The Estate of Affairs is Quite Good

So today I went to an estate sale.  I get to do this every now and again and for the most part I find them quite enjoyable, even though I know they are occurring after the loss of someone’s loved one.   

Every sale has its own vibe – some are much happier than others, I only linger at the happy ones, the others - I skedaddle.  Somehow you just know not to pick anything up at an unhappy sale.  

The one today had a line out the door, it was 11:00 in the morning – these things open at 8:00.  Must be a good one!  I came back at 1:00….It’s 2 degrees Fahrenheit outside, I’m not standing in a line!

It was also in my favorite area, a big Polish and Italian population used to be the majority of the homeowners around here years back – they have the happiest stuff.  Proof of a good life!    

Here’s the thing, I am never going for the “big” find – I am always going for stuff that is useful.  My very favorite items to buy are laundry soap and bleach.  I know, I know, I told you it was odd.  I also get other stuff, but nine times out of ten I’m walking out with a 64 oz bottle of laundry soap I just picked up for a dollar and a half.  Tide is like $14 bucks in the store!  Today was no exception – it was bleach for 75 cents.  But here’s the thing, I also got a sock darner, thimble, a strainer and some turtle wax!  Fantastic – I know!!

For the past two months I’ve been scoping out eBay looking for a sock darner, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to pay $7 for one, plus shipping.  This is the kind of thing your mother should have passed down or given to you with a little kit when you were younger and well I feel gypped about that every time I need one.  So low and behold in the basement of this house was sewing stuff – I got a sock darner and a metal thimble for $1.25 – can I get a woo hoo!!   

Did I mention this house was impeccably clean?  Yeah that’s another thing about estate sales – sometimes they are just plain filthy and you don’t want to touch any of it – let alone bring it home…..

Oh yeah and the turtle wax, well I looked in our garage the other day and we are out.  I needed it to polish up and old mixing bowl we have and use almost daily, the green paint on the outside had oxidized and it needed a waxing.  I could have bought a new bowl, but we like this one.  Bowl is now waxed and looking like it did in the 1940’s when Pyrex originally gave birth to it.  Ok, maybe not looking totally brand new, but much better!

And the final thing, the little strainer with a handle – it was like a shopping trip made to order for me today!  Ran a bath the other day and our tub is a jet tub (not a fan).  Sometimes the jets get stuff in them (I never run the jets, but they are there, collecting things regardless).  So this little floaty thing came out of a jet spigot.  Have you ever tried to catch a little floating thing in a big mass of water to remove it?  Yeah, doesn’t work.  And even if you do get it in your hand, it slips out with the water as you raise your hand up.  So I thought, wow, could use a little strainer with a handle – it would grab stuff like this in a jiffy. 

And viola – today there was a choice of four littler strainer things with handles – fifty cents.   So exciting – aren’t you excited?  So the next time you need some little oddity in your house and you think man – I should have this somewhere – but you don’t – the handy dandy estate sale down the street might.  And if you’re lucky you’ll get out of there for less than five bucks like me!

It's the little things that make life more enjoyable!  We’re in the money, we’re in the money, it sure is sunny, da da da da da da da da da da da da…..