Junk of the Week: Prologue

Background...
Okay, so fun new project here. Since spending a good many months unemployed and strapped for cash, I've had to give up a lot LOT of things I used to take for granted, like comic books, movies, eating out, and even smaller things like paper plates and mouthwash. All of this is fueling a growing obsession with "Getting more for less." And now, with the onset of spring and decent weather, I'm back out every weekend for yard sales, flea markets, whatever. The first few weeks did not yield much, and my spirits were low, but throughout May my finds have gotten better and better, and it's doing a lot for my state of mind.

Thus, I have decided to start a new series here to chronicle my weekly finds from the world of second-hand junk, and, if I can remember, how much I paid. Before I post this week's entry (which has a REALLY good find, trust me) I thought I would post some things from the last few weeks...

Stitch - $2.00

It's funny, I'm not a big fan of the movie, but I love Stitch. Not the aliened-out version, the cute one where he's pretending to be a dog. I've got a small collection of Stitches going, and added this one two weeks ago. He's virtually the same as the one I sleep with at night (shut up), for which I paid $10 on sale at the Disney Store, but the tag on this one leads me to believe it came straight from Walt Disney World. Mostly because it says "Walt Disney World" on it. I bet they paid $30 for this. I got it for $2. And it's brand new. Go me.

Mouse in Sweater - $.50

Found this guy three weeks back. He's not a Boyds but he looks like one. Usually I'm on the lookout for Christmas mice, but I'm sucker for any mouse in a sweater, it seems.

Mushrooms - Free

Never ignore the FREE box! These were pretty dirty when I dug them out but they cleaned up nice. One for coffee, one for sugar, and a salt & pepper set, though I don't plan to put food in them.

Little Cowbell - $.50

Come on, how do I NOT buy the cute little cowbell? I gotta have the cowbell, baby.
...I still can't figure out why that bit is so damn funny.

Coke Trays (Not Vintage) - $4.00 each

Okay, it's a little more than I would normally pay for non-vintage things at a yard sale, but I just really, really like them, and it was several dollars less than the original asking price.

Weird Wizard Mug Thing - Less than $1.00

I got this in my dollar bag at a rummage sale, and I'm still not sure why I picked it up. It fascinates me. Sometimes I just like something because it's weird. I have no use for it, no where to put it, but there it is in my bedroom. Huh. Basically a giant mug, this thing is fourteen inches tall and six and a half inches at its base. I think it was probably meant to be purely decorative.

Tom Servo Head/Gumball Dispenser - $.25

I'm not sure why I keep picking up these Servo gumball things when I find them, but this should be about my sixth one, which include three red, one pink, one light blue, and one brown. I also have a few small ones I plan to paint up and put on my Christmas tree next year. Anyway, this one has a different base than all the others, I might have to look into that.

**Second-Hank Junk Find of 2008**
Spinning CD/DVD Tower - $15

I wanted to include this because it is the absolute most awesome thing I found all of last year. Every now and then I come up with something I need, and determine to look at yard sales before buying new, and you would be surprised just how often that works out to my favor. One day after deciding I wanted a food processor I found one brand new never-been-used-still-in-the-box for exactly $3. This is the case with my movie tower here. I've been debated buying a new one for some time, most of my catalogs have similar models for around $100 or more. To find this one at the low low $15 made me do the happy dance. When I got home, of course. They even loaded the thing into the van for me. It's not missing any pieces, any shelves, and the guy who owned it had even added some reinforcement touches that seem to work pretty well. I love this thing. BONUS: You can see a few more of my super awesome finds from last year actually on this stand. On the bottom shelf is my complete Doors Box Set, containing, I believe, nine CD's and originally retailing for over $120, for which I paid $5. And on the second shelf down there are my South Park DVD sets, two of which I bought at a yard sale in 'only-been-watched-once' condition, I believe they were seasons 5 and 10. Though they currently retail between $15 and $25 (depending on where you look) I paid $5 a piece. Wicked.


So stay tuned, and I will (hopefully) be posting my finds each week so I may squee about them in a silly manner that I hope some may find at least a little entertaining.