Thrifting Finds #77:Purely Practical--Plus Pyrex!

Annnnnd...it's over.  All the decorations are put away, so it's like Christmas never happened.  Normally, I don't take things down until January 6 (Twelfth Night), but it was just easier to do it this past Saturday.  And I didn't want to do it on Sunday, as that was the last day of Hubs's and my 2-week vacation, and the day was depressing enough!

In good news, the thrifts were a little kinder to me this past week than usual, so I have a couple of things to report on, but first, indulge me a bit as I wax philosophical for a moment.  Or you can skip down a few paragraphs and save yourself from hearing me complain.

It's probably obvious that I love shopping.  I'm sure some of you can identify with that.  In particular, I love Christmas shopping.  "Loved" is probably a better word since

Christmas shopping isn't fun any more.

Oh, that's not to say it isn't convenient, because it undeniably is.  I did  the lion's share of my Christmas shopping online this year, and you just can't beat free shipping (the only kind I get.)

Still (and yes, I realize how stupid this is going to sound), it's not as much fun as when I was young.

Growing up in New England, you could pretty much count on there being snow on the ground starting around Thanksgiving.  We'd go downtown to Parke-Snow and R. H. White (our local department stores) and look at the elaborate display windows.  The sales floors were decorated to within an inch of their lives and to a little kid, the sparkle was nothing short of magical.

Then a quick stop at the lunch counter at Woolworth's or Grant's for some hot chocolate, and maybe a little 8-year-old shopping for Mom & Dad (wow, look at the size of that bottle of perfume!  And it's only 98 cents!)

As a rule, we'd make at least one trip to Boston and go to Jordan Marsh to get our pictures taken with Santa.  I don't remember going to Filene's--we were definitely a Jordan Marsh family.

Even when they built the new mall (Searstown), they did a wonderful job of decorating (well, except for that one unfortunate year they tried to change the Christmas colors from red and green to pink and chartreuse.  This was the late '60s, so...)

Now when you go to a mall, there's a Santa in the center court and that's about it.  Sears will throw up a faded red tinsel tree and call it good.  Department stores (meaning Macy's, because that's all that's left) will hang a few signs and that's all the effort they put into decorating.

Am I the only one who misses the Toyland that sprang up in every single store, no matter how improbable?  I'm thinking about the hardware store and the auto supply place.

It all came to a crashing halt, I think, when Woolworth's went out of business.  Once they were gone, the whole season seemed a little less Christmassy.

(And yes, I realize that the whole point of Christmas is a spiritual one, but I'm not addressing that here.  I'm only talking about shopping.  Even I'm not that insensitive!)

There was just something about Woolworth's.  All the cheap & cheerful decorations for sale, the ugly artificial trees, the lunch counter, the smell of the store...  And always, there was at least one canary flying around, an escapee from the cages in the pet department.

How I miss Woolworth's.

So that's my little Diatribe du Jour.  Thanks for sticking it out this far.  Sorry it's not very well written, but I'm trying to do this quickly at work and it's noisy in here with a lot of distractions.

On to the thrift finds!

1.  Little Golden Books!  I haven't looked too closely, but I'm pretty sure these are reprints, not the originals.  That's fine with me.  I only have two, so not a collection yet.  But I'm expecting to get more!  I got the idea to collect them from reading this book.  Goodwill, $1.62 each.

2.  Covered Vegetable Dish!  I really needed this a few days before I got it, but at least I'm set for the next time we have company.  This is completely generic--there's no mark whatsoever on it.  I think it's pretty, though, and plain enough that it will go with whatever china I'm using at the time.  Rescue Mission Thrift, $3.00

3.  Pyrex!  As promised!  This is the shape I love, and the first time I've seen it in the wild.  Does anyone know the pattern name?  The design is in perfect shape, even after pulling off the tape holding the lid on.  Pretty sure it's an 033, 1.5 quart.  Unfortunately, there's some weird stain on the handle:

Click to embiggen

Anyone know what to do about this?  I tried steel wool figuring that would work, but it had no effect whatsoever.  Then I tried Bar Keepers' Friend, but that did nothing either.  I was afraid to try anything else before asking for help.  Help!  Goodwill, $3.00

4.  Microwave!  Well, the one I was considering last week got sold, naturally, but I found this one that was reasonably clean and the right size.  One Salvation Army we went to wanted 40 bucks for a similar Sunbeam model that was missing the turntable.  I guess people don't know that without that little glass plate, the microwave is useless.  Anyway, I tried this out in the store by running out to the car and getting Hubs' water bottle, and pouring some into a glass from the shelf.  It cleaned up nicely without too much work, so I'm pleased.  Goodwill, $20.00.

