Summertime is SO busy! Between building the patio and other outside landscaping projects, keeping up with a new crawler and just generally keeping our home in some sort of order, there just really hasn’t been any time to do one of my FAVORITE pastimes….garage sales!! It was a gorgeous day, so Nolan, my mom and I hit the road in search of some pre-loved goodies!

Woohoo, some pre-loved goodies!

Our first stop was just around the block.  Some neighbors of ours were having a small-ish garage sale but looked somewhat promising so we stopped.  Lucky me!!  I found lead-crystal decanter made in Germany for only $2!  I think I’ll maybe infuse some vodka with something yummy, maybe with some of the lavender that we have growing in our yard?  Call me crazy but I LOVE lavender in my food.  Anyone ever had a lavender latte?  O.M.G.  Anyway, we Googled the decanter when we got home, there was no brand/designer name so it was a little difficult but Mr. iHB found the same one on Ebay for $10…. Ok, not a huge savings, but a couple years ago I bought him a crystal decanter for his scotch and was finding them to be in the $300 – $400 range for ones I liked! (Ended up finding one for around $100…but still!)  So even though it’s not a super expensive decanter in the first place, it’s pretty, and it’s 80% off! I’m still not in love with the set-up of our little “wet-bar” but it’s better than it was before.  Like my home-made tray?  It’s an old picture frame I got at a G-sale a while back, I put some awesome chartrues card-stock in it and WALA! Tray!  The cool fabric underneath is an uphostery sample I scored from my previous job. (side note: that little wine bottle with the poppies in it….definitely brought that one home from Italy )

New decanter in action!

Second thing I found there was a cast iron skillet.  Seriously people, don’t buy these new.  I own 3 now and I’ve gotten them all at garage sales…I think I’ve maybe got $6 into them total?  Anyway, this one is a Lodge Logic 10” chef’s skillet.  New on Amazon they sell for $16.99, I got mine for $1…94% off!!!  This one had a little rust on it, and someone had sprayed it with Pam (DUMB!!) But that’s all fixable.  You shouldn’t spray anything with Pam or other aerosol oil spray because it leaves behind a sticky residue that is nearly impossible to get off (ever wonder what that brown stuff is around the edges of your cookie sheets?)  A little steel wool, baking soda and vinegar took care of that problem (steel wool for the rust, baking soda and vinegar for the Pam).  Then I just melted some coconut oil in it and baked it for a while to re-season it.  It will continue to season as I use it.  It’s important to care for a cast-iron skillet properly to protect your investment.  Do not use soap when washing it, and rub it down with oil afterwards.  These can literally be passed down for generations.

The garage sale also had a couple frames that I loved, I’ll add those to my family photo collage that I’m going to put up our staircase.  We also scored Dr. Seuss’s The Foot Book for .25c, that sells for $8.99 on Amazon, a savings of 97%

We stopped at a few more garage sales, but there was nothing good enough, or at the right price (and believe me, I’ll haggle) so we stopped in at a local thrift store with the intention of finding something white to tie-dye (I’m totally hosting a tie-dye party next Friday! WOOT) but when we entered saw a sign saying “All Lamps .99c” !!! Serious?!  So I found a brassy/bronze lamp with a GREAT shape that I’ll spray paint for our family room.

So, our total came to $5.50 and we got a crystal decanter, cast iron skillet, 4 picture frames, Dr. Seuss book and a lamp…an average of .69c per item….NOT BAD!!

Comments: Have you found any awesome deals lately?  Do you look for anything specific at garage sales/thrift stores (a collection maybe?) or do you just shop for whatever?  What’s your most glorious garage sale/thrift find ever? Does anyone want to come make me a lavender martini?