Yard Sale, Thrift Store, Junk Heap Shopping (Part 1)

[sadie_siamesecat]

Found Volume 1 and Volume 3 of the 1965 Good Housekeeping Encyclopedic Cookbook for $4 total. Oh, where is Volume 2? I love reading these!

[CaliPoutine]

2 things for cheese. Glass cheese buttons(50 cents) and ceramic markers(10cents).

[Kerry Beal]

2 things for cheese.  Glass cheese buttons(50 cents) and ceramic markers(10cents).

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Ok, you've got me, what is a glass cheese button?

[CaliPoutine]

You place it on top of a wedge of cheese and when you cut the cheese, you hold onto the button and your( not you per se) germy hands don't touch the piece of cheese.

Edited June 19, 2007 by CaliPoutine (log)

[Domestic Goddess]

You place it on top of a wedge of cheese and when you cut the cheese, you hold onto the button and your( not you per se) germy hands don't touch the piece of cheese.

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That is so cool! I gotta get me one of those. The things we learn in here in eGullet.

[Terrasanct]

A few weeks ago at a yard sale I found a small gray pot and an au gratin dish. One was Le Creuset and the other was a name I don't remember, but it was apparently a company that LC took over. Very pretty. This past weekend I picked up several pieces of vintage Pyrex--some bowls, a small loaf pan, and one of those cute little covered individual casseroles that holds about a half cup.

Last weekend I found a set of four robin's egg blue Pyrex nesting bowls and a covered chili bowl that I thought was Fiesta but turned out to be something else. Oh, and I also got a set of whatever you call them that fit together to make deep fried nest-shaped baskets. If that makes sense.

I have also bought four bread machines until I ended up with a Zojirushi that was almost new (from yard sales and thrift stores) and I need to get rid of the other three now.

The town I live in has a lot of garage sales, and I go to most of them every week to buy books (especially cookbooks.)

[Kerry Beal]

A few weeks ago at a yard sale I found a small gray pot and an au gratin dish.  One was Le Creuset and the other was a name I don't remember, but it was apparently a company that LC took over.  Very pretty.  This past weekend I picked up several pieces of vintage Pyrex--some bowls, a small loaf pan, and one of those cute little covered individual casseroles that holds about a half cup.

Last weekend I found a set of four robin's egg blue Pyrex nesting bowls and a covered chili bowl that I thought was Fiesta but turned out to be something else.  Oh, and I also got a set of whatever you call them that fit together to make deep fried nest-shaped baskets.  If that makes sense.

I have also bought four bread machines until I ended up with a Zojirushi that was almost new (from yard sales and thrift stores) and I need to get rid of the other three now. 

The town I live in has a lot of garage sales, and I go to most of them every week to buy books (especially cookbooks.)

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You got a Zojirushi!!!!? I look for one every garage sale and thrift store for a friend who needs one. They are rare as hen's teeth in this neck of the woods.

[Terrasanct]

I suspect they're rare anywhere at yard sales. It's the only time I've ever seen one, and I go to 25 to 100 sales every weekend. They were asking $70 because they'd only used it twice, which was way more than I wanted to pay. I gave them my number and asked them to call me if it didn't sell. I paid 35 for it, which was much more than I'd paid for any of the others but I figured it was worth it.

The woman had bought it to make gluten-free products for her son, but she said the bread was so heavy the kid thought it was a punishment, so she got rid of it.

One of the advantages of going to so many sales and thrift stores is that I find some pretty amazing stuff. I have to pass on most of it, though. Not enough room in my kitchen.

I'm still keeping my eyes open for All Clad. I did find a really nice set of Emerilware a few weeks ago, and I've been happy with it.

[Porthos]

I have a thrift store "circuit" that I run once a week and another that I run every other Friday. Hitting garage sales is based upon having time. My main goal is finding interesting wooden bowls and platters to use for serving the mid-day feast to the Rennaisance Faire guild that I cook for. Everything else I find is just 'cause I got lucky. I found a Pampered Chef apple peeler/corer for $1.50. I've even found hotel pans at Salvation Army thrift stores. I added a Corning French White lazagna pan to our French White collection for $6.00. I found a practically new 1 1/2 gallon (yup - 1 1/2 gallon) oversize stainless steel tea kettle for $3.00. I boil a lot of water when doing my Faire cooking so I also spent $6.00 for an enameled steel 2 gallon coffee pot that looked new. Pewter mugs or pewter-looking aluminum mugs are something else I look for - again for Faire.