I also bought a battery-operated pencil sharpener, but it turned out not to work, so I'm not posting a pic.  It was only a buck, so no biggie.

In Other News Department:  I got tired of waiting for the caster to arrive for the gift wrap cart I got last week, so I picked one up at Home Depot.  I haven't had the opportunity to use it yet, since I got it after Christmas, but I can tell you that it holds a crap ton of stuff!  That corner of the closet looks so much better now.  I consider it money well spent.

And that's it for this week, kiddies.  Sorry this is so disjointed--I'm trying to do too many things at once and I'm really not good at multitasking.

Linking up this week with  Sir Thrift A Lot, Hey What's For Dinner Mom?, and Vintage Bliss Tuesdays

Thrifting Finds #51: No finds, but thrifty anyway!

Now that I think about it, this was probably the first weekend we didn't have any snow all year.

So I'm starting to think that maybe this whole thrifting business is cyclical.  Despite visiting our usual 6 thrifts this weekend, neither Hubs nor I found anything worth buying.  I didn't even give in to Empty Hand Syndrome, as I have done so often in the past.

I notice that a lot of people on other blogs I read have said the same thing, that the thrifts have had slim pickin's lately.

So we'll give it a couple of weeks and it'll pick up again, right?

You may have noticed how I've been whining reporting that pricing at the various Goodwills lately has been nothing short of insane.  I was pleased to have my opinion confirmed by another customer yesterday.  She walked up to her husband holding a large white-on-pink Butterprint Cinderella bowl and indicated her displeasure with the price thereon.

Or, as she succinctly put it, "This is bullshit."

I believe the bowl in question was marked $12.00.  It was in good, not perfect condition.  I know that pattern is popular, but I don't collect it so I don't know what the going rate for it is.  Does the price seem out of line?

Well actually, no matter what the going rate is, I think the GW is out of line. I mean, it's a bowl for heaven's sake.  And a used one at that.  Isn't the point of the GW to actually move the merchandise? They seem to be thinking they're an antique mall lately.

Okay, enough of that little rant!

Now then.  Even though we didn't get anything at the thrifts, we didn't come home empty handed.  We got these:

Freebies!  Have you guys discovered Harbor Freight Tools?  It's a chain of stores that sells basically cheap tools.  They're not Black & Decker or Snap-On quality--not by a long shot-- but often they're good enough fer what they're fer, if you know what I mean. It's where I got my rechargeable drill (which works just fine, thank you.)  Anyway, they have a lot of really good sales and almost always have coupons for free stuff--no purchase required.  So I got this tape measure and the multimeter, both for work.  I highly suggest signing up for their emails. Over the course of a year, you can pick up a whole lot of good stocking stuffers.

In Other News Department:

I've been on quite a belt-tightening tear lately.  I'm not really sure why, other than the fact that I'm basically a cheapskate.  So here's where I'm going to start cutting back:

A:  The Newspaper.  We get the daily paper, at a cost of about  $218.00 a year.  A couple of weeks ago, Groupon had a deal to get the Wednesday and Sunday papers only, for 10 bucks.  A year.  Now, I really only get the paper for the funnies and the Sunday sale ads, so the ten-dollar deal seemed like a no-brainer.  Of course, this is the Baltimore Sun we're talking about, where intelligence and/or logic do not exist.  My current subscription runs out on April 28th.  One would think that they'd wait until that was over to start the new deal.  Not so.  So now I'm getting double papers on Sunday (and presumably Wednesday as well.)  Because that makes sense.

Potential savings:  $208.00/year.

B.  FIOS TV.  When we signed up for FIOS last year, I had them add the most basic TV package, which is basically the 3 or 4 networks plus a bunch of Spanish stations.  That added 10 bucks a month to the bill, which I didn't think was bad.  Unfortunately, we also need to rent a little decoder box, and that runs another 6 bucks a month.  Now, we really don't watch much TV (other than DVDs), but it wasn't until I really started paying attention that I discovered we don't watch TV at all.  Well, hardly.  Hubs watched the Tonys or the Oscars or something.  And there was a good six-month period where, even if we wanted to watch TV we couldn't, as neither Hubs nor I knew where the remote was.

So the TV service is going, if I can cancel it without screwing up the rest of my plan, which I think I can do.  I think, though, that when I cancel the TV I'm going to up the Internet service speed for that same 10 bucks a month, if it can be done.  At the very least, I'll save $6.00 a month on the little converter box.

Oh, and by the way, we get the same channels with an antenna, plus a whole lot more.

Potential savings:  $192.00/year, but more likely $72.00/year.

