We'll Never Buy New Again

...was my thought as we left two different thrift stores yesterday (The Closet, in adorable Old Town Herndon, and The Salvation Army nearby), loaded down with goods (and canvas bags to carry them in) for less than $20. Here's the haul:

More specifically, we got: two glass canisters to keep our flour in (currently the flour stays in the bag it came in, which is a messy and not particularly aesthetic solution), 

a narrow bread pan (makes taller bread which is better for sandwiches!), a tin cup for camping,

and AN ICE CREAM MAKER. This last item is particularly exciting because for the past several days (okay, longer than that) Matt has wisely been restraining me from spending $60-70 on the ice cream attachment for the KitchenAid. ("But it will pay for itself by the end of the summer!" "How often do we eat ice cream? Twice a month? And you still have to BUY the ingredients, you know!"). I knew he was right, but still very much desired the ability to create, as this maker promises, "Frozen Delights." At $4, this one is a little more within the budget! (Besides, "IT'S FUN!")

Matt also got a vegetable mill (honestly, I'm not sure what one does with that, but at $2 and very sturdy, it was still a bargain), and I got VHS copies of Now and Then (which I'd just been thinking about!) and Jurassic Park (which I'll watch again and again).

 As with books, I don't buy movies unless I anticipate watching them enough times to offset the cost of buying them vs renting. Given that these were under $2 apiece, and two of my old favorites, I felt the cost was justified.

We hit the thrift stores because recently I've been devoting even more thought than usual to a) the budget and b) environmentally speaking, the idea of cutting down the amount of new goods we purchase and trash that's manufactured. Buying secondhand neatly fits in with each of these ideals and, additionally, makes for an interesting outing. The Closet in particular was busy with all kinds of people and full of good things, including cheap terracotta pots we may go back for once we get a gardening scheme fleshed out for real. They also offered day-old bread (ciabatta, sourdough, rolls) from Trader Joe's FOR FREE. Who says there's no free lunch?

After thrifting it up in the morning, we then rode our bikes to do some errands (haircut for Matt, Home Depot to get the materials necessary to hang a shelf in the kitchen--and, while we were at it, A TOMATO PLANT!). We're hoping to do more of our errands that way as the weather stabilizes--granted, it takes longer, but honestly--what more important things than spending time together, getting some exercise, and saving money do we have to be doing most weekends?

Luckily for us, the answer at this point in our lives is: not much at all.