Thursday

I love real BARGAINS, I love great DISCOUNTS and I love fantastic REDUCED PRICES!!

These things also help when you are going through a rough patch, such as being jobless.  Can you imagine if there weren't discounts and reduced prices??  I don't like to think about it to be honest.  

But lets concentrate on BARGAINS for now.  Where do you find a bargain?  Where have you found a bargain?  Where do you think you'll find a bargain?

If you are anything like me, you'll be thinking either eBay or second hand stores.  Right?  Well, not always.

Regarding second hand stores;  I have said it all here before and I will say it again....  With the prices they put on used stuff today, you may as well buy them new!  This obviously depends on what the item is.  But let's concentrate on the cheaper items for now.  The people that put prices on second hand rubbish (*ahem*.... referring to it as 'rubbish' because I'm angry with their warped pricing!) are living in LA LA LAND or a just being plain old greedy or they are not experienced.

One example;
I find 50 cent knitting and crochet books/magazine/patterns at one op shop.  Then I happily mozzzzy on down to the op shop across the road or suburb, only to find them at $2 each.  AND I have found the same 50 cent magazine/book at one store, for $2 at another store.  There is no uniformity with op shops.  I don't think they even have an interest in that.  While one shop finds it fair to place 50 cents on a book, another finds it fair to place $2 on it.  Who is supposed to be right?  Who makes up the pricing rules and why?  I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND IT.

Honestly, where has the charity gone?  Out the window.  Ka-put.  Gone, baby gone.  Hasta la vista, baby.  You get the idea. 

Having said all that....  I can still find bargains if I look well enough and happen to be at the right place, at the right time.  And I will let you in on a little secret... there are 2 or 3 stores where I can find knitting and crochet books/magazine/patterns for just 25 cents.  You heard me.... 25 cents!  Or another store that has 3 for $1!!  And to take it a step further..... they have balls of GOOD wool (some real wool and some acrylic) for 50 cents each!  And to top it off with a big bang... they occasionally have half prices days!!  So that means 12.5 cents for a knitting/crochet pattern/mag/book or 50 cents for 3 ... AND 25 cents for a ball of wool. WOW.  I almost feel like I'm stealing from them.  LOL!!!

Those shops are the REAL charity shops.  They are the ones that people go to time and time again. 

So, please take note, high priced op shop owners and / or workers.  We see you.  We notice you.  We are not impressed with your pricing.

Eventually your prices will match the normal shop prices, then we will stop buying second hand.  Be very careful how you price things.  And remember why the op shop actually exists and what it's function is.  Not only should it help the charity that the money goes to, but it should also help the buyers just as much. 

And back to why?.... some of us are jobless and struggling.  Yours is the only store that can help us with struggling times, if you'd only see it that way and not just see it as mostly a money making scheme.


Onto a great op shop find.... I paid just $3 for this AWESOME Asian bottle, which I think held some kind of herbal liquid medicine or the likes at one time.  It's one of those things that I'm glad I found and bought.  :)

 

Saturday

UUGGHH!  We are having a heatwave in Perth.  It's horrible.  I feel like I can't breathe.  We need relief NOW.  Power here is costly, so we use our air conditioner very sparingly.  We usually have it on fan mode, which is just blowing warm air around.  I don't know what's worse, the warm air blowing around in the house or the heat outside.  Both are horrid, both are giving me a headache.

But I will try to sound energetic, happy and cool for you now.  

Only because of my love for wood, did I buy this lovely John Jaques wooden chess set with its own wooden case.  No chess board available though.  Found for $3.99.  Who knows when I will get an urge to play a little chess?  I can make my own tacky looking chess board easily.  ;)

The bottom felt was coming off a little from some of them, but I just glued them back and they look as good as new.  :)

Sunday

Well, well, well.... what do we have here?  IMAGES!!

 

But after trying to post more, it gave me the same message as last time ; 

" Whoops! You're out of space. You are currently using 100% of your 1 GB quota for photos. Upgrade storage

Photos are stored in your Picasa Web Albums account and are included in your 1 GB free quota for photos. Additional storage you purchase is shared between several Google products and is in addition to your free quota. Learn more "

Well if that's the case, why on earth could I post those?

 UUGGHHH!  The frustration is overwhelming.

Wednesday, take 2.

Thanks for nothing, blogger.  You suck.  You make me ill.  You lack integrity and have become money hungry just like the rest.  Shame on you. 

Ok, after that little outburst, I'm a tad more calmer.

I've decided to make a new blog, but keep this one open to the public as well.
It's going to take me a while so please be patient, bookmark me if you haven't already done so and keep an eye out weekly to see if I have the new blog ready.

I've also decided that the new blog will be invite only, through ravelry.
If you don't know what that is, go here ---> RAVELRY to sign up for free, because that's the only way you'll be able to contact me. 

So please stay tuned, more info to come!

Wednesday

Today, I was happily blogging away... then went to add some photos BUT I GOT THIS!!!

 

" Whoops! You're out of space. You are currently using 100% of your 1 GB quota for photos. Upgrade storage

Photos are stored in your Picasa Web Albums account and are included in your 1 GB free quota for photos. Additional storage you purchase is shared between several Google products and is in addition to your free quota. Learn more "

 

HUH??  WHY?? I THOUGHT BLOGGER AND UPLOADING PHOTOS WAS FREE???  And what are they telling me about Picasa Web Albums?  I don't use Picasa Web!!??  I'm confused!

I'm stupified, horrified and mortified.  Is it a joke?  Is it a prank?

Looks like blogger does not want me to post any more photos.  Seems as though blogger is giving me an ultimatum ; either cough up the extra money or ship out.

Well in that case, I'll ship out.  Unless somebody can enlighten me as to WHY I got that message?

 

 

 

 

Wednesday

Freebie light shades found!  BUT.  You'll notice with the first three shades, there is nothing to hang them from the ceiling light fixture.  I often find them like this, and only in rare instances I find them WITH their own metal socket (is that what they are called?).  

When I do find them, I hang on to them like gold!  I've been to various lighting stores but all I'm usually told is 'no sorry we don't sell them'.  

I browse eBay occasionally and I do find a small amount of them... and they are either vintage or if they are new, they cost a heap and /or in another country.  And of course there is no guarantee that they will actually fit the light shade - even if it's a few millimeters too big, this could be disastrous for the poor shade! 

I had found this working lamp sitting outside a neighbours front yard amongst some other rubbish a few years back, but I'm not sure why I never posted about it.  Why somebody would throw out something like this, I'll never understand.

The glass panels you see were very different - they had a lovely red flower on each of the panels.  Then one day the lamp came crashing down from where I had placed it and my heart sort of collapsed as well.

Just recently I found these glass panels on the metal frame that somebody was tossing out and although it's supposed to be a ceiling shade, it fits just right on the lamp.  Aaahhh, everything is dandy again.  :)

Saturday

Sweet 'Koma' dome clock found for $3.  AND it works.  :)

How cool is this cotton fabric??  It's approximately 2m x 1m, which is a substantial amount.  I only paid $2 - clever me.

 

Hong Kong spoon found for $1.

Lovely bamboo coat hangers for only 50 cents each, found last year.  I never thought I'd say this about hangers, but they were worth every cent - I love them... as simple as they are.