This week in thrift

We go to a lot of garage sales. Originally born of necessity to help furnish our house, it's become a family bonding thing. The kids love it, and on Saturday mornings often ask, "Aren't there any garage sales going on today?"And since all three are usually wide awake by 7am--no one has told them you're supposed to sleep in on Saturdays--we figure we might as well put that to good use and get out to catch some bargains. We have also been known to go curbside shopping for furniture as well. You can read about a fruitful trip here.

I find that I fixate on looking for certain things for awhile, then move on to something else. Here's some things I've picked up in the last week or two.

Old Board Games. I found this Twister game the other weekend and was so excited! Board games are shockingly expensive here. I mean, it just feels wrong to pay $23 for Chutes and Ladders, y'know? I'd been wanting to buy Twister, but it was like $35 at Target. I am totally like for real not EVEN kidding you. So imagine my excitement when I found it for 3 bucks. Score!

Other old school board games we've acquired: Guess Who, Chutes and Ladders, and Trivial Pursuit. Who doesn't love a good game of Twister, eh? Look how happy and wholesome those kids on the box are! Ah, the memories.

Old Books. I am always beefing up our book collection at garage sales and book fairs. I look for old classics that I want the kids to read, as well as stuff for us, too. We have tons of houseguests, so I like to have a variety of things on hand for people to read. Recently I've bought some of the Anne of Green Gables series for Ava, Huck Finn, Wicked by Gregory Maguire, some John Grisham and Lee Child, Bronte sisters, some Jane Austen. We went to a book fair last weekend that was huge. And crowded. And hot. People were getting a little ugly over at the paperback fiction table, but don't worry, y'all--I held my own. Had to throw a few elbows, but I got some good stuff. People never expect the lady holding a baby to be aggressive at these things. Ha! That's where they're wrong. Grace is the perfect foil.

Vases and Bottles. I don't know why, these have just been catching my eye lately. I think the colors are purty, I guess. And it's an easy way to decorate.

(Dandelions courtesy of Nate.) These are on my kitchen windowsill. The bright colors are nice, I think. The short one is from my beloved Ikea. Oh, and I snagged these for a buck each the other day:

And get this, cause this is what's awesome. These were on a clearance shelf, marked a dollar each. And on a table right next to them, was a boxed version of the same three vases for $15! Woohoo! I grabbed them and then chucked a double back handspring down the aisle. It was just that kind of moment.

Old teacups. For Ava's birthday party this weekend, we're having a tea party. I want each girl to have a teacup that she can take home, so I've been cruising the local thrift shops for them. Here's what I've gotten so far:

I'm only buying the ones I can get for 50 cents or a dollar each, so no fine china. But I think they're pretty. I'll put the party favors in them for the girls to take home.

So that's what I've been on the lookout for. What have you been eyeing? If I find it here, I'll snag it for you!