Maybe it won’t happen in a single trip to the thrift. Maybe it won’t happen in a day. But at one point you’ll look at your pile of thrifted treasures and say, “this is it.” This is the Big Score.
I came to the realization that I had a touch of luck these last few weeks. I nailed a byline for a hot topic editorial in my city’s leading newspaper. I scored all these awesome finds at the thrift. Life was good.
Seemingly not long after dragging home bags of clothes, books, electronics and other assorted goodies, I fell ill to the flu. After spending a solid 5 days in bed, I grew restless. I’m still not feeling like myself. Not quite back on par with treasure hunting at the thrift, I think I’ll just take the time to share with all of you some great finds from the past.
First and foremost, this camera. I’m always a bit hesitant to gamble with thrift electronics. Many thrift stores do tests products before putting them on the sales floor. Radios, TVs, vacuum cleaners. These are typically pretty safe bets. Cameras? Cameras are a crapshoot. Though I know nothing of this particular brand. And though I wasn’t necessarily in the market for a camera, I took a chance.
Thanks to the spoils of the digital age, I haven’t worked with 35mm film in years. So this will take some getting used to. Due to the external flash that mounts on the camera, it weighs a ton. And it has varying apertures and automatic rewind. It was brand new in the box and seems to be a steal for $20. The only downside? I have to wait until I finish the roll before finding out just how big this score was. I have high hopes for this one. I really do.
This, however… This I knew was a wise investment. I’m not a sucker for all designers. I’m really not. Sure, I enjoy owning nice things. But only if those nice things speak to me personally. Do I like this item? Will I use this item? Is this item more than a status symbol? Yes, yes, yes. The answer is yes. I love Betsey Johnson. Her quirky, prima donna punk style just makes me smile.
So. When I found this lovely purple leopard print purse with black lace overlay…new…with original tags still on….with protective zipper pulls still on…with the original paper stuffing to protect the shape…well. I dashed over there to grab it. Originally, this bag is $68. At Impact Thrift it was marked $24.99.
But wait! The aisles were crawling with shoppers. The parking lot was jam-packed. It must be a store-wide sale, I thought to myself. And surely, it was. 25% off everything in stock. $18.75 for a brand new Betseyville bag? You better believe it.
With those kinds of savings, I could even buy this…
…multi-functional votive candle holder/square goblet/candy dish/glass decor. I like the fading gold, orange and red. And it was 90 cents. I’m just not entirely sure the purpose it will best serve…yet. Maybe some of you creative thrifters could offer some suggestions?
In hindsight, the roughly $40 spent tallies this one of my more expensive thrift adventures. I rarely find myself spending more than a couple of dollars on each item. So two $20 purchases in one week seems rather excessive. But who can pass up an old school 35 mm camera and Betsey Johnson? Not I. Besides. Look how neat that multi-functional votive candle holder/square goblet/candy dish/glass decor is.
What’s your biggest secondhand score?
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