A Deal, A Better Deal and a WOWEE Surprise!

I went to the Salvation Army yesteray, just as they were putting out the books. I found thirteen really nice leather bound books from a Collector's Guild - these are desirable because they are great classic novels, but also because they are highly decorative for home decor. They were priced with price stickers at $1.00 each, so I grabbed them all up. When I checked out the gal just rang them up at 50¢ each which is the normal price for hardback books. She usually doe that if the pricers in the back get carried away and price something that usually has a set price. They sometimes let community service people price things which is just beyond me.

When I got them home, I flipped through the pages of the books looking for anything in the pages. I have found book store receipts, plane tickets, hotel receipts, four leaf clovers and even $10.00 worth of McDonald's Gift Certificates once in a book. As I flipped through the copy of "Gone With The Wind" what to my wondering eyes did I find? A full on frontal picture of a man's....ehm......anatomy. And, not just a picture - a POLAROID picture of some guy's know know WHAT. It shocked the heck out of me, then gave me quite a chuckle. I am just happy that my son didn't find it or that I didn't ship it off to the Nunnery!

Perhaps this is a new promotional thing at the SA! FREE PORN WITH PURCHASE!

Gee, My Hair Smells Terrific!

Yesterday I was at Target checking out the Clearance endcaps. I had gone to look at the 90% off Easter merchandise. My heart skipped a beat when what did I spy? My beloved Garnier Fructis Shampoo and Conditioner on clearance for $2.45! But, to sweeten the deal even more - each bottle had a little radio attached to it for free. I still had ten coupons left that were due to expire in six days. The coupons were for $3.00/2 Bottles. I went through the line twice as to not upset a checker with an overload of coupons.

I ended up with 12 conditioners, 8 shampoos and twenty radios all for a grand total of $19.00. For me that is a great deal and a good savings on something that I buy everytime I shop for my family. At full price the twenty bottles would have cost me $57.80 and I wouldn't have gotten all the free radios either! I plan to add the radios to goodie bags for my son's birthday party. So, I saved $38.80 on the shampoo and I have all those fun little radios to boot! The radios sell for $1.00 at The Dollar Tree, so that's a $20.00 value added to my deal!



In the toy department I found two packs of Hot Wheels Holiday Racer Monster Trucks. They were priced at $4.99, but scanned at 29¢. I also found Mini Magna Doodles with a backpack clip priced at $6.99 but scanning at 49¢. I bought twelve packs of the Monster Trucks to add to DS's goody bags and four of the Magna Doodles. Last week at Wal-Mart I bought 24 of the Tootsie Roll Banks full of Tootsie Rolls for 25¢ each for the goody bags too. I search all year long for birthday prizes, decorations and goody bag fillers. The kids and parents are all shocked when they see all the gooides I bestow on the kids. But, with my deal hunting and shopping ahead - I actually spend less than they do when they shop at the Dollar Tree at the last minute.

Here a Deal - There a Deal

Since Easter was last weekend, I have been finding a deal here and there in the holiday markdwons. I tried to resist any candy deals, but when I found big bags of Reese's Peanut Buter Eggs for 50¢, I had to give in to temptations. I put all but one bag in the freezer. But, I happen to know they are good frozen too! ;o) I did get a good deal at Wal-Mart on a tablecloth. They were putting out new boxes of Spring Tablecloths and napkins out on Friday when I ws shopping. They had just found them in the backroom - they had never been put out before Easter. They were $10.00 but on sale for 75% off. I found a pretty turquoise blue Damsk one and matching napkins. I knew the table cloth would be $2.50, but when I checked out it rang up at 80. Score! DH was in the store working so I called him and asked him to go pick up another one and a few white ones for an upcoming wedding shower. But, when he price checked them, they rang up at $2.50. I had him get one white one for the wedding shower at that price anyway.

I sold several things on ebay this week. Everything sold for the minimum bid and that really surprised me. I still ended up making money on everything, but I didn't have as many bids as I would have hoped. I did sell a clump of fire red lucite grapes from the 1960's today. I paid $3.00 for the grapes and a huge ironstone platter. The grapes sold for $64.50. Yeah!

My Week of Deal Hunting

Monday I went to the Salvation Army. Fund a swanky set of Royal Haeger candlesticks for $6.00 and a fabulous TV Lamp for $5.00. (Both are curently on ebay.) Lady working at the SA had set the lamp down then RAN to clock out and came back for the lamp. I had seen it sitting on a table by a couch and had already picked it up. She was so jealous. She kept following me asking if I really needed that lamp. She is an ebay seller too. I hadn't realized she was going to clock out when she ran off. She had her eye on four lamps, but only got one because everyone swooped in on them. She gets plenty of good stuff, trust me.

Wednesday I went to the Mall. Now, you just don't understand what a statement that is for ME to make. I loathe the Mall. High prices, snotty clerks, snotty customers. Ick. But, I wear Merle Norman make-up and that is the ONLY palce in my entire area you can get it. So, I went to the Mall. After I got my make up I went next door to a gift shop that sells all sorts of collectible items. I thought I would get DS a Beanie Baby for his Easter basket. He's 10 and doesn't need a huge bunny (but would roll up into a ball and cry if he didn't get a bunny of some sort!), but he does collect Beanie Babies. So, they were marked $5.99 each. As I looked at them the clerk (who was not snotty in any way!) told me the Easter Beanies were on sale 3/$10.00. So, I picked out three for his Easter Basket. Up by the check out there was a bunch of Easter stuff on sale. Well, you guessed it, I started digging. As I looked at it the clerk told me to ignore any prices and she'd let me have anything I wanted for $1.00. Now, I'm not sure if I look like a deal hunter, or look poor or what - but I just get offered deals wherever I go! I only bought two things. A "Grow A Bunny" for his basket - she only charged me 50¢ for it since it was only $4.00 to start. I also got a little satin covered egg with a porcelain bunny, vegetables and garding tools in it. It was priced $19.99 originally. It was a part of some fancy-schmancy line, but I can't rememeber what. I'll research it on ebay. But, sadly, I collect bunnies, so it will most likely be added to my bunny hutch!

