Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Goodwill before Christmas

Christmas has had us very busy, but not too busy for a stop by Goodwill. I walked all over the store and except for finding 3 shirts for myself - one which didn't fit after I got home - I had given up on finding anything that day when DH walked up to me holding an old box. Normally, this is something that I wouldn't have given a second glance but DH is a lot more curious than me and found something great inside.



I tried to find out more about this interesting mosaic ornament on eBay but so far haven't found anything that looks like it yet.

While walking back to the rear of the store to return something we had picked up earlier but decided not to buy we saw something new that had just been brought in from the back. DH quickly grabbed it and ran to the register to check out.



I've seen these chair on eBay and other blogs before but have never been fortunate enough to come across one at a decent price - until now. For $9.99 DH made a great buy.

Until next time . . .

ThriftyAnnabella

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Goodwill Before Thanksgiving

Today DH and I decided we didn't want to sit around the house all day so I suggested we go check out the Habitat for Humanity Restore in town. I read everyone's adventures at these stores and see pictures of all the great furniture and cabinets that they sell. We finally found it and went inside to see what great treasures we could find only to find disappointment instead. Our store is small and doesn't have nothing in the line of furniture.

So since we live a good piece out of town we decided to go check out the two Goodwill stores so our trip wouldn't be in vain.

Apparently the Goodwill stores in town have started a new program. Using this card you can get items with a certain color tag for 50% off - today's color was purple.



I just may be tempted to stop at Goodwill more often to take advantage of the savings. At the first Goodwill I found nothing. My kids were with us and they each found a book - our total - $3.25.

The second Goodwill store brought better pickings. I've been wanting one of these for a while and am so excited to finally have one.



What is it you ask?



A shoe organizer - I wonder if I can use the fact that I have more space to store shoes as a viable excuse to buy more. I don't know if DH will buy that excuse - hehe. For a total of $19.99 it was mine. Priced a little high I know but that's the only drawback of our Goodwill stores around here are that they are very high priced. I searched online after I got home to see if I'd gotten a good price and realized that I have the shoes in there upside-down so I've got to rearrange them now.

My only other purchase was this book. I haven't seen the movie yet and may wait to watch it until after I've read the book.



I'd like to wish everyone a safe and a HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

Until next time . . .

ThriftyAnnabella

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Goodwill 50% day

Today while dropping off a box of items at Goodwill we noticed they had a sign that said 50%

Unfortunately, it was only 50% green tag items and everything we found didn't have a green tag. We left with a couple items for the kids.



DD found this great dress for $6.99



DS insisted he needed this pajama top to stay warm this winter - $1.99



My only item of the day was this great Valentine M&M mug - perfect for hot chocolate - .99

Until next time . . .

ThriftyAnnabella

Friday, November 4, 2011

New Thrift Store

WOW - has it really been that long since I posted. I haven't been going to any garage sales or flea markets lately which is why I haven't had anything to share.

My mom and I were out together recently and decided to stop by a new thrift store that opened in town. She found a lighthouse sun catcher and purchased something for me also. Growing up I always had a thing for anything with peace signs on it so when we saw this we knew it had to come home with me.




Sorry about the dirt in his lap. I was so excited to share that I didn't take the time to clean him up before taking the picture.

Until next time . . .

ThriftyAnnabella

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Dragonfly and First Day of School

I can't believe summer vacation is already over and school is back in session for our area of the country. This summer has flown by and believe it or not I've gone to very few garage sales this year.

As many of you know I have a love of dragonflies and yesterday while playing with the kids after school we got a visit from this guy. He sat and watched the kids play for the longest time and as much as I tried to get a picture of the way he had his head turned sideways, I couldn't.



Miss Sugar sure was glad to see the kids back home and they had a blast playing "Catch the String" with her. I love the expression on her face in this picture as she tries to catch it.



Until next time . . .

ThriftyAnnabella

Thursday, August 11, 2011

SuperPoints

Hi everyone - I know I haven't posted any garage sale finds lately. Truthfully, I haven't been to any garage sales but hope to start back soon.

