Monday, February 2, 2015

Thrifting Finds #78: Not So Thrifty!

Hello, yeah, it's been a while.  Not much, how 'bout you?

Got that song in your head now?*  YOU'RE WELCOME.

So Hi, Kids!  I just checked and it's been a while since your ol' Uncle Veg posted anything here.  Want to know why that is?  Two reasons:  we missed our usual rounds a couple of times, and when we did manage to get out, the thrifts had NOTHING.  I figured they'd be overflowing with stuff since everyone unloads their stuff at the end of the year for the tax write-off, but nope.  Maybe they're sending it all off somewhere else. I don't know.  All I know is that the pickin's have been slim.

I did find one thing, though.  It's not particularly exciting, but here 'tis:




1.  Popcorn Popper!  For a while there, I had a terrible craving for popcorn.  I have no idea where that came from.  The real kind is too messy to clean up after and the microwave kind tastes really chemically to me, so I thought I'd go back to air-popped.  P.S. It still tastes like Styrofoam.  Anyway, the Goodwill had two of these: One without the all-important measuring cup/cap, no box, no instructions for 6 bucks, and this one, with all the pieces the other one didn't have (not to mention a little bit of ooky stuff on the bottom of the other one), also six bucks.  I guess it's obvious which one I bought.  I don't think this had ever been used, as the wire tie was still around the cord.  Goodwill, $6.00

And that's it for thrift store purchases.  I'm kind of embarrassed to even show you that, since it's not even cool or vintage.

I did buy one thing this weekend, though not at a thrift store.  And a little more expensive than I'm usually willing to spring for:


Kia Sorento!  Meet Oobie.  So yeah, I really wanted to go back to having 4-wheel drive (I used to have a Kia Sportage) and I so I got it into my head, and look what I went and done.  It has all kinds of fancy features I'm not used to--backup camera, downhill brake assist (huh?), Sirius XM radio, and on and on.  And the best feature of all:  butt seat warmers!  Talk about delightful!  Where have you been all my life?  
If the Average MPG thing in the dashboard can be trusted, I'm getting the same mileage I got with my old car (Kia Rondo.  Seeing a theme here?  Hubs has a Kia Forte), but I won't be sure until after a couple of fill ups.  It's a 2012 model, by the way, and I got it at Carmax, and overall, it was a decent experience.  Word of warning, though:  when they say "no haggle", they mean it!
Picture is from the Carmax site--the weather here has been too awful to take a good picture of it.

Stuff I Didn't Buy Department
Hubs and I saw a couple of things yesterday that needed to be reported on.  Scroll down if you dare!


World's Creepiest Jack-in-the-Box!  I actually gasped and did a double-take when I rounded the corner and saw this peeking at me.  Who would want this in their house?  And is it me, or do the eyes look kinda squinty and evil?  Shudder.

You really need to embiggen this one.

WHAT IS THIS I DON'T EVEN  Words fail me.  Hubs spotted it first, and I could tell from the expression on his face that he found something...interesting.  I kept the picture kind of big so you could experience the full horror of it.  Who thought this was a good idea?

I should totally buy this and give it to someone as a gift.

Tragedy Strikes Department:
Way back at the beginning of this blog, I had some electrical boxes installed for ceiling fans.


Wellsir, I went to use the light the other day, and nothing.  Fan didn't work either.  I checked the other one in the room with both remotes, and that one's fine.  Dang.  So now I have to figure out what's wrong with this one.  I'm hoping it's something simple, 'cause it's going to be a royal pain to take it down.  It has one of those useless Lifetime Warranties--if something goes wrong, they'll send you a new part or something, but not until you uninstall it, dismantle it, and ship the whole kit 'n caboodle off to Sri Lanka or someplace.  Imagine how little I want to do that.

And that's it for this week.  Lame, I know, but at least it's something.  With any luck, we'll get to make our usual rounds next week and hopefully find something neat.  Linking up this week with  Sir Thrift A Lot, Hey What's For Dinner Mom?, and Vintage Bliss Tuesdays

EDIT:  For the youngsters out there.






16 comments:

  1. I feel your light pain - sometimes those warranties and the delay are more trouble than they are worth! Congrats on the new car - its lovely!

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    1. I'm hoping the fan is an easy fix, as a new one is $150.00. Eeesh.
      And thanks--I LOVE my butt warmers!

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  2. Gaaaah! Why? Why did I click on that doll picture???

    Congrats on the new car. It looks like it will be great for hauling home treasures (although I hope that doll isn't hiding somewhere in the back...). Pickings have been very slim around here, too. I think I am going into thrift store/estate sale withdrawal.

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    1. I know, right? What is the point of that doll? And I know you're talking about the one with the missing tooth.
      Oh oh! An idea! Let's all buy the WORST thrift store item we can find and then around Christmas we'll throw our names into a hat and exchange them! How fun would that be?

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    2. Someone I know found a horse head that whinnies in a thrift store. It looks like it hangs on a wall. It reminds of the Billy Bass stupid things. Maybe she should get in on this.

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  3. Thanks for the nightmares, Veg.
    Seriously, those "dolls" are terrifying.

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    1. Imagine finding that jack-in-the-box staring at you in the middle of the night....

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  4. "I'm not talkin' 'bout ???, and I don't want to change your life..." What IS that word??? I have never known it, and I probably never will. Ok...made me look... It's "movin' in" All this time, and it took you to plant that song in my brain. I will be humming it all day today, thank you very much. I suppose there are worse things, like the scary things you showed us ^^^. That's going to be in my brain for a little too long. Seriously, though...thanks for the chuckle. I'm going to show my wife. I think she'll love it...heh heh heh...

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    1. To my credit, I gave advance warning that scary things were approaching! You just couldn't keep from scrolling, could you?
      And yeah, it took me years before I realized he was saying "movin' in." And just a couple of minutes ago, I came across someone who thought the lyric from "Dancing Queen" was..are you ready? "Feel the meat on the tangerine."

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  5. we do all our own electrical work and I HATE it when things go wrong! It means all kinds of "is this the problem?" type of work and "did we turn off that fuse?" I feel you! Thankfully our oldest son is an 2nd year plumbers apprentice so plumbing problems are alleviated the next two boys will be electricians and then a carpenter so all my house problems will be their house problems...HA!! love you new car!! <3

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    1. My BIL is a plumber, but he's the only relative that does something useful for a living! I've got some time before I really have to deal with the ceiling fan and knowing me, I'll put it off 'til the bitter end. I don't mind doing electrical stuff, but I hate doing plumbing.

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  6. That jack in the box could have been (or could still be) the star of a horror movie, either a million dollar Hollywood horror or by a local film maker a la Blair Witch Project.
    The second doll is either laughing maniacally or screaming in terror, perhaps there is a Medusa doll that turns people into dolls instead of stone? There is another horror flick idea.

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    1. And here's the really horrifying part--when we went back to the Goodwill this weekend, the jack-in-the-box was GONE.

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  7. Have you stopped blogging?

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    1. Only temporarily! I'm going to post an explanation, so stay tuned!

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