18:58:00.000-04:00

I bought these at the Westlake Library used book sale yesterday:

The two on the right are for my husband, whose hobby is law. The others are mine.

The current prices on Amazon:

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson ($11.55)
Politically Correct, the Ultimate Storybook by James Finn Garner ($4.60)
Law 101: Everything You Need to Know About American Law by Jay M. Feinman ($18.45)
Prize Stories 1999: The O. Henry Awards by Larry Dark ($23)
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini ($8.25)
An Introduction to Legal Reasoning by Edward H. Levi ($10.58)

Total Amazon cost for new books: $53.43

My total cost of six gently used books: $7.00

iPadding

2010-07-08T14:55:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, I bought an iPad, a delightful little gizmo. Figuring that I didn't need the 3G network one, I bought the bottom of the line model. It fits my needs quite well. I can surf the net, check email, post on Facebook or Twitter, play games, read e-books, listen to music, take notes, and a bunch of other stuff.

But the little iPad needed a protective case. I Googled around until I found a leather portfolio-type I liked—but it was nearly $30, plus shipping. I Googled more and found the one I liked on Amazon for about $12—including shipping. I ordered it:

It has a place to put my business cards, and a little nook to tuck the microfiber cleaning cloth. The iPad looks right at home in it. Very businesslike. . . .

But what if I'm feeling whimsical? At Goodwill, I found a padded make-up pouch that will do nicely. See?

And it was only a dollar.

Little Pots

2010-07-07T12:17:00.001-04:00

I bought these little hand-painted flower pots for 79 cents each at Goodwill.

They're too small to plant anything in them, but they're the perfect size for a votive candle.

The Blues

2010-07-06T14:00:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, the Discovery Shop at Westlake was running a special. Everything was discounted an additional 25% from its usual sale price.

My husband and I, who had just redeemed our 1,000 Kroger gas points for 6o gallons of gas (the most we could get before cut-off) at a dollar off per gallon (total per gallon: $1.34.9) were headed past the Discovery Shop on our way home. We decided to stop.

I'd admired some blue dinnerware a week earlier—but it was priced $12 for an incomplete set. Isn't it pretty?

Yesterday, it was just $9, so I decided to get it. When I turned a plate over, I saw it was made by Pfaltzgraff. I wasn't familiar with the pattern though. A bit of Googling revealed that the stoneware's pattern was "Sky," which had been introduced in 1987 and discontinued in 2002.

Here's a closer look:

I paid less for the lot than I would have paid for one plate.

I love the shades of blue. This dinnerware coordinates nicely with some other blue and white items I own, such as some rooster plates and salad plates I bought at Discovery last year, some rooster mugs I got a Goodwill for 25 cents each, and some salt & pepper shakers and a sugar bowl I bought at a Newport News Goodwill for $2.95.

I might buy some more blue dinnerware—if the price is right and it goes with what I have.

Cat Vase

2010-01-06T21:38:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted on this blog for a while, but nonetheless I've tried to live frugally, despite supporting twelve cats—and getting five neutered in December. Good thing my vet gives senior citizen discounts.

Yesterday at the Smith Mountain Lake Discovery Shop, I found this cute cat vase:

It was priced $5, but the shop had a 25% off sale on it. For $3.75, I couldn't resist. You can't really tell it's a vase until you turn it around. Here's the back view:

Proceeds from Discovery Shop sales support the American Cancer Society. I've found some great deals there in the past.

Bargain Jewelry

2009-08-27T07:25:00.003-04:00

What do all these pins have in common?

They were all a dollar at the Discovery Shop or Goodwill (except for the heart-shaped one which was fifty cents). You don't have to pay a bundle for jewelry.

Garbage Bag Substitute

2009-08-26T13:58:00.002-04:00

You don't need to buy plastic garbage bags if you have large empty pet food bags handy. This horse feed bag holds a lot of garbage, and it's sturdier than the plastic ones.

Hunting Season

2008-11-26T19:59:00.016-05:00

Bargain hunting, that is.

Every so often, my husband and I go bargain-hunting at thriftshops. That's what we did this morning, and we got some pretty good buys. Our hunting ground was Westlake. When we left home, we weren't sure what we'd bag.

First we stopped a the Discovery Shop, but didn't find anything we wanted, although the shop had some great stuff.

Next we hit Goodwill, where I found a like-new Coldwater Creek black knit dress for $4, a beautiful handmade mug for $1.49, and a copy of Edible Wild Plants for 75¢.
The dress coordinates well with Dylan.