In the meantime I found a program that is like Swagbucks. You earn points and cash them in for Gift Cards. It is invite only so I'd like to extend an invitation to anyone interested.

The site is SuperPoints.com and here are some invite codes. Please post a comment if you use one so everyone will know it's taken. Thanks

knk5ij
5qwdh8
5n2g8d
dfmo3y

These expire in 2 days.

Until next time . . .

ThriftyAnnabella

Monday, July 18, 2011

My Latest Garage Sale Finds


The Thrifty Groove


I'm also going to be joining Rhoda this week at Southern Hospitality

I cannot believe I haven't posted since the first of June. Then again I haven't time to go to any more garage sales so far this summer. I'm hoping things slow down for us soon and we can start taking the time to go again.

Truthfully, we had been going to the sales in DH's truck which was only a single cab. Two adults and four kids crammed into a truck that small and it being as hot as it has been lately is one of the reasons we backed off of going to the sales. Problem solved - DH now has an extended cab truck with a nice roomy back seat for the kids to ride in. However, that brings up a new problem in that it doesn't have an air conditioner so until he gets it repaired we won't be going in his new truck to any sales.

I did notice in one weekly newspaper that there was an ad announcing that DH's cousin was having one of her monthly storage building garage sales. As I've mentioned in previous posts she goes to storage building auctions like you see on the show "Storage Wars" and then sells what she finds at garage sales. Always finding great stuff at her sales the kids and I loaded up in the car to see what we could find. I had exactly $18 in my pocket and spent every dime of it on these great things.


This table was my most expensive purchase of the day at $16 - but being a Broyhill table I felt it was worth every dime I paid for it. It's very solid and hopefully will last us for years. It's going to get a white paint job and join my other nightstand in the bedroom. Now I just need to find a couple more dressers and a bedframe and my bedroom remodel will be complete.


This pan was $1 and looked to be brand new.


This great top wasn't marked so she let me have it for .25 :)


I paid .50 for this great magazine. I'm a sucker for any type of home improvement or home decor books or magazines I find at garage sales.

Hopefully, I will be posting pictures of my little table all painted and pretty soon but with 100 degree weather in our area I've been putting off taking it outside and painting it just yet.

Until next time . . .

ThriftyAnnabella

Saturday, June 4, 2011

First Weekend in June Sales


The Thrifty Groove


I'm also going to be joining Rhoda this week at Southern Hospitality

The first weekend of June and the garage sales were everywhere. Before I bought anything new this weekend I was determined to finish that nightstand I bought a few weeks ago for $10. Okay, maybe DH was a little more determined for me to finish it so he put me to work. :)

I took a screwdriver and pried all the leaves and vines off of the drawers then gave the whole thing a coat of Antique White. The handles also got a new look thanks to a can of black spray pain. I can't wait to find a new lamp to go with my new bedside table.



Saturday morning we had a long list of sales we wanted to visit. However, by 9:30 it had already gotten so hot outside many people were closing their garage sales down early. Thanks to the heat though I did manage to score some great buys. At one sale we were told everything is priced 25 cents. They were already starting to close their sale down and was trying to get rid of everything quickly. I managed to pick up three skirts at this sale.

I also found another sale with a large table full of ladies tops, most of them in my size, for only .50 each. I came away with a grocery bag full of new tops for summer, some with price tags still on them.

We only found one Estate Sale this morning and the house was packed full of stuff. My only purchase from this sale was this Cosco stool for $5. I have to say that I love Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. The top of this stool was brown and dingy and looked to have a few stains but after a little scrubbing with Mr. Clean it looks as good as new.



Some of my garage sale finds of the day . . .



I fell in love with this little purple piggy bank. It's missing it's stopper on the bottom but for .25 it makes a great decoration.



I thought the little reindeer on this were so cute. It has a battery compartment on the bottom and I can't wait to try it out and see what it does.



At two different sales I found this great purse and two DVD's - my total for all three - $3.

Hope you found some great buys this weekend.

Until next time . . .

