A weekend of thrift store shopping

This past weekend I made a return visit to Andrews, North Carolina to visit with my cousins and enjoy the cooler atmosphere of the Smokey mountains. Many of my cousins were too busy this year to attend, but we had a wonderful time and I got to spend a whole day thrift-store shopping.

I would recommend everyone spend a little time in a thrift stores. It does take time but in my opinion it is worth it. It's kind of like a poor man's (or woman's) shopping spree and you usually walk away with more that you bargained for. You also have the added benefit of knowing that most of these businesses are raising money for charity and I really love knowing that if I buy some of their merchandise a hungry mouth will probably be fed.

My sister bought me the pretty platter, above and I love it because it was made in the USA by Paden City Pottery in Paden City, West Virginia. Much of what I walked away with was a few items of gardening apparel and some school clothes for my grandchildren. I don't have any problem with buying collared shirts that are usually in abundance if such stores.

I just bring them home, wash them up and hang them and they are good to go. I know that they may be last year's style but the truth is, I have never run in the circles where people are judged by the clothes they wear. (I didn't say the lack of clothes they wear--that might be a different story!) My only problem is that I can't seem to find really nice girl's clothing. I guess I haven't been to the right stores.

The bargains I found included collared shirts and some nice T-shirts--many of which had never been worn, a couple pairs of dress paints, some jeans, a pair of new water shoes for rafting, a pair of clogs and a pair of garden shoes, a sundress, a dress for me to redo, a couple pairs of shorts and a number of sleeveless shirts to wear in the garden, a small projector screen and a pair of never before worn earrings.

My sister bought a stainless dish drainer, a small crock pot, a pair of new water shoes, some books and a brand new baby outfit to give as gifts, a few T-shirts, several pairs of shorts, some garden shoes and some jeans. She didn't find the overalls she was looking for. I think used overalls are getting harder to find.

My husband, who BTW hates thrift shops found some Louis L'Amour books (his favorite author) and some nail clippers. I don't think he had as much fun and I did but he didn't complain very much either. That is a good thing.

I spent most of my spending money. The most expensive item was the projector screen, $5 and the little crock pot, $6. I think maybe I enjoyed it too much but it was really so much fun. We all had a relaxing time, a good visit and we didn't break the bank.