$10 finds: $40 in dishes at the thrift store

One of my vices is a collection of Fiesta dishes by Homer Laughlin.  I have a large cabinet filled with place settings and serving dishes of various colors.

This started in the 1990s, when I realized that both my fine china and stoneware patterns had been discontinued.  I didn't have enough serving dishes for a growing family.  I could buy more, but they wouldn't match.  The fun part of Fiesta is that it doesn't have to match; you can mix pastel colors for Easter, autumn colors for Thanksgiving; red and green for Christmas; and my favorite, blue and green for the Seahawks.  Plus, my kids and husband can buy me a piece at a time (hopefully on sale) for Mother's Day, Christmas and birthdays.

Our family loves shopping at thrift stores, going in the door with a sense of adventure and exploration.  Today I had a half hour to kill between a doctor appointment and picking up my daughter at work, so I stopped by Value Village, a chain of thrift stores where I've made finds such as DVD's, yarn, and dishes to match my vintage 1970's stoneware.  They're a bit more expensive than Goodwill, but there are special sale days for loyalty club members - if you time it right.

Today I found an end display with blue dishes and glasses, including Homer Laughlin Fiesta in Cobalt - two salad dishes and half a dozen dinner plates.  I bought two salad dishes and the two dinner plates in best condition.  I paid $10.61 (including tax),   I checked the price on Replacements; the dinner plates run $12.99 each, and the salad plates $6.99.  A total of $40, not to mention shipping and taxes.

Not a bad $10 find, and I can't wait for Football season! #GoHawks