C:  Cell phone.  Currently, I pay $37.00/month including taxes to Virgin Mobile for my service.  This buys me unlimited text and data, and 300 talk minutes a month.  All in all, a very good deal.  I've been with VM for years and years and the service is just fine.  Turns out though, that I don't use my phone nearly as much as I thought I would.  For instance, last month (which was typical, I think), I only used 130mb of data and 35 minutes of talk.  I forget how many texts I sent, but I'd be surprised if it was more than 10.

Enter FreedomPop.  Has anyone tried this service?  I first discovered it when I saw a deal for a phone on One Sale.  I looked into it and kind of impetuously ordered the phone for $99.  Unfortunately, it turns out that the particular phone won't run a couple of apps I need for work, so I'll have to send it back.  But I ordered a different one right from FreedomPop that should work just fine.

Now here's the deal on their service.  They have several different levels, but the one that seemed the best fit for me is 200 talk minutes, 500 texts, and 500mb of data per month.  

The price:  Free.  

There are some downsides, though.  For instance, voicemail is not included.  I decided to spring the $2.49/month for that service.  Even though I don't often get voicemails, I wouldn't want to be without the service.  Also, you can't send picture texts (MMS) at this time, though they say they're working on it.  Youall probably know that most of the texts I send are pictures of weird stuff from the Goodwill.  Not a deal breaker, particularly if it may change in the future. Kind of a biggie is that you can't port your current phone number to their system, you have to get a new one.  That sounds like kind of a pain, but on the other hand, it might be a good way to do a clean sweep and get away from those people you're sorry you gave your number to!

The big question, though, will be the call quality.  They use a different scheme for making calls than most cellphone providers, and I've heard varying reports on the quality of the calls.  Granted, I don't make many calls at all, but when I do, I kind of want them to go through, you know?

Anyway, they give you 30 days to try it out and if you don't like the service, you can send the phone back and cancel and no hard feelings.  I've already signed up, though have not received my phone yet (they seem to take 2-3 weeks to ship.)  If anyone's interested, I'll report back on my findings and let you know what's what.  For the time being, I'm keeping my Virgin Mobile service, just in case.

And if anyone else signs up, you can make them your friend or some such and thereby earn more data each month.  

Potential savings:  $414.00/year

Annnnnnd...that's it, I guess.  Hopefully, there will be some Pyrex or Corningware or something worth buying at the thrifts next week.  

So until then, I'm linking up with  Sir Thrift A Lot, Thrifter/Maker/Fixer/Farm, The Nifty Thrifty, and We Call It Junkin.

Thrifting finds #50: First Birthday!

Urgh.

Felt a migraine coming on this morning, so I took a  pill for it.  Unfortunately, that introduces its own set of problems, so I'm not feeling tip-top today.

Plus, hey guess what it did yesterday?

It snowed.

Tomorrow's April. This had better stop.

Anyway.  I want to take a moment to thank youall for your comments and emails about our wedding rings.  I love the fact that even though I haven't technically met most of you in person, we're still friends anyway.  Don't you think that's kind of cool?

Looks like we're probably going to go down the Amazon route.  It sounds easy until you realize that they have eleventy-million  wedding rings to choose from, and I'm not good about making a decision.

Plus, we have a birthday!  My cheesy little slice of the blogosphere is officially a year old!  Actually, it was a year old three weeks ago, but I never said I was good at details.

So Happy Birthday to me!  I'd celebrate with a slab of cake, but since I can barely fit into my jeans as it is, I'll have to forego it.

Too bad the pickins at the thrifts were so thin this week.  We had torrential rain yesterday (which turned into sleet and snow, see above) which did not keep people out of one of the Goodwills, but totally did keep people out of the Savers.  I don't know how to explain that.

So here's what I found:

1. Butterfly Gold Casserole!  Let me start out by saying that I do not collect this pattern, despite the fact that I got this yesterday and a gravy boat last week.  I'm going to chalk this purchase up to "empty hand syndrome" and leave it at that.  And since I only have two pieces of BG, it is officially not  a collection.  Whew.  No lid, but I can probably find one later.  Goodwill, $3.00

And by the way, it looks like they've got someone new pricing the Pyrex at the GW.  I saw a Spring Green casserole with lid that I thought I might buy until I saw that it was marked $18.00.  Now, that's probably not a bad price for it (though correct me if I'm wrong), but that seems more of a retail or antique mall price than a thrift store price.  Hubby keeps picking up things he likes, looking at the prices and shaking his head.

