Unusual Places to Shop

A friend recently told me I should share some of my *frugal* (okay, CHEAP) shopping tips.
I shop thrift shops, yard sales and a few other stranger places (more on those later).

Yard Sales:
Unless you are the hyper type that has to rush around to yard sales to find *all the good stuff before it is gone* do these things:
Go later in the day when people are liable to be ready to shut it down...you will get deals because people don't want to haul that stuff back in!
Go on cloudy days when the skies are threatening rain.
or
Go on days when it is so hot and humid that people are dropping of heat stroke.
or
Go on a cold, chilly, windy day.
Inclement weather is AWESOME to go yard-sale-ing.
People do NOT want to endure nasty weather to get 7 bucks for that coffee table...offer them 4 bucks so they can get back inside under the ac or heater or out of the rain. They'll take it.
Take your time looking. Especially in bad weather. I frequently have sellers blurt out to me "Look, what do you want, I'll make you a deal!"

ONLY carry one dollar bills and change. Yes, it will be a pain in the butt to count out 20 bucks in ones for that tv, but if you pull out a wad of 20s and 100s, you'll be charged higher prices!

Think ahead. If you see things new in package or close to new or maybe an antique or used item that would be appreciated by someone in your family or circle of friends, think ahead to birthdays, Christmas, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, etc. If you have an infant and you spot a toddler bed in great shape at a cheap price, GET IT! Store it until you need it...that baby will be needing it sooner than you think and you won't find a bed at that price again!

That's my yard sale advice.

On to *stranger* places to shop:

Dry Cleaners. Yup, go shopping at your local dry cleaners, especially if they are a *mom and pop* type business. Though state laws differ, most dry cleaners sell off clothes left behind by customers after 30, 60 or 90 days. Frequently they sell them just for what is owed--the cost of cleaning them! Men's suits, coats, jackets, prom dresses, wedding dresses, sweaters, women's suits! I have seen them all (and bought quite a few). Where else can you get a freshly cleaned 300 dollar leather jacket for 15 bucks? A friend of mine bought her wedding dress this way. Sixty dollars. She looked the dress up online--$4000.00! A designer wedding dress for 60 bucks! She paid another $100.00 for alterations and had a gorgeous wedding dress that fit her well!

Now...onto another strange place...check with companies in your area that rent out linens for events. Tablecloths in particular. Call a wedding planner and ask what company they use. You want the BIG tablecloths. They discard them after they get a stain or the edges fray or they get a hole in them. Frequently, they are 100% cotton, but since they have been washed so many times, the fabric will be pre-shrunk when you use it. Some use cotton-poly blends. Most take dye really well. They are perfect for curtains, quilting, I have even made skirts and dresses out of some. You can dye the fabric using various techniques...solid color, tie-dyed, batik, etc.

Look, ways to shop frugally and save money are out there!
Sometimes you just have to look in *out of the box* places to find the best ways for you!

Organization Impaired?

Me, too!
My pantry looks great. I obsess over keeping it organized.
My personal room...Ugh.
I don't know why, but my personal space always seem to be last on my *to do* list.
So, my April *to do* list has my room at the top.
Some of my food storage (long term) is in my room. Right now it is under my bed and taking up most of the space in my book case.
My books are scattered here and there. Bookcase, night stand, another small bookcase.
My sewing corner is a disaster. Seriously, that area needs a major overhaul!
I am finding that my lack of organization is impeding my completing projects, like sewing projects, art projects and the like. It sucks.
So...this month, as I get it organized, I will post any *good things* that helped me and might help others.
My issues are
1) Food storage. My long term supplies include 16 cases of MREs, 16 cases of #10 cans that won't fit in my pantry and the excess water supplies. (2 liter bottles)
2) Sewing area. I end up piling fabric in boxes, baskets and even bags. My tools (scissors, etc) are on the small table my sewing machine is on and my notions (thread, etc) are in a small plastic dresser I picked up at the dollar store.
3) My personal hygiene stuff (shampoo, make up, etc) is, again, on shelves in my crowded bookcase.

I live in a 15 x 15 room. So, I have to get this placed organized and stream-lined for the most efficient use of the space.
I am down-sizing my bed, from a king-sized to a full-sized. That will give me much more floor space, but will limit my under bed storage area. I am building a closet. I have no closet! So my clothes are on display hanging from a *make do* open closet I created in here. I plan on building shelves in the bottom of my closet for my shoes.
We'll see how it goes!

Tonight at the Improv...

And I am all happy with my gardening efforts (so far).
My watermelon patch is in the front yard. Spinach is planted on the side of the house in a shady area with the hopes it won't bolt to seed.
Cabbage is similarly in an area that gets plenty of shade and I am going to the nursery to grab some marigold plants this weekend to ward off cabbage moths.
All my plants are in their various beds, scattered about the yard, tucked into corners, a few in containers.
I found more seeds---non-hybrid at that!---at the local Family Dollar store. One dollar for five packs of seeds!

I couldn't afford to buy more chicken wire to put on a fence to support my snow peas (my original plan), but I did have a bunch of nails and some fishing line. So I planted my snow peas and put up a bunch of nails on the fence (in a pattern) and then strung my fishing line on the nails in a sort of lattice pattern. As my snow pea vines grow, they will have plenty of support!

Improvise, people, improvise!

Improv example...my neighbor had a yard sale. Mainly kids clothes and some dust collecting knick-knacks. But she had one big curtain. 100% cotton lined with muslin. Gorgeous print. She had never hung it, as she bought it on sale at J.C.Penny's and it didn't fit her window (always measure, write down the measurements and take said measurements with you when shopping!).
She wanted one dollar for it. I bought it, as I had an idea. That curtain, to me, was fabric. Pure and simple fabric.
I have a stash of patterns as I sew and enjoy sewing.
I took my find home and as I spoke to my darling man online, I ripped out the lining and all the seams and hems on the curtain. 5 minutes work.
Later, as I waited for my laundry to finish washing, I pinned the fabric to a pattern and cut it out. 10 minutes work.
I put my clothes in the dryer, came back in (laundry is in the garage) and while I waited for my laundry to dry, I sewed the dress together. 45 minutes work.

One dollar + One Hour = One Dress! (Sorry about the lousy pic, I use a very inexpensive web cam to take pictures)

I have already worn the dress several times and received many compliments on it. A couple of women wanted to know where I bought it!

My point is...look for other uses for things you may already have or that you can get cheaply.
Fishing line has dozens of uses besides fishing and beside holding plants up!
A curtain can be a curtain...or a dress. (Remember Scarlett O'Hara?)
A flower pot can be a baking dish, a utensil holder, a part of a wind chime...

As they are fond of saying in the corporate world...Think outside the box.

Here's some homework for you:
I know you are at your computer reading this (or perhaps outside on your laptop).
Look around you and pick one item.
A drinking glass, an old vitamin bottle, a pencil, a lap quilt...whatever.
Now, think of three things you can do with that item---besides the usage it is intended for.
Get creative, get silly...just let your imagination run free!
Improvise!