Thrifting with the Rural Squirrel

My kids, my friends, people at the thrift store, they're always asking me how to find all the good bargains! So, here's my secrets: Some of them seem like common-sense, but sometimes we just need reminded. 1) First of all, dress comfortably!          - Shoes for walking and standing.          - I like jeans or pants, in case I need to get down on the floor to check stuff out or dig in tubs on            the bottom shelf.          - Since I have longer hair, I wear it in a ponytail or top-knot. It keeps it out of my way and off of my face.          - And my purse is a backpack. It stays out of my way and I just hate it when my purse falls off my shoulder. A backpack keeps that from happening. 2) When I go to the mall, I go to my favorite stores and scan the front room, but never shop in the front! I always go to the sale racks in the back! If I find something back there that I love enough to buy, but they don't have my size, I have them check to see if another stor

Now, I have found some cool things at the thrift stores!! And, there are a few things that I'm always on the look-out for. Vintage Pyrex, quilts (certainly after my amazing find that I blogged about earlier!), LL Bean boots, Frye boots, designer purses, and anthropologie brands. These things I love! (Insert song here: "These are a few of my favorite things". I know you're singing it!). I also look for Pendleton. That could be sweaters, pants, jackets, and of course, and most specifically, BLANKETS! I had first acquired an appreciation for Pendleton when my Grandma talked about how nice their suits were and that she'd rather have a few nice, quality items than to have a bunch of so-so pieces in her closet. She even wore a beautiful royal blue Pendleton suit to my wedding! About a year ago, I found my first Pendleton throw blanket at the local Goodwill Retail store! It is an olive green and brown plaid throw with fringe on the edges. I think I gave $12.99 fo

Some days are better than others! Lately, I've been going every week, like normal, but haven't found a ton of big things to write about. Most of it has been solid finds that just 'pay the bills', or so to speak. Things like Brighton and Vera Bradley bags, and NorthFace jackets: All good things! But I do love it when I go to the thrift store and make a really good find! A SCORE! Then, one day last week, it became 'boot day'!! I'd already picked up a few pairs of LL Bean Maine Hunting Boots, always a great staple find, and had them in my eBay store. And then, I found just a single Bean Boot in the shoe bins.....and so did Savanah, a girl that goes to the thrift store often too!! So, what did we do? Well, of course we flipped for it!! But even though I lost that one, on the next rotation of bins, I found THREE PAIRS of FRYE BOOTS!!! Now, THAT'S exciting!! I love those boots!! I mean, finding one pair is a good day - but THREE?? What

I've told you about a few of the places that I have taken my treasures and of all the places that I go, Common Threads is one of the cutest! Its such a unique boutique and they rotate their stock every week, making everything seem so fresh! They only take the top brands and look for the nicest items. I would shop there any day! My daughter, the 2nd oldest, who dies over anything anthropologie, loves Common Threads too. And they love her taste! She has started taking a few things over there too! She took over this incredible dress from anthropologie that still had the tags on it! She got it while she worked at anthro and just never had a chance to wear it. Originally retailed for $228.00 and it's perfect for a garden party or even homecoming! They put it right up front because its just so cute and they loved it too! Right up there next to my scrumptious green suede boots! And I do love me some good shoes - you probably already know that about me if you follow my Instag

My first memory of fishing was when I was about 6 and my grandma and grandpa took me out on this little aluminum boat and we caught a whole mess of crappie fish. They liked to camp and fish and do fun things like that! It wasn't until I met my hubs many years later, that I had gone fishing again. He took to trying his hand at fly-fishing for trout. He got the waders, the boots with the felting on the bottom, the hand-tied flies, the fancy Orvis fly rod, and all the other nets and tackle and attire required to look like you knew what you were doing!! EVERYTHING!! I tease him quite a bit and tell him that the only thing I've ever known him to catch is a buzz! So, when I ran across a long round tube sticking straight up out of a bin at the Goodwill Warehouse on the southeast side of town, I was pretty sure, I was going to go fishing for a good find! At first, I thought it might be just a fly-rod case, but thankfully, there was a rod in there too!! I do better fishing for

Some people pan for gold up in the mountains. Some people run a metal detector on the beach looking for treasures. Some people sift through bags of coins hoping to find that rare one. I go through racks and bins at the thrift shops, garage sales, and discount racks finding goodies!! Most days when I go thrifting, I find a few really nice things and a bunch of very normal, useful things. When I go to the Goodwill Outlet, I buy things by the pound for $1.19/lb. Linens and towels are $.99/ea. That includes things like sheets, bedspreads, bath towels, comforters, etc. I've seen guys pull out beautiful Pendleton blankets from the pile and only pay $.99/ea for them!  Not me!! Not usually that lucky! And only once did I witness this for myself! And it was at a Goodwill near Seattle - but still! But that's normally just the stories of folklore and internet fables, right? Those are just the things that you read about on Yahoo News and share on your Facebook page! But, what I'm a