What's Cooking? Department The Spotless* Test Kitchens here at Fondue HQ went out on a limb this week, as you'll see in a moment.  But first, a bit of Pedestrian Pasta:

*Totally not spotless

Baked Penne with Meatballs!  Plus a healthy shot of pesto for good measure.  I don't know why it is, but my pasta always seems really dry, no matter how much sauce I use.  Any ideas?  I bake it covered and try not to overcook it, so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. It's palatable, but never juicy enough.

Peking Roast!  This needs a bit of explanation.  I got the recipe from an old "Hints from Heloise" book.  She said it came from a Chinese hotel famous for its tender beef.  Basically, you marinate the roast in vinegar overnight, then pour it off and pot roast it in coffee.  Weird, huh?  It was one of those recipes that was just so strange that I had to try it.  On the good side, it didn't taste of coffee when all was said and done.  And it smelled great while it was cooking in the Crock Pot.  It didn't look too good--kinda like a hunk of beef floating in ink, but it was extremely tender.  Unfortunately, it was overall kind of bland.  Certainly no more effort than making a regular pot roast, but not really worth making again.  I'm a little skeptical of its Chinese origins, too--one doesn't usually associate China with coffee, you know?

Notice that I managed to sneak in the new Butterfly Gold casserole and the gravy boat from last week?  By the way, the gravy boat isn't that great--the lip is really kind of dribbly.

And that's it for this week.  Kinda slim, I know, but maybe things will pick up next week.  Maybe?

Linking up with  Sir Thrift A Lot, Thrifter/Maker/Fixer/Farm, and We Call It Junkin.

Thrifting Finds #47: This time, there's Pyrex!

Well!

As you can probably tell by my light 'n breezy tone, this was a significantly better week for thrifting than I've had lately.  I didn't get anything that I could resell for a fortune, and everything I got was useful and practical, but I'm happy with each and every purchase.

We did not go to the second part of the estate sale that I reported on last week.  Not for any moral reasons you understand, we just got a late start yesterday.  We would have arrived at the sale a half-hour before it closed and it didn't seem worth making the side trip.  I'm still signed up with estatesales.net, so if anything comes up, we'll give it another shot.

Anyway. On to what I got!

1.  A Food Merry-Go-Round!  I've noticed that the food in my microwave just isn't having a very good time, so I got it a little ride.  This is actually the second one I bought, the first turned out to be a dud.  This was just on the shelf so I could open it up and test it before purchasing.  I don't think it had ever been used. Savers, $4.00

2.  Another cookbook? Yeah, but look--it's not just any old way to Better Cooking: it's the Blender way!  I don't use my blender very often and I ran across this cookbook in an old ad somewhere and thought I'd see if I could find it.  Well darned if it wasn't just staring at me from the shelf at the store.  It's one of those typical blender cookbooks that has recipes for things like Cornish Game Hens--22 ingredients, only three of which actually become acquainted with the blender.  And even then, it'd be easier to just pull out a knife and chop by hand.  Once I stopped paying attention to the strained blender involvement, it turned out to be not half-bad.  Couple of things I want to try, actually.  Rescue Mission Thrift, $2.00

3.  Pyrex!  After making the rice that went with last week's Lemon Chicken, I discovered that the jar I had been using to store it smelled funky.  Perfect excuse to buy another piece of Tupperware, right?  I thought so too, until I came across this which is the right size, I think.  Savers, $3.00

Oh, P.S.:  Regular rice is kept in Tupperware.  Converted rice in Pyrex.  See how organized I am?

4.  New Electric Knife!  I was pretty pleased to find this baby--new in box, never opened.  The box was in kind of bad condition--clearly stored in a hot attic for years, which started dry-rotting the paper, but it's not like I'm going to keep the box anyway.  I loved my old Sunbeam electric knife but it died and I've been using some soulless Black and Decker horror that was made in China.  So I'm really glad to have this back in stock.  The storage rack is going because I don't need it and have no room for it.  Goodwill, $8.00

5.  More Pyrex!  I'm always on the lookout for a gravy boat that can go in the microwave.  So many of them have a gold or platinum band (that makes a dramatic display when you microwave it. Ask me how I know.)  Butterfly Gold isn't a pattern I collect (or even really like), but I couldn't pass up this little beauty with its matching saucer, especially when they also had a Spring Green gravy boat without the saucer for a buck more.  Naturally, I'd prefer blue cornflowers, but one can't always have what one wants.  Goodwill, $3.00.

In Other News Department:

It's always a good day when the vintage cookware arrives!  I had a set of Wearever Bounty cookware that said you could go ahead and use metal utensils.  Unfortunately, I did, and it didn't turn out well.  So I found this set on the 'bay and won it.  With shipping, it came to like $31.00, which I think was pretty good. One, two, and three-quart saucepans, small and large skillets and a 5-quart Dutch Oven, all with matching lids.  Brand new, never used. I'm really liking cooking in them, and despite what the instructions say, I will not be using metal utensils.  I've also learned not to put shiny aluminum in the dishwasher.

