A day of bargain foraging

Have you ever heard of people foraging for wild foods to save money? Well Thursday was a day for foraging out bargains at thrift stores. I was supposed to be picking up garden supplies. Both garden centers we went to were closed.



Anyway, I did find a couple of good bargains. We went to 6 different thrift stores. My brother is looking for inside doors for his house. I wasn't looking for anything in particular. I bought some books for $1 each. These are for my daughter.







At one store I found 5 t-shirts I can use for making some sport bras..... or whatever. I got sticker shock when I was told these were $3.50 each. I bought them anyway because they were cheaper than buying new fabric. These shirts look like they've never been worn or washed. I will wash them before using. The shirts are XL size which is about one yard of usable fabric. New fabric is about 6.99 a yard at Hancock.

I was really shocked and disappointed to see the extremely high prices in the thrift stores. I know they are trying to make a profit for the charity but this stuff is given to them free. Don't they know there would be more sales if the stuff were priced lower? While in one store I spotted a small stock pot I thought I would buy. It was priced at $38. What?! That's like paying for a new one. I put it back. While standing nearby I watched as 6 different people picked up the pot, looked at the price, shook their heads, and put it back.

We did stop at two Hancock stores while out. I bought elastic and a small piece of lace at the first one.

Then bought more elastic at the second one. This may seem like a lot of elastic but I have a lot of projects planned that need elastic. Little girl undies and Na Na sport bras need elastic. PJs need elastic. Little girl pant outfits need elastic. There are lots of places where it's needed. Strange but I didn't see craft stuff in any of the thrift stores. No yarns or fabrics or anything like that. Maybe I wasn't looking in the right areas.

Sometimes I have a hard time figuring out which blog to put a post like this. I decided to put this one here because it has more relevance to living frugal than it does a daily routine even though it could have been either. One of the things a frugal person does is "think ahead to the future" and plan for it. Elastic was a future need because I know I will be using it in lots of places. With my finances being much less these days and prices of things getting higher every day, it felt right to buy several yards now.

There are some (my SIL included) who only buy what is needed for the current project. That's simply a different way of living frugal. Both ways will save money if worked right. She has the advantage of their car so she can go when she wants. I don't own a car so I must plan for that. Hmm... that's called having a stash isn't it? I now have a stash of elastic. When I'm ready to start a little girl sewing project I already have what I need.