Avon Calling

 You know the drill by now, I don't post for a few months and I ramble on why.  This time, eh.  I just haven't felt like writing.  So today I figured I'd show off some recent acquisitions.  Since my last post, I believe I've made two or maybe three trips to my local second hand store- Savvy Seconds.  I haven't been in the mood to buy much lately, especially since currently I'm helping my mom in what I'm calling the great book purge of 2025.  She has said for a while she's wanted to get rid of books, so I kinda have been pushing her so she can have some more room in her bedroom.  It allows me to catalog what she has and get rid of stuff she doesn't.  I have also purged some books as well, some I've read, others I haven't and have no desire to.  Though I think I've set aside some books my mom had so I'm not sure I've made progress.  So far she's cut about 1/3 of her collection down.  So book hauls haven't been a priority for a bit.  Anyways on our first trip to Savvy, I found something the brought back memories.

My grandma use to collect Avon.  My dad even had quite a collection, including I think this one.  My mom while never selling it, was I guess you'd call a liaison for the local seller for a few years.  While that was partly the reason I got this, the other one was because in the late 90's and early 2000's my dad had a mail jeep.  It was blue like this one, though it was all blue (and no markings).  He bought it because for a couple of those years I had a paper route and it was the perfect vehicle for it.  Load the papers in the back, and easy-peasy.  He would drive (with the steering wheel on the right side instead of the left) and I would hop out and get the papers on the porch.  So seeing this it brought back a flood of memories.  The Jeep didn't run half the time though and by the time I stopped delivering papers it didn't have much life left.  It sat stored in our garage for a few years until after my dad passed, then a little while more before we sold it.  At least once I get organized I can display this and have the memories.

In a rarity on this trip, I actually bought a movie.  One I kind of already had.

My nephews had this on DVD in the early 2000's and they wore it out.  The problem though was that it was with two other specials, and this was the last of the three on the disc.  It was one of the Disney Christmas Classics.  Years later they would release this special and honestly its been one I've wanted for a while.  Before the old disc got too scratchy I was able to rip a copy so I could watch on my computer, but finding this I may not have to do that anymore.  Not only did this have the DVD but it still had the digital code inside.  Now since this is a second hand store, its hit or miss on whether the code would work or not.  So for a buck I got the DVD at the very least.  After I got home, I found out the code actually did work, so now I have a digital copy as well.  I'LL BE DOG GONE!

Having mentioned a book purge earlier you'd suspect we didn't get books.  However you'd be wrong.

More Cookbooks!  I don't know what this obsession came from, but I don't hate it.  I enjoy the local ones more than the hardback nationally published ones, but you get what you get.  The United Methodist Women one we aren't sure where its from.  We believe its from Iowa, but not positive.  Space is an issue now with our cookbooks so I'm trying to figure out the best way to store them.  I'm hoping to find a bookshelf during our city wide garage sales next week, and if not I have a couple ideas.  Right now we have two kitchen cabinets full (one regular one and one small one like above the sink).  So maybe after our book purge we might do a cookbook purge. The lone non-cookbook.... book was one my mom found interesting. I've been to St. Francois County a time or two but not enough interest to read it.  Though I do need to find a new book to read since I just finished my 6th book this year (a book a month is quite an accomplishment for me, someone who as recently as 3 years ago read 6 books in maybe 20 years).

So when purging out books, we had to find a way to do it.  I mean we could donate them to Savvy Seconds, but then we run the risk (a good one for my mom) of rebuying the same books we just donated.  There is two little library's in our town now, one at the school that rarely gets used, and another we just found out was food items like cans and such.  So we have one other option.  Our local recycling center has a section that has stuff people doesn't want anymore.  So for the last couple months we've taken maybe 50-60 books up there.  We don't want to take all of them at once because not only would it take up all the space for stuff other people donated, but also a good chance that someone might just decide nobody wants them and tosses them.  So we take a few at a time, maybe 20-30 and get rid of them.  Which we might do again tomorrow.  I think we probably have 200-300 more to donate,  I also considered sitting up a free box for people to look at during city wide sales next weekend.  Which I still might do.

When we go, we see what other people have decided they no longer need, and the last couple times my mom has found some puzzles.  At first I was a little apprehensive on getting stuff feeling it was for the needy more than us.  Then I thought about it more and realized hey, we just set out 50 books I think 2-3 puzzles in return isn't a bad tradeoff.  Plus if we don't want them when we get done with them we can always take them back.  We have some puzzles to donate too, so we'll be purging for a while.

The top two pictures was our first trip there.  The bottom two I'm sure we got from there too.  Maybe we got them from Savvy but I doubt it.  I have posted many finished puzzles lately because I haven't worked on puzzles in a while, and my mom has been redoing old ones.  We have a stack of ones we haven't done, but right now we are waiting to clear some space before we spend time on those.  Some are like 2000 pieces so we need a bit more space.

