Sixty – Eight Cents and Counting

So my knee surgery is next week, and it turns out you don't just show up at the appointed time. Maybe if you’re having a wart removed you could, but for a knee replacement there is much to be done beforehand. Rearrange the furniture so you can move around with a walker. Talk someone into coming and staying with you for three weeks while you’re on pain meds (a million thanks, Marcia!). Wash extra bedding for the nights before the surgery when you’ve just taken a shower with the special bacteria killing stuff. Get cleared by multiple doctors. Get blood drawn. Have x-rays. Get more blood drawn. Have your nose swabbed to find out if you have the possibly really nasty bacteria (hooray, I don’t!). Get more blood drawn. Get enough groceries in the house so no one has to go to the store. Stop using alcohol and ibuprofen.

Sheesh!

On Friday I had two doctor appointments, and figured I’d find a sale or two on the way to the second one. After all, the first one couldn’t take more than twenty minutes or so, could it?

[Insert hysterical, derisive laughter here.]

So, no sales on Friday for me. Although I did score my temporary handicap parking placard, which I've been longing for as much as anything I've ever found at a sale!

On Saturday my ex came by to see the broken latch on a slider screen. I thought the whole screen would have to be replaced, but it turned out to just need a screw. (Hooray!) Anyway, he mentioned he was going to go to a few sales, so I invited myself along. It turned out to be a bust for him, didn’t find a thing, but I came home with some great deals!

Just around the corner I plucked this handmade Uncle Wiggly from the free box.

One of those “so ugly he’s cute” things. A lot of work went into the britches!

Next stop, a pair of shorts in my size – from the free box. (Deep purple, cotton, elastic waist, you’ve got the picture.) A side seam needed stitching, took less than five minutes.

Next stop, a couple of books for a dollar – 

lots of eye candy and inspiration.

Another place had fifty cent DVDs, classical and sound tracks.

As we walked up to the last sale, the lady called out, “Everything is half price!” It was well after noon by then and she’d had enough (and didn’t have a whole lot left). We chatted about her tuxedo kitty and I got to tell a few stories about my Millie. Then I spotted a set of stemless wine glasses marked $1.50. I love these for my iced tea and broke my last one some time ago, and half price made them truly irresistible.

When I went to pay, I started counting out change from my coin purse. No quarters left, nickles, dimes…pennies…

“Would 68₵ be okay?” I asked, a trifle sheepishly. “Sure!” So my bargain was even more of a bargain.

When I got home I was entering my find into my garaging spreadsheet, in which I note what I paid and a likely retail price for the same thing. When I googled ‘stemless wine glass’ I found two interesting things. One was what appears to be these exact glasses, on Amazon at $18.95 for a set of four. The other was a discount dish site where one can evidently buy a stemless wine glass for – are you ready? - 68₵ each.

A bargain, sure (though I wonder how much they charge for shipping!) – but I still got four for the price of one!