Kevin's Watch

Goodwill, Value Village, Garage Sales...what'dja score?
How about a sweet deal at an outlet store?
Find some cheap cheese? ....yumm...




I found a locking set of silverware and a nice camp cup at the Goodwill today.

Two weeks ago, I got a Game Genie for the original Nintendo from the DAV thrift store. Which led me down the path of learning 6502 assembly language and studying the NES Tetris ROM so that I could make GG codes for Tetris (to make it harder).

Last week I got a 5 inch color tube T.V. from the "antique" shop here in town. It is sort of like a big garage sale. They buy the stuff out of houses and sell it. I don't know why I need a tiny tube T.V. but it is pretty cool.

Ooo, now you're talking my language.
Only I concentrate on Target clearance, rather than yard sales or thrift shops.

If anything though, maybe this will get SD's Dam-sel to join the Watch. She's an avid yard sale-er!

Both Dam-sel and I are pretty avid garage sale and estate sale people. More than half of our library (over 1,000 volumes) were acquired that way...including many first editions. Dam-et's captain's bed and two of his three desks were yard sale finds, as are all the furniture in the room Menolly uses when she is here, Dam-sel's china cabinet, most of the yard furniture, and a host of other items.

I first learned the trade from one of my former students (and a dear friend) who owns the iconic Seattle bookstore, Twice Sold Tales. She could strip everything of value from a yard sale faster than anyone I know.

I should get some pictures of MagickMaker's new sweater coat. She combed thrift stores for a stack of sweaters and sent them to a woman in Colorado who turned them into a coat for her. Did I post the link to the woman's Etsy shop here before? Can't remember...

EDIT: Hmm, well, here's the style of coat she ordered, but it's not the actual coat. www.etsy.com/transaction/69562175

Savor Dam wrote:I first learned the trade from one of my former students (and a dear friend) who owns the iconic Seattle bookstore, Twice Sold Tales. She could strip everything of value from a yard sale faster than anyone I know.

Wild! I always forget there are other peeps from WA here... my Friends group (for the library) sells almost all their extra to Twice Sold...


Heading down to the Goodwill in a bit... Wish me lucK!
Hoping for another army surplus wool blanket or an aluminum water bottle to make into an alcohol stove...

Wow, crazy you started this thread today, balon! ...I just went thrift-store shopping for the first time in weeks.

Found this jewelry box for $7:



Wasn't sure if I wanted it for that, but then I saw how it opens... like a spiral staircase.
Which ppl can see if they copy-paste the whole link below:
i.ebayimg.com/t/Bombay-Company-Jewelry-Trinket-Box-1996-Mahogany-Finish-Very-Unique-/00/s/NDc5WDY0OA==/$(KGrHqZ,!o!E8VjvRVdbBPMErI5!FQ~~60_3.JPG

Finally gonna get some of my stuff a little more organized.

aliantha wrote:I should get some pictures of MagickMaker's new sweater coat. She combed thrift stores for a stack of sweaters and sent them to a woman in Colorado who turned them into a coat for her. Did I post the link to the woman's Etsy shop here before? Can't remember...

EDIT: Hmm, well, here's the style of coat she ordered, but it's not the actual coat. www.etsy.com/transaction/69562175

ali- now I went and looked at the site; that is sooooo cool. I love that style of coat. This was one of my favorites:



...Looks like something out of a storybook. Can't imagine what the appeal is.

Linna Heartlistener wrote:

aliantha wrote:I should get some pictures of MagickMaker's new sweater coat.,,,

ali- now I went and looked at the site; that is sooooo cool. I love that style of coat. This was one of my favorites:[/img]

...Looks like something out of a storybook. Can't imagine what the appeal is.

Crazy! I found the same one and you beat me to posting it.
I thought it looked kinda cool, gonna see if the GF wants one. ;D Good find ali and Magic!

shur-Lord Gudatetris wrote:Two weeks ago, I got a Game Genie for the original Nintendo from the DAV thrift store. Which led me down the path of learning 6502 assembly language and studying the NES Tetris ROM so that I could make GG codes for Tetris (to make it harder).

