I think we've all got a mental list of things that we won't even consider buying used. A few things (underwear, carseats and mattresses top my list) just go without saying. Other times it depends on where the item is coming from. Hubby and I bought my favorite set of sleeping bags at an estate sale, but that was after seeing the house they came from. I don't think I'd have looked at them twice if they were at a thrift shop or on someone's lawn. I'm also a lot more flexible with things that come from friends and family.
Over the years, we've done a lot of thrift store shopping and brought home a lot of different things. Clothes get washed before wearing. Back when I was in the market for solid plastic toddler toys, they'd get a trip through the dishwasher. A few years back, I read someone's blog post about cleaning thrift store purchases, including lamp bases. Because you don 't know how many people have touched it over the years....if I think something needs that much sanitizing I'm going to need a really compelling reason to bring it into my home at all!
Some things just boggle my mind. When I was Christmas shopping last year, I stopped at Goodwill and saw a small table of random food items . There were two crushed boxes of Cheerios. Those were in such sad shape that if they'd been in my own pantry, I'd have had second thoughts about using them... And they had higher than grocery store prices on them. But at least those were still sealed. There was a package of dried fruit that had already been cut open. I don't care how high end and organic it might have been, who buys opened packages of food from Goodwill?! Again, the price was outrageous.
I Googled it when I got home -- looks like most Goodwills don't accept donations of food.
The picture above is from an estate sale. Those jars are scarier than cribs with peeling lead paint and widely spaced slats....but it's not the first time I've seen jars of home-canned mystery fruit for sale, and I doubt it will be the last. Fruit is one of the safer things you can preserve, but if the family of the deceased doesn't want to eat it, who else will? (I'm thinking there must be some awesome decor project on Pinterest that these could be used for.)
What's the weirdest thing you've ever seen for sale at an estate sale or thrift store?
I've done a lot of thrift shopping and never have I seen home canned goods at a sale, YUK! Now if those jars were old blue glass I'd consider buying them, of course dumping the contents. The weirdest thing I've ever seen was several pairs of false teeth at an estate sale. No one bid on them, I wonder why!?
ReplyDeleteI would buy home canned goods from a known neighbor that I knew canned them herself and was noted as a blue ribbon winner at our county fair every year. I can and can tell you that they do last a very long time and are still safe to eat, if done properly. I've seen false teeth too at an estate sale. Maybe someone uses them at Halloween for some kind of decoration.
ReplyDeleteI have seen personal hygiene and pharmaceuticals which were open.
ReplyDeleteI won't buy shoes. It just freaks me out to think about walking around in a dead persons shoes! I too have seen canned goods at a yard sale and you could not pay me to but them, who knows what the skill level of that person was or how old those jars are? Yikes!!
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