Category — Oh, the Bargains I’ve Found!

The other day, I was about to take my 19-year-old son out to lunch when he suggested that we first stop by a neighborhood thrift store so that he could look for some shorts for himself. I was a little grumpy about it because I was planning my usual weekly thrift store trip the next day, when most of the clothing would be ½ off. Unfortunately, he was working the following day, so we popped into the thrift for 10 minutes before hitting the diner. He found 3 pairs of shorts for $17.

The next day, the sale day, I found 12 really heavy, made-for-restaurant use, Anchor Hocking drinking glasses, a black tee by Newport News, a cuddly (and brand new—still had the sizing sticker down the front) fleece sweater from Banana Republic and a Gap pea coat in a brilliant turquoise corduroy. All of it cost $25. Hitting the sales doesn’t always work out, but when I have a choice, ½ off is always more appealing than full price. 

Today I found a pair of new Eddie Bauer pants for $3.00 at one of my secondhand store haunts. I knew that they hadn’t been worn because they had a little plastic bag with a spare button attached to the inside of the waistband.  

There is so much more new stuff at the thrift stores these days than there was decades ago when I first started shopping for used clothing. I’m guessing that the increase in volume has to do with two things: one is that now, more than ever before, everybody is racing around so much of the time that they don’t bother to return clothing that they don’t want; another is that retail stores discount items so often and so deeply that people buy things that they would otherwise leave on the rack at the store. It’s a great boon for us used clothing fiends, but not so great for those who aren’t getting use from what they buy. 

The other day, when my daughter and I went to our local Salvation Army, we came home with a particularly good haul. We spent $32.24 and brought home eight items. That’s an average of $4.02 per piece:

• 1 necklace (rhinestone, sparkly and irresistible)
• 1 Talbots summer skirt (the tags were still on this one, and the original cost was $58)
• 2 jeans and 1pair of corduroy pants
• 1 pair of pajama pants
• 1 sweater
• 1 tee shirt

Today I’ll continue with the topic that I began in my last entry, pre-owned jewelry. The two costume sets that I wrote about were in perfect condition, but I also buy jewelry to take apart and use to make other items. For example, many of the unappealing plastic beads in one necklace that I bought for a dollar or two a few years ago went right into the trash. The rest of the beads, and there were quite a few, were sterling. I’ve used these silver beads in countless other necklaces that I’ve made. Also, most of the old earrings that I buy are clip-ons, which were very popular in America until the 1960’s, when ear piercing became the rage with us groovy hippies. I fiddle around with the clip-ons until I figure out a way to add earwires so that they work with my pierced ears.

 I’ve been making beaded jewelry for about 15 years, so I have the tools that I need to update pieces such as ugly necklaces and clip-on earrings. If noodling around with old jewelry sounds like fun to you, I suggest visiting a bead shop with knowledgable staff. They will sell you the right tools and give you the information to turn your old treasures into something wearable that you can enjoy today.  

25 years ago, I paid $130 for a new silver necklace, and within the same week, went to a thrift store and found an old sterling bracelet, made in Mexico, for $12. That hooked me! Since then, I’ve gotten all sorts of jewelry at flea markets, thrift stores, antique shops and yard sales.  

 My favorite jewelry has always been sterling, but lately I’ve been having a fling with old costume pieces. I’m not a collector; I just buy what I want to wear. This weekend I found a Sarah Coventry matched bracelet and earring set from the 60’s (I dated it by doing a quick Internet search when I came home) and a blue rhinestone and faux silver necklace/earring set. I spent $17 for the two sets. 

I’ve found that the jewelry at flea markets usually costs more than at thrift stores or yard sales, because the people selling are generally the dealers who scour the thrifts and yard sales, then raise the price to make a profit. There’s nothing quite like finding a fantastic pair of sterling earrings for less than a dollar, and I have done this on occasion at my local thrift store. But the flea markets and antique stores are still fun, and the variety can be tremendous.

Brief note: I changed my categories today and hope this makes it easier to find blogs that are of interest.