I only have seven dollars left to thrift with for the month of January. Seven. Dollars. I'm not frothing at the mouth yet, but give it time my friend. With time I will implode. Pray for me. All joking aside, as a challenged myself with a strict budget for January, and after Thrift Store 50% off sale and one yard sale trip I'm down to $7.00 for the rest of the month. Here's what I found:
Yet another thick vintage Better Homes and Gardens tome, this time The "New Cook Book". Not only is it pure charm with its gingham print cover and colorful retro photos within, but it's filled to the brim with useful information and recipes.
It's not in the best shape, but I was thinking of selling some of the photos and illustrations inside as prints or completing some colorful decopage crafts with the pages.My favorite part of these Better Homes and Gardens book may be the kitschy retro illustrations within. They're abundant, and fun. If you'd like to take this book off my hands before I start to rip it apart, make me an offer.
This little mushroom pitcher beguiled me, I seemed to have purchased it beyond my control. I didn't realize that the handle looks like it's shaped of many small penises until I bought it home. Oh my!
Speaking of funny things, I bought this interior design book for a laugh and immediately regretted it. I need to stop buying things because they amuse me for a moment, bad habit! My tiny thrifting budget and keeping track of each thing I buy is helping me hold myself accountable for irresponsible thrift spending.
What makes me laugh is the inclusion of this photo. Why...why the hell was that necessary? I just can't comprehend why it's in this book. Ty's Tricks? More like Ty turns tricks, you dirty, dirty little book.
The item that ate up the biggest chunk of my budget is was this vintage car bike rack. It seemed to have all the pieces so I decided to take the risk for $7.99. More than I wanted to pay, but far cheaper than buying a brand new one from the store.
These two dresses were purchased at a yard sale. I felt immediate buyer's remorse (noticing a trend?) after purchasing them. I already own one like the vintage blue dress and the yellow one doesn't fit, too small in the bust. I love 'em, but I don't need them. Let me know if you're interested in buying one of the dresses, I'll give you a good deal!
My kitty Yuko likes to get in the way when I take photos. Hi, Yuko! Oh how she's grown.
Stretching this $7.00 for the rest of January is going to be quite a challenge. But if you've seen how far I stretch $1.00, you'll know I'm up to the task!
What did you find this weekend?
Linked to: [Thrift Share Monday] [The Penny Worthy Project] [Flea Market Finds].
Linked to: [Thrift Share Monday] [The Penny Worthy Project] [Flea Market Finds].
My kitty's get in the way when taking photos too, they think they are models!
ReplyDeleteSorry about the buyers remorse, i did a similar thrifting budget re-do a couple of years ago. When on a stricter budget you're really made to think about each purchase, and the buyers remorse isn't prevalent. My rules for thrifting are, will it translate outside of the store/in my home/closet etc., does it/ will it fit, and is it a fair price. Hope that helps, love to see your buys.
The post-shopping regret sucks. :( Had a weird bout of "reality check" myself last weekend. I bought 4 excellent condition "vintage" Tupperware cafeteria trays. Perfect price and never used. After which, I realized...we will NEVER use these. :( Sure, there's resale but almost a deflated feeling, LOL.
ReplyDeleteSo, how will it work next month on your budget? If you profit from a sale of thrifted items, do those proceeds go into your budget next for February?
Alyssa: Thanks for the tips. I'll be more careful from now on. At least I should be able to trade in the TY book at the used book store.
ReplyDeleteI also had to edit out a kitty from photos this week. Here are some quick snapshots of my after Christmas finds. http://dogsmom.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/snapshots-of-savings/
ReplyDeleteand my January budget is shot too. It will be a long month so my goals are to stay in and read.
Our Michael's store is closing so all of Christmas left overs were 90% off. I had to buy NOW.
This also teaches me to save for those rare opportunities so I have money left for weekly thrifting.
Shannon: Definitely a bigger budget next month! A lot of people have asked me the same question. I do have money burning a hole in my pocket from thrift purchases that sold, I'll resist using it this month, but next month I may add money I earn to the "fun" and "thrifting" budgets.
ReplyDeleteIt'll give me incentive to sell more, too!
That photo of Ty in the shower is too ridiculous for words! But I do like that little toadstool/penis pitcher. So wrong...but so right. Lol.
ReplyDelete<3 Jackie @ Let's Go Thrifting!
Ha! I'm so glad that you said that about the penises on the picture because they're the first thing that I saw! I too have the problem of buying things because I think they're funny but have learned that if I can take photos of them, I'm just as happy with the photos and don't have to buy them.