Since I had a coupon for $1 off, I didn't do badly. John bought a spiffy-looking made-in-UK wool cap for $1; with his coupon, it was free.

We arrived at the Westlake Library a few minutes before the early closing and bought $11 worth of books from the sale rack of discards and donated books. I selected four I wanted to read; John found two for himself. Most of the copies were in mint condition; only one was a discard. The retail value of the books was over $120. Since John and I are both avid readers, we were pleased with our find.

My writer buddy Marion has been telling me how good The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books are, but I hadn't read any. Now I will. I'm a John Irving fan, so I was also glad to get The Fourth Hand.

Our best finds came on our way home when we stopped at Clay's consignment shop. I'd been wanting a set of International Tableware in the Bob Timberlake Ella's Rooster design since I'd found two cups for a quarter each at the Rocky Mount Goodwill a few months ago. I really liked the colors and the country design, but the pattern had been discontinued.

Clay had a complete service for four—twenty pieces—that hadn't even been used. The set was marked $40; after a bit of haggling, I got my dishes for $15. The color goes great in my country kitchen.

I have no clue how much these dishes would have cost new. Anybody know? Some of the online replacement china sites list the plates for $9.99 each.

John probably scored the best bargain of the day. He's wanted a Texas Instruments graphing calculator for a long time, and Clay had a TI-83 Plus. However, it didn't have batteries so John didn't know if it would work. He decided to take a chance.

For $20, he got both the calculator and a small TV that we're now using as a monitor for one of our security cameras.

The calculator, which retails for $99.99 at Staples and other stores, works fine.

Recycling a Headboard

2008-10-13T15:53:00.000-04:00

A few months ago, I paid a dollar for a really ugly headboard at Goodwill. Taking out the back and painting what was left helped a bit:

The removed back piece was the headboard's original color.

I painted it the same color I'd used on an earlier recycled headboard. The only problem was that I didn't have any of the wallpaper border left. However, I found a similar roll at Lowes in Roanoke—same pattern but a different color. Would it work? And more importantly, would the "new" bookcase fit along the wall with the previously recycled headboard bookcase and another bookcase that I'd had since I was a kid.

Yep on both counts. See for yourself:

The completed bookcase.

What's up top.

And here's how it fits with the others.

Total investment for headboard, paint, and wallpaper border—less than $10.

Let’s Go Krogering

2008-06-24T14:56:00.001-04:00

When I told one of my fellow bloggers where I was going this morning, she emailed, “You go to Kroger's? Isn't it a lot more expensive [than Wal-Mart]?”

Well, yeah, it is. Usually. But my husband and I shop on Senior Citizen’s Day, when we get 5% off. That usually equals the sales tax. Kroger often has some pretty good specials, which I buy if they’re items I use and need. Plus, Kroger has this limited special on its gift card: If you buy a $300 shopping card, Kroger credits it with an additional $30. You’re limited to a maximum of 4 in a limited time. I just bought my third one today. The offer expires sometime in July.

Also, Kroger issues some pretty good coupons to some of its faithful shoppers. Many of those coupons are for things I can actually use. And I clip other coupons, too. My plan is to use coupons for things that I need that are already on special. Sometimes I stockpile. Today, for instance, I stockpiled paper goods. A few weeks ago, I stockpiled dry dog food.

Kroger marks down baked goods, deli items, and meats that are almost out-dated, If it’s something I will use within a day or two, you’d better believe I take advantage.

Since Kroger is 14 miles from us, I only go to on Tuesdays. Often we take care of other business in Rocky Mount at the same time. We might tank up on gas ($3.85 this morning—the cheapest I’ve found in the area), then stop by Goodwill (where we usually buy a couple books), the library, the hardware store, etc.

Consequently, it takes two to shop. John mans one cart while I woman the other. Sometimes he takes a handful of coupons and goes one way, while I take a handful in the other direction. That saves time.

John with handful of coupons and our two carts.
Our cold bag and recycled bags are in the cart on the left.

On Tuesdays, Kroger provides free coffee and snacks. We usually partake of their hospitality—sometimes with people we know who are shopping the same way we do. Also, it helps to sit down midway through our shopping and regroup.

Another thing I like about Kroger is that it has paper bags. If you double-bag your cold stuff, it stays cold longer. If you double-bag your canned goods, you can carry a lot more. Consequently, to save bags, we take the doubled bags back to refill. We also have an insulated bag that we carry.

