It's New To Me

I love to repurpose things: tablecloths, clothing, sewing machines, Tupperware, and the list is nearly endless. I also like to get a great deal (don't we all?) so Goodwill Online Auction and Goodwill Outlet are pretty exciting for me. Having been there several times in the last month I could even call myself a seasoned shopper.

Goodwill Online Auction is like any online auction where you make your highest bid in the last seven seconds, hoping no one else has put in a higher amount and it's too late for others to reconsider. I miss out on many of them because my highest amount is way lower than someone else. Why so low? These items are all "as is" and not returnable so if something is irrepairable I now have a parts machine and I'm not willing to spend big money on a parts machine. Since my bidding is exclusively for those I can pick up in the Twin Cities, there's no added shipping & handling with only the $2 handling charge and tax, making my take a bit more palatable. Last week I picked up this serger:

White Superlock 734D

and this week I picked up this serger:

White Superlock 534

 The White 734D is a great serger and has a few added benefits: the whole front opens up for threading, making it much easier than most, especially for an older model like this one.

White Spuerlock 734D: all open and ready to clean & thread easily

 All I had to do was clean it up and it runs great. Okay, so the top of the thread stand has a permanent bend but that's not too hard to live with, is it? I hesitate to bend it back fearing I will break it so it just has a little more "personality."

While I picking up my online auction item, I only have to go next door for the outlet where everything is weighed and you only pay $1.29 per pound for clothing, housewares, media, shoes, and accessories and per item for electronics, glassware, and dinnerware. Furniture is priced separately, like the Singer 233 sewing machine I snagged and wrote about in I Spy. It's great to find those vintage linens and stray pieces of fabric and I don't mind only getting parts of something I can use since I can just cut off the bad spots and use the good parts. Here are some of the gems I've snagged recently:

Sheer valance, dresser scaft, Kaufmann print, new-in-package tablecloth

Cuddle-Duds full flat sheet, crinkle pleated skirt (dust ruffle?)

Ballet recital? New costume for my granddaughter!

 Just to sweeten the deal, as a senior citizen I get an additional 25% off so now I pay less than a dollar per pound. I can afford to be generous! Occasionally I find a sweater or pair of pants that I think are worth the risk but I'm careful not to take anything that's pretty heavy. A recent score that I was excited about later was a winter sweater from Peruvian Collections. The label rang a bell and it looked like something I could wash in hot water to felt so I brought it home. After checking it out online I decided it was worth washing by hand to see how good it might be; not only did it come out beautifully, I tried on this size large sweater to find it wasn't a bad fit, especially for winter when it would have another shirt under it. These are $100 sweaters! Sometimes it pays to do the digging.

Peruvian Collection sweater

Haven't been there and wonder what I'm writing about? They wheel out large blue bins, about 6' long by 3' wide that are about 30" off the ground. They are piled high with items that weren't sold at the GW shops so they mostly contain clothing but some are full of boots and shoes or books. Most people have a shopping cart where they pile up their finds and that can be helpful but can get in the way. There is a protocol about new blue bins that are first coming out from the back: they are wheeled into place and you can look but not touch until they bring several carts out and give the final nod or OK. Watch out! The digging begins in earnest and you could get hurt! This is especially true when the carts are full of hard objects like the electronics that contain heavy parts and cords, possibly even some broken parts, although they are good about things being somewhat intact. I understand this isn't for everyone and I usually don't get into the melee but there's always the possibility of finding a treasure. Like a Peruvian Collection sweater or a Kaufmann print fabric. Life is full of surprises!