ThriftyAnnabella

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Last Garage Sales for May


The Thrifty Groove


I'm also going to be joining Rhoda this week at Southern Hospitality

This morning I woke up around 5:30 a.m. and sat around for a little while debating with myself on whether to get everyone up for the sales today or not. Earlier a storm had passed through and there was still the threat for more rain. However, after watching the weather on TV I decided we would probably be safe.

There were many indoor and under the back porch or in the garage sales this morning since everyone didn't know whether the rain was over yet. Plus, there were many other sales that had been sitting out overnight and everything was wet and ruined.

Our first stop of the day was at one of these sales where everything was wet. I decided to pass looking at the clothes since they were all still pretty wet and went to see what they had managed to keep dry by keeping it on the porch. For $5 I picked up this lamp and these two Sterlite Snap Lock containers. I absolutely love Snap Lock and pick it up every chance I get for extra kitchen storage.



We didn't find much at the rest of the garage sales on our list. There was a lot of furniture and other items marked SOLD at many sales and a lot of baby items at the others. I did find DS four t-shirts and DH found himself a couple of t-shirts along with a .50 DVD (Alien VS Predator Requim)and a few VHS cartoons for the kids. At a couple of sales along the way I did find these items.



These two will help to complete my Christmas Village - I paid $5 for the pair.



At another sale I picked up this great pink garland with pink pinecones and pink presents on it. They also had several boxes of ornaments but these are the only ones that really caught my eye. I paid $1.25 for all of this.

On our way to the next town over we saw a sign advertising an Estate Sale. DH and I both love Estate Sales and was not even aware that there was one in town this weekend due to it not being advertised in the paper. I'm so glad we happened to be driving around in that area.

I purchased this great chair for $5 and it works perfectly at our computer desk. Also this great stool cost us $6.




The next town over we only managed to stop at a couple of sales because by this time I had come down with a bad migraine and couldn't stand to garage sale anymore. I was ready to be home with a couple of Excedrin Migraines (this stuff works great) and a nice comfy couch. So my last purchase of the day was this purse for $2.



So that was my day at the sales and believe it or not we only got rained on once. Since next weekend is a holiday we'll probably take a break from the sales and hit them again in June.

Until next time . . .

ThriftyAnnabella

Friday, May 20, 2011

Two Days of Mega Sales

Another weekend is almost here and it sure has been a busy week. I am looking forward to the garage sales this weekend and sure hope the rain holds off.

Wednesday morning I made a quick run to Kroger to take advantage of the Wisk deal. Wisk is on sale this week for $3.99 a bottle. However, at the register a $2 Catalina will print out for every bottle that you purchase. Then using the $2 coupon that was in last Sunday's paper makes for free laundry detergent. My total for all this was $34.34 and the register printed out $12 in Catalina's to be used for my next order.



Thursday, DH decided that he wanted to go back to town to hit the Albertson's Mega Sale. However, our Albertson's is bad about not restocking the shelves so everything we went for was out of stock. So we decided since we were already in town we would stop by Kroger again and use the $12 in Catalina's that were printed out Wednesday. Our grand total for day two was $40.91 for all of this.



Day one had 68% savings and day two brought 63% savings. Unfortunately, we don't have stores around here that do unlimited doubles up to $1 like they show on "That Show." Trust me, if you've ever watched it you know what show I'm talking about. So for the land of limited doubles up to .50 I'm always thrilled to get 60-70% savings.

Until next time . . .

ThriftyAnnabella

Monday, May 16, 2011

Patio Furniture and Angel


The Thrifty Groove


I'm also going to be joining Rhoda this week at Southern Hospitality

This weekend my DH finally got a Saturday off to go into the city with me to hit the garage sales.

Our first stop was at the many Estate Sales being hosted in our area this weekend. I found a beautiful set of Wedgewood China but couldn't bring myself to cough up the $200 asking price. The only thing I did find at the Estate Sales was this beautiful angel for $25. She stands over 2 feet tall. The lady had three of them sitting on her back patio. I decided one would be enough and snatched her up.



Next on our list was to hit the many garage sales we found listed in the paper. DH took the kids and went shopping with them at one sale and came back with a toy organizer and several toys. I also found several pairs of pants for my DS which is great since he is growing so much. At one sale I came across this light up schoolhouse for $2 which will go great with our Christmas village this year.