Thats pretty awesome... my little nephew just beat the first level on Super Mario 3 for the first time. *tear* they grow up so fast!

Linna Heartlistener wrote:Wow, crazy you started this thread today, balon! ...I just went thrift-store shopping for the first time in weeks.

Found this jewelry box for $7:

Wasn't sure if I wanted it for that, but then I saw how it opens... like a spiral staircase.
Finally gonna get some of my stuff a little more organized.

Man, that is a wicked box...I might steal that idea when I get to build my huge list of woodshop things I want to build...

balon! wrote:

Linna Heartlistener wrote:...Looks like something out of a storybook. Can't imagine what the appeal is.

Crazy! I found the same one and you beat me to posting it.
I thought it looked kinda cool, gonna see if the GF wants one. ;D Good find ali and Magic!

Hahah, nice... does she read much SF and/or Fantasy?

Linna Heartlistener wrote:Wasn't sure if I wanted it for that, but then I saw how it opens... like a spiral staircase.
Finally gonna get some of my stuff a little more organized.

Man, that is a wicked box...I might steal that idea when I get to build my huge list of woodshop things I want to build...

Sometimes I've thought I might like to learn woodworking... I figure I'd want to use it to make things where the thing I want doesn't -quite- exist (to my knowledge).

How did your Goodwill run go?

Linna Heartlistener wrote: Hahah, nice... does she read much SF and/or Fantasy?

Sometimes I've thought I might like to learn woodworking... I figure I'd want to use it to make things where the thing I want doesn't -quite- exist (to my knowledge).

How did your Goodwill run go?

She likes Narnia and LotR...

I found a sleepingbag sack for an artic 0deg bag I found on a last run...pics soon.

They are cool coats, aren't they? I meant to get MagickMaker to model hers for me last night, but I went to bed early. Ah well.

I adore thrift shops and clothed my family from them, pretty much, when the kids were growing and my son could rip the knees out of his jeans in one wearing. (He wore lots of cutoffs.)

I've found brand-new, designer handbags and shoes; great kitchenware, and of course, some awesome books.

Just don't bring the husband, trust me.

Found last night on clearance at Target:

In-Store Item/DPCI number 070-05-4545: OXO Softworks V-Blade Mandoline Slicer $41.39 --> $12.38



Online reviews are so-so. Here's hoping it is nice. I generally like OXO products and have been wanting a mandoline for a while.

Sweet, Menolly!

Magickmaker and I went to the Salvation Army thrift store over the weekend. We saw some great deals on furniture, but alas, I'm shelling out hundreds of dollars on the cat, so we couldn't get anything. $499 for a complete full-sized bed, including mattress and box spring; and $199 for a twin-size sleeper sofa that would've been perfect for the living room. Ah well.

Scored a sweet army surplus blanket at the Goodwill.
There were five total, four of them marked for $20, and a fifth for $8! w00t!

I don't have any pictures handy but when I was heavier I had scored the most perfect black cocktail dress at a "Second Chance" thrift store here in SF for ONE DOLLAR. It had a tiny rip in the bodice seam but I sewed it up and wore it to probably fifty events over the course of a few years. I wish I could find that exact dress in my current size. The basic dress was a fitted halter dress but it had this gorgeous flowing sheer gauzy black over skirt that dropped from a princess waistline so it showed the curves but not the minute flaws.

Four of these at the Goodwill. $10 a piece.

One of the best things I bought at a thrift shop was two heavy aluminum sheets, slightly different sizes. I don't know what their original purpose was, but they've been awesome cookie sheets for the past 20 years. I've tried stoneware and other fancy schmancy stuff but these are the best. I bet I paid 50c for both.

kevinswatch.ihugny.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15484&highlight=

that will link you to my comic book hauls. i get lots from either Half Price Books or Hastings. and some are from Bedrock Comics, twice a year they sell their back issues at half price.

lately i have been getting lots of graphic novels at Hastings at 3 or 4 bucks apiece. so i now have the pleasure of owning many that i could not afford otherwise. (mainly Marvel for some odd reason.)