One man's trash, this woman's treasure

Ever since I can remember, I have felt at home in a thrift store. I don’t know where this love of thrifting originates—we didn’t exactly have family outings to the Goodwill when I was young, nor do any of my siblings share this affinity for a thrift store. But somehow for me, the musty smell and possibility of donated treasures really gets me going.

I certainly acknowledge that there are some things that should probably NOT be purchased used; you know, the usual suspects: underclothing, sheets, bath towels, hats, & non-stick frying pans (do you honestly think your egg won't stick to that discarded pan?).

Lately I’ve been a sporadic thrifter—popping into my favorites here and there when I’m looking for a specific item. There are some pretty fabulous thrift stores around here, and recently I've been quite lucky (I would say luck is a big part of thrifting).

So I thought I'd share a few of my lucky finds:

Two practically new Dr. Seuss books (which became a gift for 1-year-old nephew Charlie Boy) Price: 69 cents each

Many know that I find a lot of my fabric at thrift stores--this picture doesn't do this piece justice, but it is a 2+ yard piece of heavy-duty red slipcover fabric that retails for $12.99/yd. Price: $1.49

Some people are grossed out by used shoes and there are definitely some out there that should have been donated straight to the trash can.

But these two pairs I found for James--they are barely worn and fairly pricey in the stores, well, more than $3/pair, which is expensive to an el cheapo like me.

And the best find of the week: glider/rocker for the baby's room. We were planning on buying one of these anyway because the rocker we have is way too large for the tiny room we have for the babe. The one I saw at Target was around $199, and this one, which will just need recovering, was at the Goodwill yesterday for $24.99. It didn't come with an ottoman, but the ottoman wouldn't have fit in the room anyway. I was so excited to find this one.(and this pic is taken in the back of the van because we can't really fit the chair in our in our small house until we first get rid of the other one. . .)

It will be a little project to make covers for the cushions, but now we can pick fabric that will match what has already been chosen and is busy being sewn into bedding.

If you're a thrifter too, you will appreciate these random finds. If you're not, maybe you want to become one now. Otherwise, you think I'm crazy and that's okay too.