Time out for a rant here: Using paper bags does not mean that trees are dying in vain/the rain forest is being depleted/etc. for my paper habit. Not using paper bags won’t save trees. Paper isn’t made from old growth hardwoods; it’s made from fast-growing pines that are planted (and replanted) as a crop. We grow loblollies, which are used for paper products. (If you want to save trees, don’t buy fine furniture!) Using paper bags is highly preferable to using those flimsy plastic bags that are made from petroleum products. OK. Rant over.

Goodwill Goodies

2008-06-18T14:39:00.000-04:00

I've gotten some goodies at Goodwill lately. Yesterday at the Rocky Mount Goodwill, I bought a long black coat that's made of pure silk. Original price tag was still on it—$159, then reduced to $79, then to $59. Goodwill had it for $20 but had just reduced it to $15. I figured, what the heck!

Cat hair won't show on it!

Now, where I will wear something designed to be worn over evening wear, I don't know. But I will look darn elegant doing barn chores in it.

A week ago, I bought some stoneware for $10.99 at the Westlake Goodwill. The 7 plates, 6 bowls, and 7 salad plates were all taped together, so I couldn't see who made it until I got it home.

Turns out it's the Heritage pattern by Brick Oven. One plate on one of the replacement China sites goes for $5.99. Guess I got a good deal. Plus the colors match my kitchen floor.

I'm happy with both my finds and I've done my part for recycling.

Bayou Chairs Renewed

2008-04-24T05:39:00.000-04:00

When I was a kid, these chairs sat on our front porch.

They'd faded a lot through the years. A little sanding and paint renewed them:

Total cost: About $5 worth of Rustoleum.

New Printer

2008-04-07T09:40:00.001-04:00

For about a year, I've wanted a laser printer. When prices for some models dropped below $100, I started looking, but the ones in my price range were kind of clunky.

Last Wednesday, I was in Roanoke for the Pen Women meeting. On my way, I stopped in Staples and saw an HP LaserJet P1006 that was on special. Regular $179, it was down to $99, thanks to an in-store discount. I liked the way it looked.

It would look nice beside the HP ink jet all-in-one that I already had. It coordinated well with my aging eMac. But could I get it cheaper?

Yep! The circular I'd picked up when I went in said that Staples would give a $50 rebate for a customer's old printer if the customer bought a new printer whose regular price was $159 or more. But would they honor this on a regular price that had already been reduced?

Yep! I asked a salesman, and he confirmed it. But did I have a printer I wanted to part with?

Yep! The Epson ink jet I'd gotten free with my iBook back in January 2004 had died in 2005, and I'd never gotten around to throwing it away. (I'd already made some money with that free printer. Epson, as part of a class-action suit, had already sent me a $25 check and given a $25 credit at their online store. I used the credit for paper. I figured I'd already made as much off that printer as I could. What a surprise that I could still milk it for a little more.) But could I find where I'd put it?

Yep! When I got back home, I found it in a downstairs closet. Now, I didn't rush back to Roanoke (at the current gas prices, it costs me $10 for a round trip). I knew I was returning on Saturday for a Cottage Curio event in Salem. Besides, I rarely buy something the first time I see it. I give myself a few days to decide if I really want it. Did I really want this printer?

Yep! But would the store still have some when I returned on Saturday?

Yep! But the salesman didn't think the rebate applied to marked-down items. I told him what the other salesman had told me. He went to get his manager? Would I get the rebate?

Yep! The manager honored it. But, would I like to get a toner cartridge while I was there?

Yep! I know from experience—and from living 15 miles from the nearest office supply store—always to have an extra cartridge for the printer. Plus the cartridge that comes with a printer usually doesn't last long. But the toner cartridge was $60! More than I was paying for the printer! Did I still get it?

Yep! What good is a printer without a cartridge? At the check-out, I learned that there was a $20 mail-in rebate on the cartridge if it had been purchased with a printer. So, the cartridge would only cost me $40. Did I mail it in?

Nope! Not at the current rate of postage. I applied for the rebate online.

Setting up the printer was, well, interesting. Hewlett-Packard doesn't provide a manual. Only a sheet with some pictures of the steps you have to follow to unpack. By the time I found this sheet, tucked into the printer's paper slot, I'd already unpacked the printer—and not necessarily in the order the pictures suggested. I looked in the box for a manual. There was none.

