Recent Goodwill Finds

Poo.

So my friend Sue and I were supposed to have a day of Goodwill Hunting tomorrow, and I for one was kid-before-Christmas excited about it. We always manage to find a few neat things at great prices, but even if we didn't, a day with Sue is a treat in itself.

But then something came up and Sue had to cancel. Curses. To console myself, I decided to share some of my recent Most Amazing Finds.

First, though, before anyone wrinkles his or her nose: yes, I know it's considered impolite to mention something's cost, that it's unladylike. But to me, getting a great deal is a triumph. Why pay full retail when you can get something like-new &mdash or in some cases, new-new with tags still attached &mdash at a fraction of the price? That's just being smart.

(And I sincerely doubt many of the ladies carrying an Hermès or Louis Vuitton handbag would do so if they didn't know for certain everyone who sees it &mdash or at least everyone who matters &mdash would know how expensive it was. Apparently it's acceptable to let your bag brag.)

But a Goodwill bag is an enigma. It could contain throw-away items for a Halloween costume or genuine treasures snapped up at unbelievable savings. A couple examples of the latter include:

I found eight of these Noritake Halls of Ivy accent plates mixed in the stacks of orphaned dishes. I loved them instantly because they coordinate with my formal (read: never used) Noritake Platinum Cove china and my everyday Corelle Callaway pattern. Okay, so they're a tad fancier than the Corelle, but I imagine using them for a special dessert.

The best part? I got all eight in perfect condition for less than cost of one plate from replacements.com.

This big fellow is one of my all-time favorite finds. He's such a favorite &mdash and was such a bargain &mdash I'm willing to throw all decorum to the wind and tell you flat-out that he cost $12.15.

Why the odd price, you wonder?

His sticker price was $29.99, marked down from his original Goodwill price because apparently he'd been there a while. (I know; I don't understand why, either.) His new price tag was the discount color of the week, which in our region meant he was on sale for half-price. We saved 10 percent with a Club Goodwill card, and Sue saved me an additional 10 percent with her just-barely-earned Senior Citizen Discount.

I still can't believe I found such a huge Boyds Bear at Goodwill, let alone for that price, when his current value is more than 20 times that. Yeah: Two. Oh. That, and he makes me smile every time I see him.

Just in case you're curious about the afghan peeking out behind him, that too was a Goodwill find.

It understandably irritates Sue to see so many hours of work tossed aside (she's knitted many afghans and scarves herself), so we've rescued quite a few.... which is made easier when we can buy them for less than the cost of one skein.

Drat; now I'm all amped up about going again. I hope Sue's cancellation was really just a postponement (hint, hint)....