What I Made Department:

Not my picture

A:  Guacamole!  I've spent quite a lot of my life scraping guacamole off things under the assumption that I don't like it.  Well, when Aldi had avocados for 59 cents, I got one, thinking that they're really good for you and that maybe I should just suck it up:  one avocado ain't gonna kill me.  Once it got ripe, I pulled down my BH&G Cookbook and sort of followed the recipe--it called for lemon juice, salt, and chili powder.  I added some brown mustard as well for a little kick.  Wellsir, it was delish.  I had to force myself to not eat the whole bowl.  The Hubs said it was good, but unlike any guacamole he had ever had.  Unfortunately, I made the rookie mistake of thinking that closing up the leftovers in some Tupperware would keep it from discoloring.  Not so.  The next day it was sort of brownish-purple, the color of a really dandy bruise.  Ugh.  I'll know better this time.

B:  Potato Puff!  This recipe came from Dinner in a Dish that I got a while ago.  How to describe it?  Well, it's chicken, cheese, and broccoli (the recipe called for carrots) mixed in with mashed potatoes and egg yolks, then lightened with stiffly-beaten egg whites.  Sort of a souffle for imbeciles.  Odd, no?  Naturally, I had to try it.  And really, once we got over the initial shock, it was darn tasty!  I'll tell you though, I had some doubts about serving this.  Once plated, it was ugly.  I mean really bad.  Like something the dog couldn't keep down.  Luckily, it smelled good, so that was a plus.  And I got to pull out the MIghty Kenmore to whip those egg whites. so another plus.

On the other hand, I had to whip egg whites, and then fold them in.  I don't fold; it's too much work.  And I don't normally go to that much trouble for an ordinary dinner. Plus, it had to be baked in a bain marie.   And it took forever; after an hour in the oven, the middle was still jiggly.  

It was good enough to try again, though Hubs and I decided next time to forego the eggs entirely.  And I think I'll sprinkle more cheese on top.

And that's it for this week, kids.  I'm proudly linking up with Sir Thrift A Lot, Thrifter/Maker/Fixer/Farm, The Nifty Thrifty  and We Call It Junkin.

Thrifting Finds #31: Have yourself an absolutely horrifying little Christmas!

Wow.  Just wow.

Once again, hubs and I didn't find much on our rounds this weekend, but something I stumbled across turned out to be the highlight of the day.

But first, let me rant a bit.  What is up with the Christmas stuff around here?  I keep reading all these blogs where people come across the mother lode of Shiny Brites or shelf after shelf of Lefton elves, or blowmolds up the wazoo.

And I'm totes jelly, as the kids say.  (Actually, do they still say that?  I'm kind of behind the times.)

We hit seven thrift stores this weekend, and while I found a lot of Christmas stuff, 99% of it was recycled dollar store crap.  The rest of it was just ugly.  Where's all the good stuff?

Harumph.

Other than crappy Christmas stuff, I also came across a bunch of Pyrex, most of it horribly abused.  I even saw a couple of pieces of English Pyrex.  I didn't take a picture, but it seems a little more opaque than the typical American opal glass.  Closer to Corelle, actually.

Anyway, on to what I found.

1.  Pyrex!  It's been a while since I bought a piece of Pyrex, and I'm glad I came across this.  I already have a couple that Mom bought back in the '70s.  These are really great storage jars.  I needed something to keep flour in and was looking for some Tupperware, but I got this instead.  Pretty sure it won't hold a whole 5 pound bag, but it should fit in my freezer.  $3.00 Goodwill

I almost got a Scumbuster at Savers, but the lines were so long that I didn't feel like waiting.

Speaking of Savers, I did find something there of note.  I didn't buy it, but I took a video of it

Because it's so horrifying.

Click to watch--if you dare!!!!

This thing is horrifying on so many levels--the club foot, the creepy voice.  But the face--that scary, I-want-to-eat-your-soul face--just really did me in.  How fortuitous that the person who donated it left the batteries in so you can get the full effect.

Brrrr.

What I Made This Weekend department

A.  Dan L's Enchilada Casserole  My friend Dan sent me this recipe a while back and I love it not just because it's from my friend, but because it originated in the Mexican food capital of the world:  Council Bluffs, Iowa.