On that first trip to Savvy Seconds, I found a shirt I really liked while my mom was checking out.  Now I could have quickly added it to our stuff before she paid, but I didn't want to pay the price they had on the shirt.  I'm conflicted on their pricing the last 5-6 years, especially on clothing.  All items are donated, but they are trying to raise money for funding of projects they do (Savvy is one part of Unlimited Opportunities which helps people with special needs).  So I get they do need to make a profit and such, but at the same time 25 bucks for a button up shirt is a bit much.  Just being honest, and sure that same shirt is 50-70 bucks on Ebay, but I don't go to this store to pay Ebay or high prices.  If they sell it for 10 bucks and someone turns around and sells it for 50 bucks, then yeah they could make more money, but they also just made 10 bucks off something they got for free.  Anyways, the shirt was 25 bucks, and I wasn't willing to pay that much.  I told my mom about it after leaving, and the whole day I pondered if I should have got it.  The next day they posts all clothing was buy one get one free.  I wouldn't save money on the shirt, but my mom was eyeing a dress which was 8 bucks.  So we considered going back, but ultimately didn't.  The next day they extended the sale.  Again, we considered but passed.

The next week they had buy two get two free on all clothes (which in a way shows they are overstock with donated clothing).  Now they are teasing us, but again, we passed and even did it again when they extended that sale.  By this point I was over it.  I didn't need the shirt, and I was okay with it.

Yesterday we needed to make a food run, and we decided we would go to Savvy to look at things.  Now the day before they had the best deal yet- half off all clothing!  So it would be 12.50, a price I could be happy with.  This was 3 weeks since we last went, I bet there's no way its still there, so we didn't go on Friday.  On Saturday before we left, I noticed they did extend the sale.  So if its there I'll get it and if its not, I won't.

We stop there first.  The place somehow had more racks of clothes, and was literally busting at the seams with clothes.  It prevented me from really looking at CD's.  So I looked at the books.

If I'm being honest, the Campbell's book was the only one I really cared for.  The paperback book was one my mom was semi-interested in and the Life's Simple recipes we got because if we needed space to put index cards of recipes, this had space to add.  The first book about post 9/11 was there last time but I passed on it.  Liking to get books in multiples of 4 (25 cents each) I decided to get it this time (even though I showed 7 previously, we did get 8 books the previous trip).  After books the store was also a bit crowded with people but we looked at puzzles.  Again we are use to paying the $1 or so they use to sell for so we have more restraint for $3 used puzzles.  Nothing caught our eye, but they are next to board games, and one stood out to me, one I've been looking for.

This was a game I remember from childhood and I still have it.  The problem is the cards are in really rough shape and some might be missing (I think I even bought that version used at a garage sale).  So for the last 15-20 years I've been hoping to find a better version of the game, and I found this for 5 bucks.  If it was used I doubt I would buy it, but it was still sealed.  Its a fun game and I hope to play it one day soon.

Now of course your interested on if I found the shirt or not.  I'll be honest, it was the first place I looked when I entered the store, and.... it was not.... in the same spot it was last time, it was just down the rack.

I was really excited to find it and pay only 12.50 for it.  We had a discount card as well, so for about 17 bucks we got 4 books, a still sealed game and a nice button down shirt (not my size, but I can't be choosy- I don't need to button it up to wear it).  Not bad.  So why am I, a Kansas City Royals fan so happy buying a St. Louis Cardinals shirt?

Because around 15 or so years ago my mom and my late sister was looking at this store a couple towns over that had overstock clothes and such and found the exact same shirt, but in my size (at that time), and of the Kansas City Royals.  So seeing this Cardinals shirt (which the Cardinals was my sister's favorite team) brought back a lot of memories and joy.  It was why I really was torn on paying 25 dollars for it initially and each time they had a clothing sale I had to restrain myself.  Getting it at half price was something that I won't later regret (like many other purchases I have made), and shows that I have some restraint.  The only real issue is when and where am I going to wear it? I don't go out much and if I do I don't want to rep the Cardinals over the Royals.  Though I had a funny idea.  Maybe one day I'll buy a ticket to a game between the Royals and Cardinals right behind home plate. Every half inning while they are in a commercial break, I can change the shirt to which team is batting.  I think it would be funny people watching on TV thinking "Didn't that guy have on a Cardinals shirt last inning?"  Then again I have only gone to a handful of games, but the last 2 times I've gone to a Royals game (one was rained out, or thought to be until we left), I have worn the Royals shirt.  I even got asked about it while looking at the Royals Hall of Fame in 2015.  It seems to be somewhat rare with a worker mentioning they've only seen it 1-2 times.  I even did some digging and found a pic of a guy sitting next to the dugout wearing it during the World Series in 2014 or 2015.

Anyways I am so happy with some recent purchases and even happier that my mom and I have started to purge items we no longer want or need.  I hope that I can do the same with more stuff in the future, and as I say that, there is a possibility I might try to purge some of my unwanted trading cards later this month.  There is a card show in the next town over and I'm thinking of loading the car up and seeing if anyone makes me an offer.  I don't think they have much value (a lot of "junk wax era" and bent corners) but there is some 82/83 Donruss or Fleer that might have a little value.  At this point I'd rather just get rid of it then try to make a profit on it.  I'm not getting rid of all my cards, these are just 10-15000 cards that I don't want and taking up space.  Maybe this is the chance to do it.  I'll let you know if I go through with it or not.

Anyways I think I'll wrap things up from here, thanks to everyone for reading and I hope everyone has a great week.  As for me, I think some storms are coming, but otherwise I think I'll spend time doing more cleaning and purging and hopefully next weekend can find some good deals at city-wide garage sales.  Have a great night!