With such a busy summer, it’s been awhile since I’ve shared my Saturday morning thrifty treasures.. I have been a little lax on my early morning excursions, but I still have gone out at least twice a month and found some fabulous finds. (I’ll have to gather them up to show you.) This was a great morning, so I have enough to show just from today.

If you are a thrifter, you’ve all experience that one big find that got away. I am still trying to celebrate the wonderful things I did get today, rather than mourn my loss, but I had one of those days. ALL summer long, I’ve been hunting for a patio set, both large and small. I have been looking for a table to seat eight, as well as a small round table/chairs for our side deck. I gave myself all summer to find it, and then I would invest in one of the two at either Lowes, Home Depot or Sears (which ever slashes the most at the end of the season.)

While I was in deep discussion with the homeowner, yes, we chatted too much, her neighbor pulled up to sell as well,  and pulled out the EXACT set for which I have been looking. I strolled on over to snap it up, and a man jumped in, “Nope, it’s sold.”

ACK!!! SO SAD! I was talking. I was there even before the man ever drove up. Yes, I broke all my professional yard sale rules, and was enjoying the process too much, rather than focusing on my finds. I am going to trust that he needed it more than I did because admittedly,  it was a want, not a need. 🙂

Ok, now that I was able to get that off my chest and vent for a moment, I feel much better now because the reality is that I found a rare find in the form of an older camera with a GREAT lens.

For those who own a SLR camera, you know that the investment comes in the form of the lenses. I have started saving for some additional camera lenses because they really make a difference in what you can achieve with your camera.

I saw this old Canon Rebel camera. Old, as in, it takes real film.  Remember that? I miss film because I actually enjoyed looking through my pictures rather than never just have them live on my computer and never print them out.

I didn’t give it much thought until I looked closer and started realizing what was before me, one of the lenses that I have been really wanting. We tested it, and yes, I was quite certain I found a treasure. I got home and I HIT the jackpot. It works with my camera!! I love when the Lord surprises me with little things like that.The owner even kept the original receipt from years ago, and he paid $500 for it. I got that all for $10, and I took all these pictures with my new lens, just to test it out. (Well, except for the picture of the new camera. :))

You all know how much I love using glassware to decorate. I  found a few neat pieces this summer with the $1 green vase being one of them.

The colors of this $1 basket drew me in. It can be used as a catch all basket, bread basket, or possibly a storage center for our crayons and markers.

I hit the jackpot on shoes. I love when families invest in expensive shoes and then clean out their closet. The best find was this pair of men’s Cole Haan brand shoes. These begin at $250 retail and quite often, I find these shoes for my husband or sons second hand, they wear them a bit and then we take them in to have them resoled. These shoes are an amazing investment because they last forever.

If you feel weird about wearing used shoes, read my post, “Should I seriously wear second hand shoes?” It might have you reconsidering, but I’d understand if it doesn’t.

Kitchen tools are one of the things I choose to invest in, but if I can find them second hand, I’m thrilled. These old fashion shredders and graters are fabulous. I would love a brand new food processor, but this $2 yard sale find works wonders on the cabbage that I shred almost every day. Yes, I now have two, and am determining which one I like better and will give my sister in love the other one since those are items that you rarely see at yard sales.

I have heard people rave about the George Foreman grills for a long time, but I typically see the smaller sized ones. This one is HUGE and I am fairly certain they sold it due to a storage issue, which I understand. I still am not sure where I’ll put it, but it will be amazing for my Ten Minute Dinners recipes. They wanted $10, but I got it for $7.

Do any of you use this grill often? Any tips?

You just never know what you might find, and I was ecstatic about these strings of white decorative light up balls. They were only $1 a string, and now I regret that I didn’t get the three colored strings as well. I am going to hang them up outside for some fun party lighting on a budget. Items like this are so expensive and because I am such a fan of ambiance, these are right up my alley.

Yes, I had a HUGE yard sale success day, and as I type this up I realize that I am so grateful for my many treasures, that I am barely sad about my big table loss. I am off to donate a few things now, to make room for some of these larger items. I have to get the clutter under control and it really should start with not bringing in more thrifty treasures, but since that is my entertainment budget for the month, I’d rather just de-clutter old stuff.

Have you had any fun finds lately?

I’d love to hear about them.