Thursday as I was going to school I saw a nice hose cart sitting out with a FREE sign on it. So, I grabbed it. My step father doesn't have one - so I will give it to him.

Went back to the Salvation Army Thursday afternoon. Clerk that lost out on the lamp walked past me and asked, "How much did you sell the lamp for?" Now, no one knows I sell on ebay. And truthfully, most of what I buy at the Salvation Army is for someone in our family. But, I did buy the lamp to resell it - I just hadn't YET. So,I truthfully replied, "I haven't sold it -it's at home on my table." Effective last night - it WAS on ebay. She'll probably look for it since she sells too! I bought a few books (One kid's 70's book entitled, "Something Queer is Going On Here!"), a Build-A-Bear "Happy Birthday" Frog and some cardstock. Spent $4.00.

Friday - well, that's today. There's a moving sale up the street starting at 9:00. I better get a move on!

Thanks for all the kind thoughts and messages about DH's job. Things are looking brighter. We will have health insurance. He'll get two weeks vacation next year - so he only lost one. The boss is working on 401K and life insurance. So, thanks everybody.

DH Lost His Job Monday

Well, he still has his job - same hours and same job - but new employers. He lost all his accurred vacation time, no three week vacation next year, no health insurance, no life insurance, no 401K, no retirement, etc. So, same freaking looooong hours (about 15 - 17 hours a day) with NO benefits. He did work for Interstate Brands (makers of Twinkies and WonderBread) now he will work for his boss that bought out the distributorship. Interstate Brands just cut them all loose effective May 8th. Sucks, huh? So, need any good help? His boss will work on getting the insurance ASAP, which is the mnost important thing right now. He just worked very hard for many years to get to the plae he was - very good pay, plenty of vacation time, etc. Sucks!

I went to a yard sale and a thrift store yesterday. At the yard sale I got DS his own personal CD player for 25¢. It needs headphones, but we can get those at the Dollar Tree. I got a lot of good stuff at the thrift store and I put it all on ebay this morning to start Saturday night. Hope it does well. Found a really cool black wicker purse with pearlized lucite handles. I paid $2.00 for it. Hopefully, it will do well. One a lot like it ended at $53.00 recently.



Yard sales are in full swing right now - hope everyone is out gettiing some good stuff.

My April Fool's Day - NOT!

DS and I decided to go to Sonic today for a shake. I pulled in a little crooked to be able to read the Dessert menu. When I pulled out I scraped up against the pole with the regular menu on it. I heard the fender give and the scrapping sound. OMG - Dh will KILL me! I pulled around and got out to look at the car and sae these huge black scrape marks on the car. I reached out to touch it and it started to rub off. Whew! It was just black rubber skid marks. I decided to go through the car wash to get rid of most of it. I drove to the car wash and sprang for the big $7.00 "Bells and Whistles" car wash. We drove in to the stall and stopped. The spray bar came over and sprayed thick white soap all over us. Then when we heard these horribly loud noises coming from behind us in the car wash. The big spray bar was coing down behind us making all these loud horrific noises. Finally it just stopped moving and the "Please exit" sign lit up. So, there we were covered in soap and no water! I drove next door to the self serve bay and washed the soap off myself. (I also got most of the black marks off the car, thankfully!) I left a note under the managers door about the car wash. He called later and we went and picked up $10.00 to cover the car washes.

So, after all that I was wiped out and decided we would just have pizza for dinner. When we got home with the pizza I opened one up and discovered beef all over it. I asked for black olives and mushrooms - not sure how they turned that into beef! We don't eat beef or pork, so that was no good for us. We called the pizza place and they made us a new one. When DH went to pick that one up - it was a large instead of an extra-large and only had black olives on it. So, they made another one the right way. They even gave DH a Diet Coke to drink while he waited. So, we ended up with two large pizzas, two extra large pizzas and a Diet Coke all for $15.00. We have a "Buy One Get the Next Size Smaller for Free" card, so we really only paid for one pizza. So, we ate tonight and will eat tomorrow and another day too, plus we fed the neighbors the beef pizza.

So, event though it seems like all bad stuff happened today - we did get a clean car and $10.00 back and four pizzas for the price of one. And, I didn't ruin the car! I guess the day wasn't so bad after all!

Random Acts of Kindness

If you read Yardsalequeen, you've already read part of htis - but I wanted to post it here too)

I have done two RAOK in the past two days. Both times, the recipient has been taken aback when I first offered. Then they have offered me money for the items I am trying to give them. When they finally understood that I was GIVING it to them, they were very thankful and gracious.

Yesterday at Lowe's I had a $10.00 off a $50.00 purchase coupon to use. I only spent $22.00, so I asked the guy behind me in line if he could use it. He offered me $5.00 for the coupon. I said, "I can't use it, I just want someone to use it. Please take it." Then he responded, "Bless you" which made me feel good.

Tonight we ordered pizza. When I opened it at home (I usually check it, but didn't tonight - lesson learned) it had beef on it. We are vegetarians, so it was no good here. We called them and they replaced it. So, I took the meaty one next door and offered to the family with three kids. He asked me what I wanted for it. "I am going to throw it away if you don't take it. It's still hot. Please just take it." "Oh well, thank you I appreciate it," he said.

So, I am wondering...is doiing or receiving a Random Act of Kindness really such a rare thing that people don't even understand what you are doing?????