While not quite the same I also am an ebay "addict." Last year when I decided (thanks to an excelent article here) to learn to sharpen my own knives, I bought 5 old knives to practice on. Using these old knives meant that if I didn't get it right I wasn't really out much. I put a new edge on the F.Dick 10" chef's knife and feel pretty good about that. I don't use it a lot though since it feels blade-heavy in my hand and I have a 10" chef's knife that I've had for 20 odd years and still love. My ebay purchases are not really for my home kitchen so much as they are for my Faire cooking, but then I end up using some of my Faire stuff at home, mostly my stock pots that range from 8 to 20 quarts. I am, however, still a "thrift store" bargain hunter on ebay. I figure what I think something is worth to me and place my maximum bid. If someone else thinks it's worth more, they get it. I got really carried away when I first discovered ebay, so I made a commitment to my wife to limit my ebay kitchen purchases to $25.00/mo. She then got into looking for hammered aluminum on ebay and found out herself how quickly you could spend the $$$.

I just thought of something minor that was on my list for the last couple of weeks. The housekeeping cabin that we rent for a week early each summer has a lousy selection (like almost none) of serving bowls. Last year I acquired 2 melamine bowls (cheap, light, easy to pack) and when we got back this year my wife and I decided that we needed more. My best find was a teal green bowl that was all of 75 cents or so I thought. This particular thrift store was having a 1/2 off sale and it applied to the bowl. 37 cents! That's so much fun for me.

[Susie Q]

My dad thinking I needed one after somebody was raving about theirs, bought me a Cuisinart DLC8 food processor two weeks ago.

Last week at the Salvation Army Thrift Store I came across a Cuisinart Disk Storage unit with three disk blades and not a scratch or wear spot on them. Looked brand new and they wanted $5 for all. I hid it until I could go home and check out the size of my unit and then boogied right back.

The case contained two blades that didn't come with my unit, 2mm slicer, and small grating disk, plus I have an extra 4mm slicing blade all for $5.00.

Edited June 21, 2007 by Susie Q (log)

[Terrasanct]

As I mentioned up-thread, I go to a lot of sales every weekend, and I check out all of the thrift stores a few times a week as well, looking for cookbooks and other books (I sell them online). Today I found the best garage sale I've ever been to. I got there early accidentally but they were nice enough to let everyone in early.

My haul (Most of which I can't remember just yet):

A Kitchen Aid attachment pack, brand new, two small baby blue Le Creuset pans--one frying pan and one pot, no lids; four All Clad with lids, some other nice cookware, baking pans, muffin tins, cake, bread, etc pans. Two sets of very nice silverware--one said 18.10 France on the back and the other said 18.8. Lots of metal cake spatulas, measuring cups and spoons, stainless containers and measurers, an unopened bottle of Costco balsamic vinegar, all kinds of spatulas, peelers, small cookie cutters, scoops, steak knives...my kitchen counters are covered with beautiful things at the moment. I also got four boxes of Burt's Bees soaps and bath products, plus nice handmade soaps, and candles. That's not including a lot of miscellaneous, like a new surge protector and keyboard, and a ton of other things. For all of this I paid $80!

I also got my husband a fold-up easel for $20, and paid another $125 for 14 boxes of very nice, new-looking books, mostly cookbooks and art books.

My van was full. I came home without going to any more sales. Yes, it's just "stuff" but it's very nice stuff.

[Terrasanct]

I just had a "duh" moment--the Le Creuset frying pan is also the lid for the pot...light dawns...

[Peter the eater]

I can't believe I have never seen this thread before. I pick up weird stuff almost every weekend at yard sales - I take the kids while wife plays soccer. This way I get to make unilateral decisions.

Here's some recent finds:

That's two marble rounds for $0.50, a folding steel steamer for $0.25, and a $1 aluminium segmented pan. Plus an old wood plane for me and a xylophone for the kids.

Total spent = $4.75

[CaliPoutine]

The ULTIMATE SCORE. A kitchen aid in really, really good shape. Doesnt look like she even used it that much. Cost???? Twenty Freaking dollars!!

[Kouign Aman]

I saw all this in one place and had to leave it behind (no space at home):

2 corncob corn bread pans

2 pyrex covered cassaroles

a abelskiver pan (it was so amazingly heavy)

an assortment of whisks to rival andiesenji's

[Kerry Beal]

The ULTIMATE SCORE.  A kitchen aid in really, really good shape.  Doesnt look like she even used it that much.  Cost????  Twenty Freaking dollars!!

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Nice score!!!

