13 June 2009

Another Saturday has come at last - up and out of the house at 7am!

For most folks, Saturdays are the one day of the week for sleeping in, taking it slow, and eating a lazy breakfast and reading the paper. Not for me! (And, not for quite a lot of you too, as I understand!) Saturday mornings (and for many, Friday mornings as well) are set aside as that very special part of the week where we set out from our homes, unshowered, donning ball caps and tennis shoes, a few dollars tucked in our pockets and a whole lot of determination. Saturday mornings are for bargain hunting. And bargains we will find!

This Saturday was one of my best in perhaps the entire 2009 season! We (my Mom, sister and I) shopped from 7am until past noon and none of us came home with extra cash in our pockets. I'd like to attribute my successful Saturday to the fact that I was sporting for the first time my brand new, $1.50 Pumas that I found last week, but that would be merely speculation.

You want to know what I found? Well, here's the breakdown:


$.50 - 5x7 black picture frame
Free - Green, vintage votive holder. (Yes, it's unbelieveable how often I try to buy something and folks are just so happy to give it away!)
$10 - (and I'm not going to count this in my tally because it was a premeditated purchase that doesn't really fall under the "garage sale" umbrella, though I did get an UNBELIEVABLE deal on it, for the record!) An original oil painting from a local artist that I plan to hang in my kitchen. (I just couldn't bear to photograph the frame empty when I had such a delightful plan for what to put inside).
$.25 - "Organic Baby & Toddler Cookbook" - looks like it may have some fantastic recipes inside (I'll be sure to post if I find something noteworthy!)
$.50 - Six green and red star knobs. Oliver is totally due for new knobs on his closet door (they're still butterflies from the little girl who lived here before us), and I was particularly happy to find such a good color match with his new bedding (again, more on that room makeover another time...)
$1.00 - Melissa & Doug wooden mailbox with wooden letters, postcards and packages. There are even little wooden stamps to velcro to the letters. Oliver, as you can imagine, is over the moon!
$1.00 - A framed hunting print that is actually called "The Find". It needs new glass and I intend to change the color of the frame (at least cover the gold). We have been looking for something to hang on one side of the fireplace, and I think this will work wonderfully after those few adjustments.
$1.25 - 3 more bedsheets and a bunch of beautiful scrap fabric. You may remember me buying a king bed sheet last week and promising an explanation soon... Well, life happened this week, so now I'm saying, "Expect an explanation of the scrap fabric stockpiling in the near future!!"
$1.00 - an old, hunk-a-junk window frame/mirror. I've got in mind to go at the wood with a dry brush and some bluish paint and see what comes out. Is it weird to hang a mirror on your front porch? I'm thinking that if things don't go great with it, I can always sell it at our next garage sale.
$1.00 - A candle holder for the mantle. It can be displayed this way with three 3" candles in it (I only have two right now, I'll have to be on the lookout next Saturday...), or, turned upside down and it holds 5 tealight candles on the other side.
Free - beautiful, plain, white footed serving bowl. Sorry, no photo.
$.25 - brown serving bowl (really, the bowls just weren't interesting enough to get their own photographs, but they'll be lovely on my Sunday table tomorrow!)
$.15 - 3 mason jar drinking glasses (a nickel a piece). Ry's always wanted a few, and it's always nice to come home on Saturday mornings with a treat for the Mister! I've seen people keep mugs like these in their freezer, so that when you want to use them, they're nice and frosty!
$3.00 - Starbucks whole bean coffee grinder - brand new in the box! I've already informed Ryan that this is his Father's Day gift. I wanted to save it for him until next Sunday, but I couldn't leave it out of my list of finds today. Happy Father's day, baby!
$1.00 - Another great find, still new in the box. Have you ever seen these before? It's a handheld sewing machine. Evidently it's pretty handy for repairing a hem on the go. The thread and bobbins alone are worth the $1! (You may have guessed that this will be a good friend to all that fabric I've been buying up lately!)
$.25 - A small plate (my Mom bought the entire set of dishes and gave me this one!) from Japan for me to use as a soap dish in my bathroom. I've been on the lookout for an interesting soap dish, and this one is so cool! (It's about 4" in diameter, fyi)

And, seriously, the "tuck-and-run" find of the day:

$.25 - a back-up charger for my cell phone AND a car charger! Seriously, for my exact model! I was just running out of phone battery last night in the car and bemoaning to my husband the fact that we didn't have a charger that we could plug in. And now, everything is right with the world! Well, at least in the cell phone, car charger department...
So, that's what I found this weekend. Now, I want to hear all the fantastic treasures you've scored this weekend. Write a post about your finding (share pictures if you can!) and then share the link to it below. I can't wait to see what you've found!





47 comments:

Anonymous said...

You did way better than me! I did get a great deal on baseball cards for my son! ☺

Katy said...

I love the Handy Stitch.. its great for quick hems or touch ups of something that needs a quick fix!