1lb ground beef

Chopped onion

1lb can enchilada sauce

1lb can refried beans*

1lb jar salsa

Corn tortillas

Cheddar and/or Monterrey Jack cheese

Brown ground beef with the onion.  Drain and return to pan.  Stir in refried beans, enchilada sauce and salsa.  Simmer a few minutes.  Put a little of the sauce in the bottom of a greased 9X13 inch baking dish (vintage Corningware preferred) and add a layer of corn tortillas.  Layer sauce with tortillas until you run out of materials, ending with the sauce.  Put cheese on top and cover with foil.  Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  Take off foil and bake another five.  Let sit at room temperature 5-10 minutes before attempting to serve.

*I leave the beans out because ew.

B.  Potato, bacon and corn chowder  Okay, I'll admit it--this isn't the best picture.  I'll take another one tonight when we actually eat it.  It'll have bacon bits on top and some lovely cheese melting in.  I got this recipe from Carnation evaporated milk and it's so easy it's embarrassing.  Still, there's something to say for an easy recipe that's delicious and made with stuff you're likely to have in your cupboards.

EDIT:  Here's what it looked like last night when I served it:

It was delish.

In other news  I had my car detailed last week!  I always thought that sort of thing was only for self-indulgent BMW drivers.  Then a while ago, hubs got a coupon for a free (!!) detailing, and man, what a difference!  He liked it so much that I got him a gift certificate for detailing last Christmas.  (There's an impossibly cute story about hubs and me giving each other identical presents last Christmas, but it's so nauseating that I'll spare you the details.)  Anyway, I finally got to use the gift certificate that hubs gave me last year.  Man, oh man, it's like having a brand-new car again!  Everything is so clean and shiny--and they totally got the coffee stains out of the mats.  The only problem is that they go kind of crazy with the Armor All.  There's a plastic mat/tray thing in the back of my car to protect the carpeting from dirt and stuff, and with all the Armor All they put on it, it's slippery as Teflon.  We did the marketing this weekend and every time I turned a corner, our groceries did a little Indy 500 thing back there.  If you're looking for a gift for a hard-to-buy-for person (hubs knows I am way too cheap to ever buy this for myself), I recommend this.

Also  I finally put the Eames coat rack and the free laptop I got up on ebay this weekend.  I already have bids on both!

Linking up this with Sir Thrift A Lot, The Nifty Thrifty, and We Call It Junkin 

Thrifting Find #27!

Please note the title of this post--Thrifting Find.  Singular.  Because I only found one thing this week.  Which I guess I shouldn't complain about, especially considering how bad my luck has been lately.  Oddly, I did come across another coffee table with two (count 'em!) drawers, but the top was in less than lovely condition, so I think I might break down and order the one I posted last week from Overstock.com.

Anyway.  Here's what I bought:

Click to embiggen, 'cause it's really pretty

1.  Blue bowl!  Eagle-eyed readers of this blog remember that I've been looking for a big cast aluminum bowl for my dining room table.  And maybe I still am, but I couldn't pass this up.  Or actually, I could, since I saw this in the GW last week and decided six bucks was too much to spend.  After I left the store, I immediately regretted my cheapskateitude.  Luckily though, it was still there when we went back on Sunday, so I snapped it up.  It's coming up greenish on my monitor, but it's pure blue in real life, a really gorgeous color.  I know nothing about it.  There's no maker's mark on it, and I'm pretty sure it's not old but it's a great color and a great swoopy shape (it's swoopier if you look at it from a different angle; the front (or back) is actually higher than the back (or front.)  Goodwill, $6.00

By the way, those are Ikora non-tarnish candle holders I got from GW a while ago ($2.00) with Ronson butane candles.

Something I didn't get:

Pyrex Casserole!  I guess this is a promotional pattern, though I don't know the name.  It looked to be in very nice shape and was only 8 bucks for the whole thing but once again, it's not a pattern I collect and I don't have room to keep stuff I can't use.  In the same store, I also found a pink gooseberry on white Cinderella bowl.  It was slightly scratched, not too bad, and only $2.25, which seemed a good price to me.  Again, it's not a pattern I collect, so...

Linking up with all the fun at Sir Thrift A Lot, The Nifty Thrifty, and We Call It Junkin 

Curses--Failed again!

What is it around here?  It's like absolutely nothing good is showing up at the thrifts.  Nothing, at least, that I want to buy.

The Rescue Mission had a really nice selection of Tupperware this week, but nothing in a size or shape that I could actually use.  Goodwill had a coffee table with a drawer (more on that later) that was acceptable in size and style, but it was wobbly.  I found a nice Pyrex fridgie in the big square size, but it was the Early American pattern which I don't want.