[mollybloom1109]

I have scored all kinds of LeCreuset through the years---kept some, sold some...but the best was a rooster shaped 1928 cocktail shaker Wallace Brothers Silver. Bought for $20, sold on Ebay for $1,400. Bought it just 3 doors down from my house...

[Terrasanct]

The KitchenAid is a nice find. I got one for five bucks once, but it was one of the tilt-head ones. I never understand why anyone would even sell one at all, much less for so little! Even if I didn't need one, I'd get it for that price.

Yesterday I found a few cute little vintage Pyrex dishes and a nice kitchen cart. The cart was only $10. I knew I didn't have room for it, but had to get it anyway. (That's when you know you have a problem.) Sold it today for $25 without even taking it out of the car.

[Terrasanct]

At an estate sale this morning I found a Le Creuset buffet casserole for $20. At least that's what I think it is--looks like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Creuset-4-Quart-Buff...86089913&sr=1-5

I also found two older Better Homes New Cookbooks, one first edition from 1968 and one from 1976. Both still wrapped in plastic, a nice find.

Yesterday, three small Le Creuset pots from the thrift store, and today from the same thrift store, a red artisan Kitchenaid mixer. It needs some repair, but for $4.99 it was worth it just in case I can get it fixed. The pots were $19.99 for the three. I'm getting quite a collection of the Le Creuset, but I'm still looking for a dark blue one...

[Terrasanct]

...And today I found just the piece I've been looking for, an oval, 5-quart, dark blue Le Creuset pot. $25 at an estate sale.

Billings, Montana may not have much to recommend it, but we do have some great garage sales!

[Anna N]

I have been remiss in posting to this topic but today I scored 22 of the small spiral-bound recipe booklets from the T-L Foods of the World Series for less than a $1.00 for all! I have the hardcover books but was missing most of the small booklets.

I also picked up (on a whim!) a small recipe book called Louisiana Entertains. It is such an unusual collection that it has kept me entertained all afternoon! Recipes range from those serving 2 to those serving 100, from breakfast in bed to a wedding reception! Perhaps the strangest recipe, among many strange recipes, is for Sausage Bread which calls for 1 pound of bulk sausage and 1 1/2 cups of liquid brown sugar along with almonds, raisins and vanilla and other things. Somehow, I don't think it's likely to make it into my repertoire! It was first printed in 1978 and reprinted twice so perhaps I shouldn't knock it before I try it.

[Kerry Beal]

Today at the reuse center I picked up a genuine FoodSaver for $3. Needs a good clean before it moves to it's new home, but it works perfectly.

There were a couple of really old mixmasters that looked to be in good shape, but I'm ahead a couple now, so I'll find new homes for those before I pick up any more.

I also picked up a pear shaped acrylic dish that will be useful for molding bowls to hold chocolates. A friend is making chocolates for a wedding this year and pears are a theme.

[snowangel]

Does "home shopping" count? My friend was lamenting the demise of her bread machine. I had one, used once, and offered it, pending her offer. She had a NIB Krups meat slicer. Trade made, two happy customers, each rid of something that neither used but which was taking up shelf space.

I have another friend, Dianne, and we regularly foist off cookbooks which I don't want for those she doesn't want. And, the best part of this is that if there is the odd occasion that I want to refer to a recipe in one of them (and she, likewise), we're only a phone call away.

[Anna N]

Does "home shopping" count?  My friend was lamenting the demise of her bread machine.  I had one, used once, and offered it, pending her offer.  She had a NIB Krups meat slicer.  Trade made, two happy customers, each rid of something that neither used but which was taking up shelf space.

I have another friend, Dianne, and we regularly foist off cookbooks which I don't want for those she doesn't want.  And, the best part of this is that if there is the odd occasion that I want to refer to a recipe in one of them (and she, likewise), we're only a phone call away.

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I think it qualifies perfectly - and is a great way to share the bounty of both tools and books! I often think that things like meat slicers and even bread machines could be shared as they are not needed all the time by any one person.

[CaliPoutine]

Today at the reuse center I picked up a genuine FoodSaver for $3.  Needs a good clean before it moves to it's new home, but it works perfectly. 

There were a couple of really old mixmasters that looked to be in good shape, but I'm ahead a couple now, so I'll find new homes for those before I pick up any more. 

I also picked up a pear shaped acrylic dish that will be useful for molding bowls to hold chocolates.  A friend is making chocolates for a wedding this year and pears are a theme.

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I've been looking for a standing mixer for the church where I cook for the Seniors and I havent been able to find one. Are you finding these at Value Village?