A Bernina Minimatic 707 Sewing Machine

Last year I found a Bernina Minimatic 707 sewing machine for $20 at one of the Goodwill stores in town. It didn't have a power cord or a foot pedal, but I thought finding one would be easy. Boy was I ever wrong!

The only place I was able to find a cord with pedal was on ebay and it's not even an original. The regular price was just under $50, but thankfully the seller had a "make an offer" option and I was able to buy one for $35 with free shipping.

My combined total for this machine was $55. I've tested the machine and it works very well and will be just fine as a backup.

My New Fabric Cabinet

Recently I decided to start looking for an armoire to hold my fabric stash. My search netting this beauty.

 I paid a whopping $36 and it was worth every penny.

 

The back has a large opening that was used for a T.V. and cables, but the old back will be replaced with a new back.

 At the bottom of the armoire there are four shelves for storage.

 I used Mrs. Meyer's Honeysuckle to dust and clean the armoire and it sure smells wonderful.

I love how much fabric the armoire is holding and I'm so pleased with my newest bargain!

Portable Vintage Television

I so love vintage, especially when it's cheap; I paid a whopping $5 for this treasure!

Knowing it was impossible to watch an older t.v. these day was okay since my new toy was both a t.v. and a radio. But, I did manage to pickup on one channel, a shopping network show.

Just for fun I was curious if it was possible to use a vintage t.v. with a DVD player, so I did an internet search and found this write up:

https://www.radiolaguy.com/info/Operating_your_vintage_TV_in_the_digital_era.htm 

My local electronic store carries the RF Modulators;

 And the Coaxial Cables.

 The salesman said I would need an RG6 Cable; which wasn't mentioned in the article I had read.

The Coaxial Cable was to be attached to the antenna connection located at the back of the t.v.

It was very simple to attach, all I did was unscrew the screws, slip in the "U" shaped metal pieces and then tighten the screws up.

The Coaxial Cable was then attached to the end of the RG6 Cable and the other end of the cable was attached to the RF Modulator.

 My excitement was building when it was time to take out the new DVD player I had just purchased for my new setup, but it was soon dashed when I realized the cables on the new players don't work with the RF Modulators!

After more reading and asking lots of questions, I learned I would need to find an older DVD player;

With the proper plug in outlet in the back. Thanks to the local Goodwill, I found what was needed for $8

 Thankfully my son had some A/V Cables and I was back in business.

 My vintage t.v. was now able to play any DVD I had in my collection.

 Of course what I watch will only play in black and white, but I have several old t.v. shows that are in black and white; such as Perry Mason, Andy Griffith, The Fugitive....and many old black and white movies.

My vintage t.v. sits next to my sewing machine and works very well while I sew during the day.

Not counting the cost of the new DVD player I purchased, everything needed for my new setup was roughly $40; way more than the initial $5, but the learning and enjoyment made this a bargain.

The Early Bird Gets The Worm

I've always known when it comes to shopping yard sales and garage sales the earlier you go the better; as the good items sell first. Well, I now know this is true too for thrift stores.

 With a few extra minutes on my hands I stopped by a local thrift store one morning and found this cabinet just waiting for me! It was in new condition with shelves on the inside; which I plan to use for holding our piano music.

When I looked at the price tag I was amazed it was marked only $9.98.

Starting our Summer with a Little Vintage

During warm weather, when we run errands, we like to bring a small ice chest to carry drinks. And this year we will be using a vintage ice chest! It's called Alpine and makes me think of summer camping.

The style reminds me of a picnic basket.

 It has aluminum handles;

And a lid that completely detaches.

There is plenty of space inside for our drinks, such as tea and lemon-aid, and enough space to hold sandwiches on the days we want to take our lunch with us.

I'm so pleased with my vintage ice chest. Are you curious what I paid? It was marked $7.50 but was half off! I would have been willing to pay the regular price for such a fun ice chest :o)

Glass Jars

I have an addiction to glass jars. Oh how I love them!

 These gallon size jars were purchased at an estate sale for 25-cents each.

What a plus to have the labels still attached.

I love using jars this size for my wheat. 

Each time I see them sitting on the counter it makes me want to bake bread.

My Thrifted Chair

 In November of 2010 I found and blogged about this chair; I paid 3-bucks for it at the thrift store.

We spent time sanding it and then for some reason the chair was set to the side.

 Until last week when Pat decided it was time to finish this amazing chair of mine.

 And he gave it to me for Valentine's Day.

I was shocked and so very, very excited!

A Thrifted Serving Bowl

Look what I found;

A 1950's Milk Glass Corningware serving bowl.

And I paid a whopping $2 plus tax.

Bargain shopping is so addicting!

Bargain Hunting

My favorite pastime is bargain hunting. It's so addicting and often I have to restrain myself in order to keep from buying too much; which isn't always easy.

All winter I have been watching our local Craig's List for a folding screen to use in front of the fireplace. Most of the local screens were either the wrong style or the price was too high. Recently, while visiting my sister, I checked out the Austin area Craig's List. And just look at what I found; not only the screen but a complete tool set as well. All this for the bargain price of $20 buck!  

 As Elizabeth gets older our stash of school books just keep growing. In order to keep everything in one central location I started looking for a desk that was larger than a typical school desk. Again using our local Craig's List I located a heavy table that at one time was used by the local college. I paid $10 buck and it has been worth every penny.

 This next bargain was found by Jonathan. At a recent book sale Jonathan purchased this paperback book for 50-cents.

A couple of weeks later, when he started reading the book, he found two twenty dollar bills tucked into the back of the book. He takes after me, such a natural bargain hunter!

Thrifted Quilt

It always amazes me what people donate to thrift stores.

 

I spotted this quilt recently and fell in love instantly.

It's completely hand quilted.

 Even the binding was stitched by hand.

 The quilt is made completely of scraps and so far I have only found 2 small areas that will need to be repaired.

It measures 64x67, the back is all muslin, the batting is cotton and most of the vintage fabrics used in the quilt are cotton.

Are you curious how much I paid for it? A whopping 11-dollars!

A Mosaic Stained Glass Hobby

 After seeing how much Elizabeth enjoyed learning about Mosaic Stained Glass I wanted to get her set up in this new hobby without going broke.

Hobby Lobby offers everything needed but even with a 40-percent off coupon it was going to be expensive building up a stash of glass.

 So I began searching Craig's List.

 And boy did I find a great bargain.

 A large assortment of glass in beautiful colors.

 And in all sizes.

Some of the glass still had price tags. 

 The highest price was $27 dollars!

 Included with the glass assortment was this very nice glass grinder; it alone sells for over $150.

All this for the bargain price of $80-bucks!