At our last stop of the day DH found several sets of Craftsman tools for $5 to $10 a set. He was so happy he was floating on Cloud 9 the rest of the day. While he was packing up all of his tools I happened to see a sign that said table set $20. Curiosity got the best of me so I decided to check it out and this ended up being my final purchase of the day.



Only one of the chairs has gotten rusty and broke in a couple of places but I figured the table with three chairs for $20 was still a great price and a great addition to our back patio.

I love this picture because my little Fred is standing back there looking at me probably wondering what on Earth I'm taking a picture of. He's such a cutie. :)

Until next time . . .

ThriftyAnnabella

Saturday, May 7, 2011

I Went After All


The Thrifty Groove


I'm also going to be joining Rhoda this week at Southern Hospitality

This weekend was great because I actually got to go to the garage sales after all. DH did have to work and I know he hated missing all the fun but he encouraged me to go without him and bring someone along with me. Who was that someone? My sweet dear grandma.

She always hears me tell of my garage sale stories and asks to come along sometimes so I grabbed her up this morning and away we went. Grandma found some great pictures, a tablecloth and some coasters and was so excited about her finds.

So what did I find. Well here goes . . .

Friday morning after dropping my kids off I stopped at a couple of sales down the road from my house. One was being hosted by a dear friend of mine. The only thing I found at her sale was a book but she did give me a goodie that I picked up and commented on how cute it was. What was it? Such a cute little bear magnet.



She was a little dusty so as soon as I got home I got a can of compressed air and blew the dust off of her hat and cut off a long pink feather that was beyond hope.

Next garage sale was one of those that advertised antiques and definitely had antique prices. I did find one thing that had to come home with me though.




For $5 this great hen on nest bowl is a great addition to my hutch.

Saturday morning with DH's encouragement my grandma and I hit some sales in my hometown. The first sale we stopped at had mostly baby clothes. Everything had been picked through but I could tell that both ladies hosting the sale were Coca-Cola collectors who were selling their collections. I love Coca-Cola and have a lot of it in my dining room. Today I found one item I didn't have. This great napkin holder cost me $2 and it looks like a trip to Sam's Club is in my future to get napkins for it.




At the end of the day we stopped by my dear friend Tina's flea market. During the Spring months she hosts Junkin' on Main in our hometown. She has a great blog and would love a visit from you at Junkin' on Main

It was hard to look around with both kids with us because we were scared they would break something. I did find one thing that's on my list for the summer. This nightstand was $10 and I can see a great remodel in it's future. I can't wait to slap some white paint on it and bring out it's inner beauty.




I can't wait to see everyone else's goodies from this weekend. Happy Mother's Day to all mother's.

Until next time . . .

ThriftyAnnabella

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Kroger Mega Sale 5/5

I had plans. Big Plans. I planned on going to the garage sales this weekend but DH's boss has decided they should work Saturday and Sunday. Not wanting to fight with two kids in town by myself I've decided that unless his boss changes his mind there will be no garage sales for me. Boo-hoo.

DD and I did hit the Kroger Mega Sale today. I didn't do as well as I had hoped. The coupon values in our area aren't that great right now and there weren't too many things you could get free with coupons during this sale. However, for $34.34 this is our haul.



2 Philadelphia Cooking Cream - Mega Sale Price $2.19 minus 1 $1.50/1 and 1 Free Coupon = .69 for both
1 Jello Temptations - Mega Sale Price $2.19 minus $1/1 Q = $1.19 (not free but DH loves these)
2 Driscolls Strawberries - on sale $1.48 each minus 2 .50/1 Q's doubled = .48 each
4 Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta - Mega Sale Price .49 each minus 2 .50/2 Q's doubled = Free
4 Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Pasta - Mega Sale Price .49 each minus 2 .50/1 Q's doubled = Free
3 Propel Waters - Mega Sale Price .50 each - no Q's just purchased for filler item
2 Ragu Sauce - Mega Sale Price $1.35 each minus 1 1/2 Q = .85 each
1 Suave Hairspray - Free with Coupon
3 Dawn Detergents - Priced $1.49 each minus 3 .50/1 Q's doubled - .49 each
3 Mahatma Rice - Priced $1.99 each minus 3 .50/1 Q's doubled - .99 each
3 Captain Crunch Cereals - Mega Sale Price $1.99 each minus 1 $2/3 coupon basically gave me one free box
1 Charmin Bath Tissue - Mega Sale Price $5.99 each minus 1 $1/1 Q and one loadable .25 Q = $4.74
3 Diet Rite and 1 Pepsi 12 Pack = Sale 4 for $11 - No coupons but a needed item

