My wife and mother-in-law found a great deal for a toddler bed today.
One of the founding members of the Dahlgren Lions Club runs a used-goods store called the Opp Shop. He used to have a large section of an old pickle factory full of used items, and would allow non-profit organizations to come in to sell the items as fundraisers.
Well, for some reason the owner of the pickle factory asked him to leave with his stuff. Lots of the bigger items — furniture, exercise equipment — got sold for whatever was offered. This was a huge area, and some of the other locations (the main store, mainly) were stuffed to the gills with the best of what was left.
The Opp Shop's main store wasn't actually open today, but my wife went on the porch because she saw a toddler bed. As she was looking, one of the employees came out of the main store, and said that my wife could buy things on the porch if she wanted. The bed was marked $7.50, and we had a mattress to put in the bed. The bed goes for $90 new.
That's great! I often wish I had a truck to pick up furniture that's been left out for trash. Sometimes it just needs a coat of paint and new fixtures. Other times, I'm really glad I don't have one since my apartment would be overrun.
in my region (southwest U.S. — where temperatures are already close to 100), mass transit ridership is (supposedly) way up. Also, there's been a lot of media coverage about the increase in carpools and much larger than normal bus ridership. FWIW, I also read on another PF blog (can't remember the name) that the D.C. area is forecasting there will be no need for price increases for (at least) the next few years because of a much higher number of riders than normal.
FINALLY! Are americans actually starting to get it as far as mass transit goes!!!? Jeez. . . now that we're only about 50 years behind Europe, people start to see the benefits of pooling resources and reducing consumption. . . I wish gas would hit $5 a gallon (which I bet it will, by this summer) to really give the clueless among us a gut check. However, I know that those who suffer the most from fuel increases are (typically) the working poor and the middle class. So. . . I guess I'll just be careful what I wish for. . .
oh. . . and, the only reason that I mentioned the temp = very rare for people (with other means of getting around) to ride the bus during here during warm weather.
sorry. . . posted this in the wrong place (obviously). Plz feel free to delete my posts. . . ;>_
We were fortunate enough to find a nice set of bunk beds at an estate sale for a decent price ($100 – 2 mattresses included). Unfortunately, all we have is our little Toyota Echo. The weekend after the sale, my in-laws visited and they had a truck. I decided to call the estate people, and it turns out the beds were still there. Best part – $50 took them both.
It feels good to get some great deals 🙂