Molly said...

Wow, you did amazing! I'm curious, do you barter at all? I'm always so chicken and end up paying the "sticker" price at yard sales...

Cody Jean said...

Great finds! I've never been a garage saler, but this post made me want to convert. :)

Found your blog through Angie's; I really enjoy your fun, open writing!

Kameron said...

OMGosh, how do you find such awesome things?? I will have to dedicate a Saturday morning (or 2) to the quest of finding coolness where I live. In a couple weeks I'll know if I'm having a boy or girl, so I think I could find some good baby stuff to fill in the gaps of what I need.

So what is yard sale etiquette? Do you bargain with people or just take the price they give you? I always feel bad trying to get something for less!

Anonymous said...

I have been following your blog for several months (since March/April) So happy to see you back to your normal, happy, blogging ways. It is time to move on!!!
I went out w/ a friend this morning and we did great and had a lot of fun. I spent $17 and got the following (sorry I don't have a blog so no pics): a brand new princess dress(w/ tags) for my princess-$2. 4 salad bowls that match my exact set of dishes (same brand/ style), $2. A handmade purse/bag for my 3 yr. old to use for church. She is too old for a diaper bag but still needs a cute little bag for her snack, cup, change of clothes,etc.-$3. A brand new bathing suit for my girl--$.50. Two shirts for my girl $1.00. 3 brand new, unopened boxes of excederin, 3 brand new toothbrushes and two full size, clinique face soap and face mask-$8. (a little weird to buy at a yard sale but the woman is a coupon clipper and had such an overstock of bath and beauty things that she had to sell them to make room for more of her bargains!) I actually had excederin and toothbrushes on my list for walmart today! No major margains but everything will be put to use and it is fun to find bargains!
I am continuing to keep you and your family in prayer.

Alicia said...

Oh my stars! You are good. I live in TN and will need to know where you are shopping to get these great deals. Also, do you haggle?

Thank you so much for sharing!
Alicia

KK said...

You are amazing! I never find anything!

Unknown said...

I love those sheets and can't wait to see what you do with them!

A*Hearts*Desire said...

You're one lucky lady.
I stopped going to yard sales a few years ago because I never find any interesting items, just junk from Wally World.:(

Heather said...

wow, sounds like you had a great time. ya gotta love deals like this! great job!

SarahMerritt said...

Wooo Hooo! Racheal Its so good to be back to normal!Man I need to start going yard saleing! I wish i was as good at it as you seem to be!So now that things are normal again lets try another round of Way back Whensdays!? You have gained some new readers so maybe we could get it going again! I sort of miss it!
Sarah

Journeying Five said...

awesome! you really scored today! some great finds that is for sure.

Sallye said...

Didn't go "garagin" today, but I did go "Mardelin" www.mardel.com, and scored a misprinted leather bound ESV study bible for the sum of $22.99. That was the bargin of the day for me.

Kemp and Remis mommy said...

This Trailor park in our town or should I say one of the many we have in this town lol.. had a huge community yard sale, I go to every year, I ventured out with my 3 year old and my 1 year old, carrying the one year old in my huge hiking backpack made for kids lol.. we had a great day in the nice sun... surprisingly enough I found one treasure, which I was very proud of, til after I bought it and was headed down the street with it, I got my sons a outdoor motorcycle thing... paid 1 dollar for it thank god... its nice little tikes and all just needed a huge bath lol... But as I started to push little man down the road (hes still learning the peddle thing) but mind you a peddle was mising so it was just th elittle metal thing lol... I heard it plump, pla - plump lol, there was a flat spot in the front plastic wheel lol, then the back wheels were wobbling like they were gonna fall off lol, but hey my son is very happy and excited about this so it made me happy:) lol just had to share that, no pics yet, ill post some on my blog soon:)

Unknown said...

Hi, You scored some great deals! I would love to know what area you go to most. I am a little bit west of nashville.

Cheryl Haggard said...

I am so jealous...I can't remember the last time I got up early to go to a garage sale...My weekend mornings consist of early baseball games...but all in all, I wouldn't trade them for the world.
In fact, getting ready to leave the house now... :)
Enjoy your day.

Gill Family said...

Found you from Mckmama. :) Do you have a "strategy" for garage sales? Or do you just go? Im trying to get into, but I just get suckered into baby clothes, which she has plenty of :)

erin said...

Wow, you had a great Saturday. I also got in some garage sales Fri and Sat. But did not have any luck this weekend, hopefully next weekend. I can't wait to see what you score next week.

Amy said...

I want to get in on this next weekend. We were gone this Saturday so I didn't get the chance. . .btw, does Goodwill and thrift store finds count for this?

Be Blessed,

Amy

AZMom247 said...

You remind me of one of my dearest friends. I always tell her I need to always be with her whenever she is shopping, even the grocery store. She always seems to find the best bargins around.

I stumbled onto your blog from another one - I'm glad I did. My thoughts are with you.

