Lottery - Not!

The bird feeder looked brand new and was marked $5. Too rich for frugal me, so I asked if there was any chance she would take $3. Sure, she said, then had to add, “But that was an $80 bird feeder.”

We hear this sort of remark a lot (and have trained ourselves just to smile agreeably and not say “But this is a garage sale”). Back at the car, I reported to KK and Judy the supposed original price. We all rolled our eyes. Yeah, right, an eighty buck bird feeder.

Looked it up when I got home, and sure enough it was not an $80 feeder. Nope—it was only a $70 feeder. Seventy bucks for a bird feeder, yikes! I simultaneously had to shake my head over the idea of anyone spending that much, and feeling like I had won a prize in a lottery. I must admit it is one swell feeder, designed to thwart squirrels while still feeding a wide variety of birds. In fact, it's so swell that I had to search the Interwebs until I found an instructional video on how to fill it!

That particular estate sale was probably the best of the day. I also picked up a copper-topped vintage coffee carafe, 

an ergonomic pastry blender (your hand gets so, so exhausted making biscuits, right?) 

and a microwavable ice cream scoop. Since I spent $4 there and the feeder was $3…you get the picture.

I wasn’t sure if the carafe was like one I already had or if that was the one Millie broke. Turned out to be the former, but the other has a gold top instead of copper.

And that microwavable ice cream scoop, which I never would have bought if it had been more than a quarter, actually works great. You can dish out quite a few scoops before it cools off. Yes, of course I had to test it!

I had low expectations of the sale being held in a strip-mall storefront, but found three fifty DVDs there (Saving Grace is a huge favorite), 

plus a baggie of vintage spice shakers. 

Judy and I reminisced for quite a while about these, both of us remembering them from childhood but not that they were for all kinds of spices, not just salt and pepper.

They definitely looked better after cleaning!

Our final foray was a church rummage sale downtown that didn’t start until 1 p.m. This is one of the churches that hands you a big grocery bag to fill for five bucks, and the place was a zoo. They also have a ‘special’ room with items they deem more valuable, which is where I found another vase for my windowsill collection, with bubbles in the base. 

I was amused when the church ladies wrapped it up in a couple of pieces of tissue from a sewing pattern. They must have gotten a ton of those donated.

Also found a bear ornament.

No markings so I have no idea of the maker, but I love his sensitive little face; he feels like quite a nice piece. And even though he was deemed special, he was still only fifty cents!

My bag stuffing was purely practical. I needed some king size sheets, and sure enough found a fitted and flat, both in white and all cotton. Into the bag they went, along with a nice cotton rug 

and a queen-size duvet cover and two pillowcases 

that are destined to be slipcovers for the chair in our bedroom (the print goes well with our bedspread). 

I was thrilled to get it all for a fiver, especially since I was recently in an actual fabric store and was APPALLED at the prices. Holey moley. Fifteen bucks a yard for cotton quilting fabric? I really would have to win the lottery if I shopped there instead of in church basements!