By this time, my husband, the retired electrical engineer, was involved. We found a CD. "Maybe the manual is on the CD," he suggested. It wasn't—only the installation instructions. Could we get this thing installed and working?

Not at first. After running the install, we plugged it in and found a USB cord (Why don't companies provide one with the printer?) to connect it to the eMac. The eMac recognized the printer. That was a good sign. I tried to print a document—and got a blank sheet of paper. Uh-oh. Was this printer a dud?

Nope! Turns out we hadn't removed a couple of plastic doo-hickeys from the cartridge that came already installed. Luckily, pictures on the box of the new cartridge showed how to remove these doo-hickeys. We pulled (OK, my husband pulled) the cartridge from the laserjet and successfully removed the doo-hickeys. Did it work?

Yep! It worked great. And doesn't it look right at home with the other technical stuff on my desk?

Total cost (including tax) for the (original $179 printer and $60 cartridge): $96.52.

Some lessons:

Never pay the original price; wait for a sale.
Wait a few days to make sure you really want what you think you want.
Don't throw anything away; you never know when you might need it.

Pet Stuff

2008-03-26T21:54:00.000-04:00

A bag of dog food in a country kitchen doesn't go with the decor. Having the bag sit on a stool makes it easy to tip and pour into a bowl, though.

Solution: Put the bag into a burlap bag. Looks a bit more country.

Y'all do know that the best way to keep pet food fresh is to leave it in the wax-paper or plastic-lined bag in came in, don't you? Same for horse feed. If the inside of the bag is coated, the feed keeps better in the bag.

If you have more than one cat in the house, an old picnic basket makes a good double cat bed. I don't remember where we got this one—might have been Goodwill. I think it cost about a dollar.

The pillow under Eddie-puss isn't really a pillow; it's an old towel inside a decorator pillowcase I bought for $1.25 at the Discovery Shop.

Of course, if you're gonna have a double cat bed, it helps if the cats get along. Unfortunately, Camilla and Eddie-puss can't stand each other. (Both cats were off-road adoptions. Even though I didn't pay for them, there is no such thing as a cheap pet, what with vet care, food, etc.)

Back to the Bookcase

2008-03-24T10:19:00.000-04:00

I collect pictures of equestrian art.
Some I bought at flea markets or antique stores; some were given to me.

“These are a few of my favorite things.” (Remember when Julie Andrews sang that in The Sound of Music?)

Many items on my wall and on the top shelf of the bookcase I made from the old headboard weren’t expensive. Most are second-hand, and thus recycled. Some are homemade. But they’re things I really like.

For instance, this original watercolor was a gift from Mary Ann Reynolds, an art teacher buddy from years gone by. We taught together at Jackson in the 1980s. After my retirement, when I had to do twenty days a year as a consultant, I worked with Mary Ann on various projects that combined art and literature. She painted this picture just for me—we both love horses.

Speaking of horses—

I’m lucky to be married to someone who often surprises and delights me by bringing home stuff that he thinks I’d like. One day, he saw this wooden horse statue at the Rocky Mount Goodwill. He only paid a few dollars for it. “I thought you’d like it,” he said when he handed me the bag.

Like it? I love it!

The Goodwill isn’t the only thrift shop that John and I frequent. The Discovery Shop at Westlake has some fantastic decorator items at great (low!) prices. The Discovery Shop supports the cancer research—last year, they gave half a million toward finding a cure for breast cancer.

I bought this horse tile there for $5 several months ago. Below is a closeup of the detail.

In the picture below, there’s a little brass vase that John paid $2 for. In the vase are two sprigs of artificial flowers that I bought at the Discovery Shop two weeks ago—$1.50 each.

Next to the vase is a picture frame that Robyn Bevins (daughter of my college roommate/ BFF Polly) gave me when I visited them in Newport News during the CNU conference. She’d thought of me when she saw it, and bought it second-hand (we give each other a lot of recycled stuff). It was perfect for the photo that Ed W.—one of my Lake Writer buddies—Photo-shopped from the jpeg I sent him so it looks like a watercolor of Melody and Cupcake. I LOVE that picture in that frame.

John bought me the large brass vase at the Discovery Shop about six weeks ago when I had back problems so bad I could hardly walk. We were returning from my doctor's appointment and had to pass the Discovery Shop on our way home. John said he’d just be a minute—I felt too lousy to get out of the car. He returned with the vase—only $6. It’s so perfect for this space. The flower arrangement inside was another Discovery Shop buy. I paid $5 for it—a half-price special—two weeks ago. They’re perfect in that vase.