ReplyDeleteDogsMom: I definitely won't be going to any thrift stores- too tempting!
ReplyDeleteJackie: I can't my dirty mind didn't notice the "penis handle" until a few days after bringing it home. ha!
ReplyDeleteEartha: That's what I normally do, I don't know why that evaded me with the Ty Book. Maybe I left my camera at home...
I tend to think the whole kitschy mushrooms from the 1970s tend to resemble penises in general. I recently sold some Merry Mushrooms salt and pepper shakers and every time I handled them I couldn't help but think how they looked like a man's nether regions.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, trying to be more disciplined in my purchases. The three things I regret these last few weeks are the 2 ebony mini boxes from France and the 60s cow horn worn by an Indian chief, all bought at an estate sale. They are all nice, but not sure of the resale value in them, profit wise. But, I did find a couple of books of valentines, the kind you use to have to hand cut out, from the 60s at the Goodwill savage yard.
ReplyDeleteAll my spending money for thrifting, overhead comes directly from my sales. And, I occasionally pay myself too.
Van, I love the illustrations in that cookbook. Something about a 50s style kitchen that makes me think of my Grandma I guess. Good luck in keeping to your budget for the remainder of the year. It is going to be fun seeing how you do and how resourceful you will be. I am rooting you on.
ReplyDeleteYes, that Ty photo is completely ridiculous, haha. Thanks for sharing and good luck with the seven bucks!
ReplyDeleteVan, I for one am glad to see that even you suffer from a little impulse fueled buyers remorse. I tend to think of your thrifting skills as beyond reproach, so its nice to know that you fall victim to whims too.
ReplyDelete$7. You can do it!
Jay: Oh, there are many strange mushroom penis things at the thrifts...
ReplyDeleteVictoria: I have that bad habit of scooping up very interesting items that hold =my= interest but are not so easy to resell. Adding the history/story to the product tag helps it move faster when you're trying to resell it.
Karen: I want to scan each illustration in the book, each one is so charming!
ReplyDeleteSixBalloons: I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, it made me laugh out loud in the thrift store at least :)
Dogs or Dollars: I'll try my hardest to resist the whim purchases from now on. Decluttering the house really makes me want to resist bringing in anything I don't need!
Greetings From Southern California
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Have A Nice Day :-)
so, Van,....How is it that you only had $9 left for thrifting last week, but you seem to have spent more than that this weekend? Fuzzy math?? I'm confuzed!! And I've been pretty broke myself, so I've just resisted the urge to go. :( I wanna go thrifting!!
ReplyDeleteRon: Thank you! :)
ReplyDeleteI am still laughing about the penis pitcher! Too funny--even my husband saw it--three of them, stacked up on the handle. Thank you for the best laugh of the day.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your budget. I try but constantly get overcome by temptation. I do manage to sell more than enough to cover what I buy, but there comes a breaking point, both in the budget and in the space in my small house. Sigh. What a bummer. It's such fun to find deals. But like you, I come home and think, what the heck was I thinking!
Van, you posted on the 4th that you had only $9 left in your thrifting envelope, but it looks like you spent more than that this weekend...? And you have $7 left over...? Do that math for me please!
ReplyDeleteWoops, this ended up in the spam filter. I had bought a lot of this stuff earlier in the week before I ended up with only $7 left, if that makes sense. :)
DeleteGranny: I shall break the bad habit of the impulse purchase this month, I tell you. And bring home more thoughtful bits. More things with fun penis handles, perhaps...
ReplyDeleteI own that cook book. :) The matching "JR" cookbook for kids, also in gingham. Had it for about ten years! I love vintage cookbooks and aprons!
ReplyDeleteChanny: I have that one too. Can't bring myself to sell it...yet ;) I need to use it with my nieces first.
ReplyDeleteYou have reminded me that I need to reevaluate my thrifting budget.
ReplyDeleteOooh I LOVE that cookbook! I'd love to find such a copy. :)
ReplyDeleteMegan: That's what I love about 2nd hand shopping, you can change your budget and still come home with tonso f finds!
ReplyDeleteCara-Mia: Mine is still up for grabs ;) Just letting people know, you'll have to grab it quick because I'm tempted to take scissors to it for crafts...
he always found a way to take off his shirt on that extreme home make over show.
ReplyDeletei once walked by him on the street in LA. lol.
Drew: Ah ha! So that's why a fan-service shot made it into his book, too. I hear he's 10 feet tall in real life, crushes bricks with his pecks ;)
ReplyDelete