$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

$10 finds: 20 Greeting Cards at Dollar Tree

Among the achievements I'd like listed on my obituary, I've instructed my family to mention that I was a platinum Hallmark Rewards Card member.  I go to my local shop every few months to buy birthday, holiday and anniversary cards for my family.  Having achieved such a lofty status with Hallmark, I get a small discount, making the cards an affordable luxury.  It's my little splurge for my family.

But what about everyone else?  Particularly cards that go with graduation, wedding and baby gifts?  Be honest, do brides and grooms, new parents or grads really care whose name is on the back of the card?  No, they just care about the amount written on the check.

Yesterday I restocked my card stash for graduations, weddings, babies and even retirements.  My Dollar Tree sells them 2 for $1.00.  So for what I could get maybe three cards at the Hallmark store, I bought 20 cards.  I must note that the cards do not look cheap.  They are beautiful and/or witty, and the sentiments are lovely.  There also is a good choice of faith sentiments.  If I ever needed to sacrifice a splurge, I wouldn't hesitate to send one of these to my family.  And I would love to receive one. 

Today's project, getting them organized, so when we're getting ready for that next wedding or baby shower, we're not scrambling for a card.

Stay tuned for more $10 finds.