I was so disappointed that I wasn't able to get any more Ivory bodywash since they were sold out. I might check back this weekend to see if they've restocked.

Until next time. . .

ThriftyAnnabella

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Today's Grocery Trips with Coupons

Today DD and I set out to do a little "Extreme Couponing" as it's now referred to since the new TLC show came out. Personally, I don't like the show but I do admit I watch it for motivation.

Store #1 - Albertsons. My total savings for today at Albertson's was $72.44 and my grand total was $37.12 for all this.



9 Totino's Pizza - Sale price .88 each minus .50/3 coupon doubled = .55 each
2 Marie Calendar's dinners - Sale price $2 each minus $1/1 coupon - $1 each
1 Red Baron Pizza - Free after Instant Win Coupon
10 Honeysuckle Ground Turkey - Sale price 10 for $10
2 Young Chickens - on sale for $2.16 and $2.17 each
4 Mezetta Napa Valley Sauces - on sale 2 for $5 minus $2/1 coupons = .50 each
8 Luxury Pasta - Price $1.09 each minus $1/2 coupons = .59 each
2 Little Debbie Snack cakes for DH - on sale .88 each
1 Hunts Spaghetti Sauce - on sale for .88
1 Lip Smackers on clearance for 2.89 for DD for being patient with me while I shopped

Store #2 - Kroger. Total spent $6.55 - Total Savings $53.31



2 Ziploc Freezer Bags - $2.89 each minus two Free coupons = Free
2 Ivory Body Wash - sale $1 each minus $1/1 coupons = Free
4 Purina Dog Foods - sale $1 each minus Free coupons = Free
4 Crest Kids Toothpastes - sale $1 each minus $1/1 coupons = Free
2 Crest Mint Toothpastes - sale $1 each minus $1/1 coupons = Free
4 Nesquik Milks - sale $1 each minus .35/1 coupon tripled = Free
2 Purex Laundry - priced 2 for $5 minus $1/1 coupon = $1.50 each
1 Suave Shampoo - priced .88 minus .50/1 coupon doubled = Free
2 Mahatma Rice - priced $1.99 each minus .50/1 coupon doubled = .99 each
2 Kraft Cheese - priced $1.79 each minus $1/1 coupon = .79 each


Hope everyone found good deals at the grocery store this week.

Until next time . . .

ThriftyAnnabella

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Easter Sales

I am so glad to be back joining Rhoda at Southern Hospitality for Today's Thrifty Treasures party. Southern Hospitality

I really look forward to seeing everyone's treasures every year when the weather starts warming up and garage sales start popping up everywhere.

Saturday we had to return a pair of shoes we had purchased for DD that were too big. I decided to stop by Sears to see if I could find some shoes for DS for Easter. Unfortunately, he didn't find any he wanted but I found something great for myself.




My jaw almost hit the floor when I saw the original price and the marked down price. Even the cashiers were in awe at how low it was marked down. I think I was even doing a little happy dance as I left the store.

Our next store was Target where I found this great Wizard of Oz magnet on clearance.



I love Wizard of Oz and would probably buy anything and everything Wizard of Oz. However, I limit myself to only Wizard of Oz magnets. I fell in love with this one because not only is it Wizard of Oz but it's pink and glittery which is a double bonus.

Here's hoping everyone had a safe and Happy Easter. My poor house looks like an Easter factory exploded everywhere in it but everyone had so much fun today.

Until next time. . .

ThriftyAnnabella