The Score

i wouldnt consider myself a "thrifty" person. i don't cut coupons (anymore...i found that i end up buying stuff i wouldn't normally) and i don't hunt around for the cheapest gas (my FIL is the king at that - he knows all the cheap gas stations in San Jose) i just go wherever is closest to me about to run out of gas...and i don't hunt down the sales (i dont really even shop anymore, so that is irrelevant anyway) but i still love finding stuff at garage sales, thrift stores and flea markets. i wasn't raised this way...but i think it started in High School. My husband is also an amazing negotiator, so he loves that sort of stuff too.

when we were up in San Jose for Mothers day we came across a "block sale" i pictured a couple families all piling their stuff on one lawn, but no...there were like 10 houses all on one street having yard sales! so awesome....some of the stuff we found
*an awesome kitchen table $5...yes...you heard right, $5
*a brand new wetsuit for Bryan with the tags on $20
*a backpack carrier circa 1990, just like the one i LOVE (i wrote about it here) - $3
*2 queen size coleman air mattresses - new/no holes - $5 each
*a sit-up bench (for bryan...i have no business doing sit ups right now) - $10
*booster seat for grandma's house - $2

Plus...my favorite yard sale was this sweet old man who was cleaning out his parents old property. This is who i got the stuff in the picture above. i got the wagon on the first day, but not the stuff in it...i kept thinking about it and on Sunday my FIL convinced me to drive over to see if it was still there. He gave me everything in the wagon for $25...in case you were wondering...they are 2 old gas cans, a ship light (that works! its a red light inside), an old lantern, and 2 seed sacks with this really cool graphic. Still not quite sure that i know what i am doing with any of it, but i didn't want that shopper's remorse...and at $25...come on...i could sell one gas can alone for that on ebay!

i love the history of things like this and the stories and the character. the wagon belonged to the old man and he had it when his kids were growing up...they were telling me all sorts of stories about it, like tying their dog to it to make a dog sled...and now we get to make our own stories with it too!