The framed Emily Dickinson quote (“Hope is the thing with feathers . . .”) is a card from my cousin Marty. She wrote, “It reminds me of that picture on Grandma’s wall. . . .” and I go back 55 years to when Marty and I were kids and sat under that picture.

The little heart candle came with something I once bought. It’s purpose here is to hold the picture frame in place. And it smells nice. The decoupage flowerpot-candle is a Robyn Bevins original. She’s a talented craftswoman who makes a lot of neat stuff. The doily underneath was hand-crocheted by a great-aunt—I think it was Aunt Ossie Nace Goode of Lithia, Virginia. I have a lot of handed-down doilies made by my Nace ancestors.

Anyhow, I have a lot of favorite things that didn’t cost much but mean a lot. I can look at some of them and see the faces of the people who gave them to me.

I can look at things John or I bought from Goodwill and the Discovery Shop and hope that the money we spent there advances the good work that these places do.

I feel sorry for folks who have to buy everything brand new. They don’t know what they’re missing.

Tie-backs

2008-03-23T16:47:00.000-04:00

My cousin Marty, who lives in Corolla, North Carolina, likes to make things. Several years ago, she made me two wall hangings from shells and sea glass she found on the beach near where she lives. I liked them so much I used them as curtain tie-backs.

The neat thing is that she recycled so much—not only what she found washed up on shore, but also some greeting cards that she used as backing.

See? Wasn't that creative?

Sometimes all you need to make something wonderful is whatever nature provides, some recycled material, and a little glue.

Dumpster Decorating I

2008-03-21T20:07:00.000-04:00

Several years ago, we found a headboard leaning against the side of a dumpster. Granted, it was indeed an ugly headboard, but I figured I could use it in the tack room as a shelf.

And I did. The cubbyholes held brushes and other horse stuff. After a few years, the headboard was covered in red dust, salt, mouse poop, cobwebs, etc. It was even less of a thing of beauty.

I figured the headboard just took up space and didn't really do much. I didn’t want to take it back to the dumpster (the landfill will fill up soon enough as it is!). ’Nita, one of my weird and wonderful friends (I have several friends who fit into the “weird and wonderful” category) thought it had potential as a bookshelf.

Good idea! I have way too many books. Things have been getting a bit messy and crowded in my room. The bookcase won't hold everything. Plus this arrangement is downright ugly.

What the heck, I decided to recycle the old headboard. First thing was to clean it.

It still looked pretty bad. Next we removed the appendages (or whatever they’re called) where the bed frame attached. (Note I said "we." John owns the tools.) Anyhow, we discovered the headboard is solid pine. Nice wood:

I painted it the most neutral color I could—ivory (which happens to match the other bedroom bookshelf).

No, it didn't sprout leaves underneath. Those are the shadows from a bush behind it.

Hmmm. Way too bland! A bit of leftover wallpaper might help. This border, left over from the time I papered the master bath eight years ago had possibilities—but was there enough?

Yep! Just enough with about a foot left over. Whattadaya think?

Here's a different view. Notice I added some accessories that I previously hadn't had room for. The old bookshelf is on the left.

Dylan seems to approve.

Cost of materials:
Headboard: free
Paint: $3.50
Wallpaper border: leftover, hence free

Total cost: $3.50. Worth every penny!

~Waste not, want not.~

Waste Not, Want Not

2008-03-20T13:12:00.000-04:00

The cover of the current Country Living proclaims: "ReUse, ReCycle, ReFresh."

I was into recycling before it was cool. During the 40s and 50s, everybody made do with what they had. We didn't even call it "recycling"—it was just what you did if you had good sense.

For instance, I wore hand-me-down clothes my cousin Marty had outgrown. When I outgrew them, they passed down to my cousin Judy. Once in a while I got a new dress—Mama made it on her treadle Singer sewing machine that she'd bought second-hand before I was born.

I don't ever remember a glass jar being thrown away. An empty jar was always good for something—a place to keep a collection of buttons (that were cut off clothes that were too worn out for wearing), a storage container for food, a vase, etc.

Worn-out clothes became rags. I remember Grandma Ruble had an impressive collection. Clean rags might be recycled into bandages or cleaning cloths. No one bought Band-Aids or paper towels. (Did they exist in the 40s?)

Back in the day, sensible folks didn't waste anything:

Use it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Do without.

That's what this blog will be about—living frugally (but well) by reusing, recycling, or refreshing.