Rows of bins filled to the brim with all kinds of
unwanted treasures line the warehouse.
High volume air conditioning blasts straight down the rows,
whipping your hair around as you
rummage through the mounds.
Just then you hear it.... "Neewwww BIN!!!"
Let the chaos ensue.
Well, today - I had the most hilarious and unexpected experience in a long time. Inspired by a friends
blog, Harper's Happenings, who came home with a delightful array of little treasures for the home that only cost her a few dollars, I decided to venture out into the world of treasure hunting at Goodwill and other second hand stores once again.
I used to buy from these places all the time a few years back before I was married. That didn't turn out to be the best thing for me since, I became sadly addicted and forced myself to stop. (Eventually, I ended up donating over 10 trash bags full of clothes, many with the tags still on. Yes, terribly pathetic.) Anyhow, now I do believe it is safe to say that a little bargain hunting once in a while is quite fun and OK. =D For me, I have to make sure I am in the right frame of mind before I even step one foot inside those stores. I usually have a list of some sort, to keep me on track otherwise I will end up wanting everything thats in good condition I get my hands on. (well, its not THAT bad..but you get the picture.)
Truly, the trick to Goodwill shopping, is to know what you're looking for - and only buy things you know you will use, or have a place for. Be prepared to put things back you know you don't completely love, wont always use or already have something similar to. For example..if you already have 3 black shirts...try not to buy another black shirt. (Formerly, this was my problem.) Besides...less is more I say :)
So..back to the present - today I went to a Goodwill warehouse down the street. It looks MASSIVE from the outside. Naturally, I thought when I went in there would be rows of clothes already sorted by size, or color, or type. Household items and shoes, purses, scarves on the back walls somewhere just like every other Goodwill I've seen. But this was a totally new animal.
It was rows and rows of BINS. Im talking, HUGE bins. Nothing was sorted. Somethings were broken or smashed. God only knows where these items came from. Not that theres anything wrong with that kind of stuff...Its just, I realized it when I saw a lot of people with gloves on to protect their hands while they pushed aside old bunched up dirty sheets and clothes, planks of wood and dusty electronics, collections of dirty toys and stuffed animals. Strangely enough..it was one of the cleanest smelling stores I've been too. (This might be due to the quality air blasting control.)
Anyhow, I strolled down with my basket, peering over the rims and only moving items big enough in order to see what was under them. Eventually at one point I heard a ton of commotion. I turned to the noise and noticed that almost everyone in the store was down another isle, crammed together and viciously tearing apart the bins in this area, thrusting items faster than one could eat with their hands into canvas bags or stand up hampers. "Newwww BINS!" came another shout near the front of the store. Another round of the animalistic ascent on the unsuspecting, newly donated items. I tried to make my way over there but people were moving so fast I feared I would be stampeded. Eventually I stood where I was staring after them, memorizing the very bizarre situation before me, and just started laughing.
After the search died down, people who now had canvas bags almost as tall as they were, filled with miscellaneous junk, towed over to the back wall where apparently they had a shopping cart or two. They sat with their bags, pulling out all their items, sorting and eventually dividing what they wanted and dumping back into the bins what they didnt seem to think were "keepers." My thoughts were: what exactly was in such numerous amounts, they thought had such value? The baskets they took to the front to be weighed and paid for looked like they were just filled with a ton of miscellaneous junk!
So, I prattled around and found myself a few nice things. All for the happy amount of $7.50 =D
Above is a previous Yankee Candle Jar someone took the time to remove the candle out of. Its now home to my favorite snack: The sunflower seed. (dont worry, I cleaned all my jars with very hot, soapy water) Safety first!
A CANDY Jar! I love this... it even has 'candy' on the front! Inside, I've nestled some yummy Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate chunks. (this is also a little preview of my breakfast bar...but I don't keep the chocolate here, too tempting!)
Now for one of my FAVORITES:
Above, in prefect condition, is an Elizabeth Arden Picnic Basket! I'm thinking this must have been quite expensive on its original market?
For the Christmas season...a happy little snowman apron! I don't currently have any seasonal aprons, just one thats black and white with cute French toile scenes on it...but I use it all the time and am looking forward to wearing this cute festive one in the next couple of months.
A beautiful, perfect condition hardback Charles Dickens 'Stories for Christmas' Collection for our growing Library. Since we have an office now, complete with actual BOOKCASES! - I felt I couldn't pass on adding it. Its a very pretty copy too. Featuring: A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.
And last but not least, a Croquet Set! This was so much fun bringing home to the family. At first, I found only a bag with the 6 balls and arches. But halfway across the warehouse, I found a lonely bat! I turned on my heel and hunted down the bag. Mom, dad and Drigo thought this was the coolest! I've got it set up in a basket, next to the sliding glass door for the next afternoon we have nothing to do.
Got any memorable finds? Please share!