Now, if I can only start to blog as well as you and MckMama...

Free At Last said...

I love love love garage sales!

natalie eve said...

Just used Mr. Linky for the first time! I did nowhere as well as you did, but had fun putting the post together. That Melissa & Doug mailbox?! If you ever find one for a buck again you'll have to pick it up for me and I pay you to ship it to the "Frozen Tundra" as MckMama so fondly dubed our state - I'm just a few hours farther North. Also, I would definitely do a Way Back Whensday - it's a super fun idea!

Grandma~rella said...

LOVE the sheets and fabric and can't wait to see what you're making! :) The little sewing making thingy-ma-jig is cool! I used to have one of those and put lots of miles on it~LOL! One of these days I'll have to take pic's of my g.s. finds and do the linky thingy. (((HUGS)))

Claire Wise Photography said...

WOW I want to garage sale with you lol! You always find the best stuff.

The Gypsy Mama said...

Oooo, I am totally jealous of the Melissa & Doug mailbox - that was a dream find - $1 - I can't believe it! My sons are always playing with the one over at a friends house - can't believe you found one at a yard sale - awesome!

Faith said...

This is so neat! I'm going to link up as soon as I get off of work. I found some fantabulous deals on Friday!

--Faith

{Life Is Good} said...

Love your blog. You have inspired me to hit the yard sales!

Krystal said...

I'm too lazy to take pix and write a post, so I'm commenting here. I went to our church's 1st annual rummage sale and got two pairs of denim shorts for self for $1, a slot-car race track for son for $5 (minus cars - bummer - though the track is a great deal by itself), a special stuffed animal for 50¢, and nearly new snowboots daughter for 50¢. The best part was when I went back on Saturday and got three bags of clothes for $3 total. Everybody but hubby got something to wear then, including Grammy and a friend. It was fun!

Krystal said...

Oops! Forgot to mention the White Barn Candle Company cinnamon candle/ornament candle holder I got for 25¢. It smells the best!

Anonymous said...

wow! What you found was amazing, I never have that luck!

Maryann said...

I should have taken pics of everything I got, note to self for next time!!

:)

Kelly Dawn said...

came to you via mckmama...I am a garage sale FREAK....I bought my mini van with 3rd row seating and promptly took out the back 2 seats to see how much room i would have for garage saling...lol...I find deals like you also - but I have yet to start my "garage sale season" - my kids wont even go with anymore but every NOW and then my hubby will go with me...

Christine Marie said...

Great deals!! BTW, Just happened to see in a Sbux today a recall for what looks like the same (or very similar) grinder. You may want to check that out!! Sorry to be the (possible) bearer of bad news!

Kim said...

Just found your blog and love it! What great deals you got - I need to expand my yard sale area, as I never seem to find anything!! Will keep coming back to your blog!

annamade said...

Wow, you have this bargain hunting down, don't you? I love bargains. In fact, I buy as little as possible new anymore. Free to good home is the very best! My latest and greatest bargain was two free guinea pigs complete with free $100 cage and free $30 aquarium.

Angela said...

Oh, another kindred spirit I have found...I just made my second Yard Sale treasures video on youtbue, sharing at my blog on Saturday. My neighbor and I are up bright and early each saturday, out the door and five hours of finding treasures...and lots of fellowship not only with one another but with those that have the yard sale...Thanks for sharing your goodies..I'm off to check out the other post you did on your yard sale finds
Angela

Heather said...

Oh my sweet cheap goodness...this is awesome! I've never done the yard sale/garage sale thing before but, after seeing your list, I want to start! Any tips on where to begin or how to find good items?
~Heather

Grace Cartwright Aspinwall said...

I just found your blog, from Jennifer and Angie's and i love it! you are a gifted writer with a huge heart and its encouraging to see!

Denise said...

I just hopped over here to give you the same recall info that Christine did above:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09244.html

I read your blog for the first time yesterday, and today I got the CPSC recall notice, so I had to share : )

JD said...

Great finds, loving the photos of everything too. I'm a very visual person, ha ha!

Great blog!

mpwalker said...

Hello Mrs. Myers! Mike Walker here. I had a moment of serendipity with seeing your wonderful yardsale finds coupled with a visit to Starbucks last night and I thought you should be aware that the very coffee grinder you just bought is being recalled and you are likely eligible to receive a brand new replacement grinder. Here's the Consumer Reports article:

http://is.gd/14qjv

I hope you're able to score a new one.

Katie @ Heart Gone Walking said...

Oh my word! You are a garage sale master! I use that organic cookbook all the time for my daughter. I love it!

Michelle said...

Awesome finds!

kaydubya said...

You find the best treasures at garage sales! You have a good eye!!

meganblaire said...

Hey Raechel, just wanted to let you know that I added my link with Mister Linky. Thanks for doing this, it was fun!!

Unknown said...

I added my link up, too! I didn't go garage saling, but was definitely thrifting!