Not that the weekend was totally without purchases, you understand.  Just not anything spectacular. I did find a small folding table for my neighbors.  I put it outside their door to put the newspaper on in the morning.  My neighbors are elderly and they have a hard time bending down, so that should make things easier.  And I got Hubs a purple (his favorite color) travel mug to replace the one that the Girl Child made off with when she went back home to New York.

And I got this:

Don't bother clicking to embiggen--the picture is lousy.

What's Golden Fluffo, you ask?  Let's have Mike Wallace explain:

"This yellow Fluffo is such a short shortening..."  LOL I don't even know what that means.

I haven't really looked through it yet, but it's copyright 1956 and published by Procter & Gamble, so I'm confident that it's going to be a good one.  There's a chapter on salads though, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the Registered Home Economists in P&G's sparkling test kitchens incorporate shortening into, say, coleslaw.  This is 1956, remember, so they'll do it.

Okay now, coffee tables.  I've been on the lookout for one that has a drawer for keeping remotes and stuff in.  I really hate having crap on top of the coffee table and so far, we have three remotes (which we hardly ever use) and once I change out the ceiling fan in the den, there will be another one.  Not to mention the folders for our FIOS internet, TV, and phone that require periodic reference.

Naturally, I've been on the lookout for a suitable table at the thrifts but have been coming up with nothing.  So I decided to take a peek at Overstock.com and found this one:

It's certainly the right style and as a bonus, it has two drawers.  Plus, it's reasonably cheap ($104.05) and the right size. 

So, asking for your opinions--should I get this or wait to see if I can find something in the thrifts?  Post in the comments or email me--for some reason, people like to email me rather than posting comments.  That's fine, I just don't know why people do that.

Linking up with all the fabulousness at Sir Thrift A Lot, The Nifty Thrifty, and We Call It Junkin though I kind of feel bad about it.

Thrifting Finds #24!

Whew.  It was a busy week here at Fondue Headquarters and frankly, I'm pooped.

It was the Hubster's birthday last week, so I surprised him by importing The Girl Child for a visit.  I tried surprising him on his birthday a few years back and it turned into an absolutely hideous nightmare, so you can imagine my surprise when I managed to pull this one off.

There was a lot of eating.  On Thursday, we drove up to PA to have lunch with some friends,  Delicious food, and lots of it.  Now, hubs and I generally only have one meal on the weekends or when we're not at work, but The Girl Child was having none of that.  So I had kind of a bad idea that we carried through.  Dinner Thursday consisted of hot fudge brownie sundaes.

Yeah, I told you it was a bad idea.

But see, we didn't get to have dessert with lunch, so we just kind of had it later.  So that makes up for it, right?  Right?

Side note:  Betty Crocker gluten-free brownies are pretty good, but they don't keep well.  Despite being tightly sealed, by last night they were brown concrete.

Friday was a big day because we got to meet The Boyfriend at lunch.  He's still kind of new on the scene, but we liked him immediately.  More important, he is officially Weiner Dog Approved.  Lunch was delicious and large, but that didn't stop us from going out to dinner on Friday night.  This was the hubster's official birthday dinner.  It was another lovely meal, and more calories than I care to admit to.

Saturday, we got to do our usual marketing and thrifting, as the GC was visiting some other family at the time.  We also got to make the rounds on Sunday, as the GC and Boyfriend weren't due for dinner until late.

Too much background?

Anyway, here's what I found this weekend:

1.  Tupperware!  Sorry the picture came out so pale.  This is my first Wonderlier bowl.  Despite the millions of these that were made, they're really scarce, at least around here.  My goal, of course, is to collect them in all the sizes and colors available.  There was also a slightly smaller blue one, but it had the wrong lid and I decided long ago that I wouldn't buy any Tupperware without the proper lid. $1.25.

2.  More Tupperware!  I don't know why these are displaying as red, because they're really orange.  These are pretty small. holding maybe a couple of ounces?  I got them to carry salad dressing to work and they're the perfect size for that.  $.50 each.

3.  King Arthur's trash can!  Again, I'm not sure why this is showing up the wrong color.  It looks pretty green in the picture but in real life, it's definitely brown.  I've been looking for a wastepaper basket to keep next to my desk that would sort of blend in, and this fit the bill perfectly.  Yeah, I know it's kind of sketchy to buy a used trash can, but this was nice and clean.  Oddly, they had another one exactly like this, but that one was really green.  Doesn't it look like something they'd have at Camelot?  $3.00

This was kind of a good week for Pyrex collectors, too.  In our travels, we spotted two of the big Cinderella bowls, one in pink Gooseberry (I'm pretty sure; the memory is the first to go...), the other in turquoise.  I don't know what the pattern is called, but it's the one with the hot-air balloons on it.

