Assorted treasures that I found for myself at the last town wide garage sale

Sunday, August 11, 2013

In addition to the half dozen pairs of awesome shoes that I found at the community wide garage sales on Saturday, August 3, I picked up some fun and some needed items for myself.

I have been trying to scale back on clothing acquisitions, since my wardrobe has filled nicely this season and have been trying to limit new purchases to fall/winter pieces or outerwear. But sometimes I cannot resist, especially when I find things priced for 3/$1 the way I did at one sale.

The sweater vest is not something I currently have in my closet. I really liked that it was reversible, giving two different looks depending on whether it was worn with the black knit side out or the grey faux fur side showing.

I liked the lace bottom on this striped gray tank top and thought the white shrug was cute as well.



This gray sweater vest is from Reitmans. I thought that it would look cute belted over black jeans.

I found a couple of nice looking recipe books. I paid $3 for both of them. I often get recipes by looking them up on the internet. And I actually just recently did a purge and donated a couple of large bags of recipe books to the local Value Village.

But sometimes I enjoy holding a book in my hands, seeing the beautiful photos, and getting inspired. The internet is good for searching for a recipe for something if you already have an idea of what it is you are going to cook or bake. But looking through a book can help you find new recipes that you might not have thought of.

 Life requires balance. And because indulging in decadent desserts or carb heavy meals will inevtiably take its toll, I felt that I should pick up this Suzanne Somers book. I will never be slim (but have never believed that a low BMI was the only pre-requisite in order to be sexy) and that is okay, but thought that it might contain some tips for maintaining an overall healthy lifestyle.



In the vein of taking care of oneself, I lucked upon a seller who was probably a former Avon sales rep, or who is close to someone who is, and who was just putting out some brand new items when I arrived early that morning. I love Avon nail polishes and these plum and chartreuse colours caught my eye.

And I have always liked their make up as well.  Now I have two different types of foundations, and an under the eye concealer. I do not wear much foundation in the summer, usually only in the colder months, so these will last me a long time.

It is difficult to tell from the photo, but the blue box contains a necklace and matching earrings of gold tone and faux topaz (which happens to be my birthstone).

I was able to get all six items for $5, which is a significant savings.

And just in case I ever take myself too seriously and need a reality check I picked up this little gem to remind myself of the fifty in niftythriftyandfifty. Or if I just need a laugh now and then I am sure that it will contain a gem or two that I can relate to and that will put a smile on my face.

Speaking of age, I found that perfect little accessory that every woman over 40 should have. Wrinkle defense sun glasses, lol! This seller had a couple of boxes with assorted sunglasses. No Raybans or Oakleys, just the kind of thing you'd get at the dollar store. But no tax, some cute colours and designs, and I picked up seven pairs for $5.

I also found a pair that have a built in bifocal with magnification for reading. I do wear glasses for reading and it is not very convenient to take off sunglasses and put them on to check a map book in the car.

And I can never sit outside in the sunshine and read, because I need the protection from the bright light or am liable to get a migraine. So those are perfect for lounging outside and thumbing through a magazine or reading a good book.

I do not have anywhere near as many wallets as I do purses, but now and then if I see one that I like I will pick it up. This came from one of those sales where the seller had nothing priced. I really do not like those because I do not want to waste time collecting an armful or things only to find out that they are, in my opinion, way over priced

It is annoying to pick up one thing after another and to ask, "How much is this? And how much for this?" And if the seller is dealing with someone else as well, it can mean standing around until someone else goes through their armful of things trying to get prices.

I picked up the wallet and asked about it anyways when my turn came and was told that it was $2. Normally, I would haggle a bit and offer $1, which is what I am willing to pay for a wallet at a yard sale. But because I was already a bit put off at nothing being priced, I just set it back on the table.

As I started to walk away the woman called, "Or you can have it for $1 if you like." I gave in to the temptation and handed over a loonie and tucked the wallet into my purse.

I try to steer clear of serving pieces since I have enough of those already. But the vibrant colour of these dishes called out to me as I surveyed the table of offerings. I was surprised that they were priced for only $2 considering the way some of the other items there were priced.

Not only were there the three pieces that make up the set, but they came with a lazy susan for serving convenience. This was one of those rare times that I did not try to haggle or offer less. The set was very me and in the gorgeous fall colours that I am always drawn to and surround myself with at home.

And finally, I saw this cute box with fashion inspired graphics on it and took a closer look. It was a charming set of dessert dishes. And, as a happy coincidence, I had bought that lovely volume of dessert recipes earlier in the day.

I took a quick look at them and thenm since this was another sale with merchandise unmarked, waited to ask the seller how much they were. In my mind I had been thinking $2 so when I heard $5 I thought that was a bit high and set them back on the table, not even making a counter offer.

I stood there and looked at the box again, and realized that I had never seen a set at all like that before in all of my Saturday travels.

So I picked it up again, offered $3, and now they are mine. They are perfect for a ladies' tea, with assorted little bite sized squares or small cream puffs, or some other delicate and feminine treat.

Community wide garage sales really do rock. It truly was nice to get all of the things that I got for the rest of the family this weekend. But of course it was also nice to find all of these great things for me. So much pleasure for such a small financial investment and a few hours of my time!

Nifty, thrifty and (almost) fifty,

Cathy