Bargain Throw & Cat

Yesterday, at the Rocky Mount Goodwill, I found a like-new throw for $4. My cat Tanner liked it, maybe because the colors coordinated well with his fur.

If you look on the cabin steps, you can see a little cat.

I'm not sure what the throw originally cost, but it was well woven and in mint condition. I'm pretty sure it originally sold for lots more than $4. 

 I also bought this tiny cat trinket holder for 50¢. Tanner wasn't interested in it, though. He doesn't own any trinkets.

Note: Tanner was rescued from the Penhook dumpster back in March. I used Planned Pethood's "Happy Kitty" $ 99 special for his neutering and shots, so he was kind of a bargain, too.

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June 2013 Bargains

Today I went to the Franklin County Library's used book sale and spent $3.50. Hardbacks were 50¢ and paperbacks were 25¢. Here's what I bought:

The 1977 facsimile edition of Edith Holden's 1906 The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady was delightfully illustrated. 

The 1978 edition of Brian Froud and Alan Lee is lovely, too, in a creepy sort of way. The 2010 collector's edition is $22.05 on Amazon. The price on the inside flap of mine says $14.95 until Dec. 31, 1978, then it becomes $17.50. 

I've long been a fan of the Foxfire books (and I even used to show my junior high students a Foxfire movie about Aunt Arie), so I was glad to get Aunt Arie, a Foxfire Portrait, currently available on amazon for $17.12 (reg. $23).  

Sara Midda's 1981 edition of In and Out of the Garden is delightful. The price on the inside flap of this first printing is $14.95. A 2008 version goes for $17.62 (reg. $24.50) on Amazon.

Roy Strong's A Country Life: At Home in the English Countryside is out of print but available on Kindle for $7.59. The 1994 edition I bought has $19.95 on the flap.

Wayne Hanley's 1977 edition of Natural History in America: From Mark Catesby to Rachel Carson is out of print. The original price was $19.95. Leslie John's 1974 Plants in Tubs, Pots, Baskets, and Boxes was originally $8.95.

Since I have a 2009 MacBook, I figured I should get the manual: MacBook All-in-One for Dummies. This is the 2010 version, but my operating system is Snow Leopard, the one mention in the originally $34.99 book. (Yeah, I'm two operating systems behind. . . .)

I think I got a pretty good deal on my books. And I helped out the Friends of the Library. Later I stopped by the discovery shop where I found a brand new cover for my kitchen stool. Only $2.75—and it matches my favorite tablecloth.

I also found another kitchen item, a Paula Deen 2-quart stainless steel copper-bottomed saucepan with a glass lid. It was pretty well-used, but still in good shape. I figured it was well worth the $2.00.

Later, I looked up the saucepan online. I found a similar one at Walmart online for $32.58. Mine is missing the ring in the handle, though. Home Depot has it for only $29.99.

I guess I did OK for bargain shopping today.

Lotsa Pots

. . . and they were free.

Sometimes you don't have to pay anything for stuff. A lot of local folks will leave stuff that's still usable beside the dumpster instead of tossing it in. Rural recycling, if you will.

For instance, this iron hook—maybe to hang a plant from—was sitting beside the dumpster a few weeks ago.

It needs painting, but it's usable—and much to good to throw away. Yesterday, several folks were at the dumpsters. One guy took a flower pot from his trunk and sat it in front of the dumpster. 

"I can use that," I said. 

He handed it to me and answered, "I've got more. Want 'em?" 

I did. I came home with three clay pots (one painted) a small ceramic one with a chip on its rim (but still usable), two large fiberglass pots, two plastic window boxes, and a few plastic pots. 

All will be handy when I do some transplanting before long. While they're not perfect, they're still usable—too good to throw away.

And the price was right.

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Joel Chandler Harris

I buy a lot of my books from the Franklin County Library, which always has good prices on the culls from its shelves. Yesterday, I was browsing the culled books in the children's room when I spotted the 1941 edition of Alvin F. Harlow's Joel Chandler Harris (Uncle Remus): Plantation Storyteller.

The book was pretty well worn and was missing its jacket. But you can't judge a book by its cover, right? Inside the front cover was pasted some info about the author—no doubt clipped from the original jacket. Also there were some charming drawings by illustrator W.C. Nims.

The next page contained info about the book, again clipped from the original jacket.

A page turn revealed a picture of Joel Chandler Harris himself. 

The book contained several illustrations by W.C. Nims.

While this book was in the children's room, its reading level and content seems much more suited for adult readers. At least this adult will enjoy it. I—and many of my generation—enjoyed the Uncle Remus stories when we were kids. Now I can enjoy reading about their collector.

I paid 25¢. Did I get my money's worth? I think I did.

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Paper, paperback, pot, etc.

At the Rocky Mount Goodwill, I spent $8.34 on the following items: a looseleaf notebook, a ceramic pot, a copy of Ann Rinaldi's A Ride Into Morning, a wooden welcome sign, and two rolls of wallpaper.

I'd read Ann Rinaldi's The Coffin Quilt years ago, and liked the way she wrote. The paperback of A Ride Into Morning that I bought is the 1991 edition (marked $6 but I paid $1), not the 2003 re-issue. 

According to the label inside, the ceramic pot was originally sold at JoAnn stores. Did anyone actually pay $9.99 originally? I paid 50¢.

The label from the wooden folk-artish "Welcome Friends" sign had been removed, so I have no idea what it was originally worth—I paid $1.95. It goes with my country-look decor, so I'll find a place to hang it.

The notebook would be about $1.79 or so at an office supply store, so it was worth the 50¢ I paid. I don't know what I will do with the pre-pasted  "International Group" vinyl wallpaper, but at 95¢ a roll, I'll think of something.

As for the cat tote, it had cats on it, and one can never have too many tote bags.

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