Linking up with all the fabulousness at Sir Thrift A Lot, and The Nifty Thrifty,

Weekend Thrifting Finds plus creepy doll alert!

Well kids, it was another slim week for finds at the thrifts. We went to all 7 of our usual stops but even the Hubster didn't find a thing worth buying. I did manage to pick up a couple of things, but it seems like the really dandy stuff just doesn't exist any more.  Hopefully, things will pick up soon.

While I didn't actually buy much, it was definitely a week of Pyrex sightings.  I saw some Terra (first time seeing it in the wild), some Gooseberry, some of the UPC pattern (I forget the real name), lots of Americana and a couple of Primary bowls.  I didn't need the 404 that I saw, having bought my second one just last week, but I was tempted by the 402.  The paint was nice and shiny (mine is quite matte), but it was chipped at the bottom.  It didn't seem worth changing out one problem for another, so I left it behind.

It was also a week of random people talking to me.  Now, I consider myself a reasonably friendly person, but when a total stranger just starts talking to me out of nowhere, it makes me a little uneasy.  I mean, I'm glad you think my eyeglass frames are nice, but I don't want to get into a whole discussion about them with you.  While I was looking for Tupperware, a woman walked up to me and said "I can't buy much 'cause I have my husband with me.  I should have lef' his ass at home."

How does one reply to that?  "Yeah, probably"?  I just smiled pleasantly and moved on.

Anyway.  Here's what I got:

1.  Tupperware!  This is the first piece of plain white Tupperware I've purchased.  What's the official name?  "Frost White"?  Something like that.  Pretty sure this is a one-quart size, so it will be perfect for mixing up some Tang.  Goodwill, $1.00

2.  Pyrex!  This pie plate was somewhat dirty but in otherwise pristine condition.  No chips or utensil marks, and the Flamingo pink is beautiful and bright (I don't think the color translated well in the photo.)  I've wanted a Pyrex pie plate because I've heard that piecrust comes out best in Pyrex, but now I'm wondering something.  Does that apply only to the clear Pyrex, or the opal stuff, too?  Does anybody know?  Goodwill, $2.00

Oops, almost forgot to add this.  Not thrifted, but I got some coupons in the mail from MicroCenter (home of the sale flyers with print so small I can't even read it) and walked out of the store with this:

3.  Weird, off-brand wireless router!  Free.  I know!  I've never heard of this brand before, and it's not something I need myself, but my brother doesn't have WiFi in his house, so I thought I'd give this to him and get him into the 21st century.

Okay.  I didn't buy this, but it practically screamed at me from the shelf and of course, I texted a picture of it to The Girl Child:

Click to embiggen.  Do eet!

Creepy doll!  OMG, what were they thinking when they made this (and what about that doll in the background with the O Face?)?  Was there ever a child who said "Mommy, I want a doll that looks like it's going to bite me!"  Yeesh.

I can't decide whether it looks more like the Zuni Fetish doll:

or Diana Ross:

Opinions?

Linking up with all the deliciousness at Sir Thrift A Lot

Weekend Thrifting Finds: I'm back!

Well, kiddos, I'm frightfully sorry about the last couple of weeks.  Due to a couple of unexpected visits to the vet and a tooth situation, things just weren't looking good on the thrifting front.  We did manage to go to a couple of our usual stops, but we were hurried and well, I guess not very motivated.

Happy to report that we did a little better this past weekend.  Only picked up a couple of things, but I was pleased by both:

1.  Pyrex!  Sharp-eyed readers will realize they've seen me post a 404 before.  Yes, but that was a different one.  This one is in much better--though not perfect--condition.  While the first one I bought a few months back seemed okay at the time, it was really pretty badly utensiled.  I thought I got the marks off but they seemed to keep coming back!  This one has a few marks, though it's not bad.  It's one of the "unmarked" 404s, meaning it's an older one.  At first, I didn't want to pay the price but then I realized that I really hadn't spent much money at the thrifts lately, so I gave in.  $6.00 at Goodwill.

2.  Disk-Go Case!  I will admit that I've wanted one of these since some time in the '60s when they came out.  I see 'em on ebay all the time, but they always go for crazy money.  I found this one in the record section of the Goodwill with no price.  I'm always a little nervous about taking unpriced items to the checkout, but it worked out well for me.  I don't think I'm actually going to use this, as I don't like the idea of storing my 45s without their protective sleeves.  It's a nice color, though, and goes well in my den.  Just looking at it makes me want to fire up my stereo

and play some of my old Archies records.  Sugar Sugar, anyone?  Bang Shang-a-lang?

Linking up with all the creamy goodness at Sir Thrift A Lot.