Tag Archives: op shopping

Coming Unstuck

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This morning we went into town with a list of things to do.  It was election day so we had to cast our vote and we were also going to the produce store to get some feed for the chickens and the co-op to buy rice and olive oil.

I was about to get out of the car and the strap on my sandal broke.

2012-03-24 01These were given to me and whilst they look pretty, they were neither particularly practical or comfortable.  In short, I would never have bought them for myself.

So, there we were in town with numerous things to do and no shoes.  I did not want to drive 16km round trip to home to collect another pair of shoes.  I decided to pop into the local op shops (we have 2 in town ) and see whether there was anything suitable to buy.  In the second shop I found these, barely worn, my size and much more suited to my needs than the pair which had broken.

2012-03-24 02I did not really need another pair of sandals except for my predicament today.  However, these are perfect and will get lots of wear in the future.  I think I can justify spending $12.95 on these.

Have you bought something when you have been caught short for one reason or another?

Thrifted and Gifted

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In my post on Thursday I showed you the fabric and buttons I had for a sewing project I hoped to do on the weekend.

I have spent the day sewing and have almost finished the dress, along with some other things.

Here is the dress – I just need to finish stitching the yoke facings and turn the hem.

When I was with Belle yesterday she commented that Miss O and Izz needed more shorts for summer and asked if I would be able to make some.  So, today I sorted through my fabric and found enough to make 4 pairs of shorts.  They are not finished – still need waist casing and elastic as well as hemming the bottom of the legs but here they are so you can see what I have been doing.

And some stripes….

Frills on the bottom……

Pink pockets…..

All of these things were made with fabric that was left over from another project and saved in my stash or gifted from my mother, mother-in-law or friend.

I have also set aside two more pieces.  This one is left from the pinafore I made for Miss O and will be enough to make a pinafore for my niece.

I plan to make some summer pyjamas for Miss O with this piece which was also given to me.

Finally, Belle bought this Fred Bare dress for Miss O from the op shop for $8 yesterday.  It needs a little repair to the hem where the fabric has pulled away from the stitching but otherwise it is just perfect.  Thanks, Duchess for the tip about the shop.

Shopping For Something Special

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In my quest to live a greener, simpler life with less stuff I rarely go shopping except for basic foods.  When I do shop it is for a specific purpose such as buying a gift or something I need for a sewing project.

I also buy from op shops where it is feasible and appropriate, as buying second-hand goods stops those things being sent to landfill and there is no additional carbon footprint from the production of new manufactured items.

Whether it is second-hand or new, I do not go browsing and shopping for the sake of it.  I know of people who go op shopping to minimise the cost of their need for a “shopping fix”.  This still tends to result in lots of extra “stuff” being bought.  It can actually be worse in terms of acquiring stuff as op shop goods are generally cheaper, thus enabling more to be bought.

Today I went to an op shop in the city but it was almost like a boutique compared to the basic op shops in the suburbs and country towns.  There are 2 op shops in Maleny so I went there is the hope of finding what I was looking for.  The purpose of my expedition was to find some things I needed for my costume for the themed dinner at a work conference on Thursday evening.  Our table is 1960’s and we have chosen Woodstock as our theme.

Here is what I bought.

A cheesecloth sundress which I am going to turn into a long skirt – $6.50

A single bed doona cover to make into a tablecloth for our table – $8.50

And finally, a top from the Nepalese shop in Maleny – patchwork,tie-dyed and hand-painted.  It even has bell sleeves.

I need to make a shoulder bag and I may make a vest as well.

Now I am off to start re-fashioning.  Next week I will post some photos of my outfit.

 

More Op-Shopping and A Change of Plan

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While I was in town I called in to the 2 op-shops to look for some jeans for myself.  My only pair are starting to get a bit threadbare and with the prospect of 5 days in Victoria at the end of the month I really needed some more.  I was in luck and picked up a pair of khaki-coloured drill trousers with a bit of stretch for $7.50 in one shop.  I went to the other and found a pair of Jag jeans which are in excellent condition for $12.95.  They are a really good fit around the waist and hips but are too baggy in the legs for my liking.  My plan is to unpick the inside and outside leg seams and reshape them.

I said in my earlier post that I would do some more sewing if everything went to plan.  Well, that went out the window quite quickly.  A friend rang to say he could drop in some equipment I need for a presentation in a couple of weeks so there went most of my afternoon.  I enjoyed the visit but no sewing was done.  Then I ended up spending a couple of hours finding and enlarging a picture of Dorothy the Dinosaur which is required for the party tomorrow.

I did put the studs on the jacket and get the present wrapped.  Everything I need is packed in the basket ready for tomorrow.

The Value of Op-Shopping

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Sometimes you get more than you bargain for and you are on the winning side.

A couple of months ago I bought this hooded jacket at the local op shop for Miss O.  It was $5.95.  Like everything else, op shop prices have increased significantly in recent years but I still thought this was pretty good value as it did not appear to have any marks and was generally in very good condition.

Miss O loves the jacket and the story could end there but the unexpected bonus was that I was able to trace a pattern from the jacket and used it to make other garments.

There was a similar jacket.  I used snap fasteners rather than a zip.

The same hood pattern was used on a dressing gown.

And now I am making a hooded jacket for Izz.  Here is the hood so far.  I will post some more photos when I finish it – hopefully on the weekend.

I did not have a pattern for a hooded jacket so I have probably saved myself about $15 compared to going and buying a pattern.

Patterns are expensive and I am always happy to find any way that I can create clothes from existing patterns or garments.

Although I cannot draft patterns from scratch I do make patterns from existing garments.  I had a sleeveless shirt which was a perfect fit and when it wore out I disassembled it and made a pattern from which I have made at least 6 other shirts.

I currently have a dress which I love and although it is far from worn out I intend to try to make a pattern from it also.  More on that another day.

Bargains and Collecting

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Even though I was working from home for part of the day yesterday I did not get around to posting.  It may have had something to do with how cold it was.  The temperature did not make it into double figures all day and although we do get quite cool days here things are not really set up to cope with that kind of weather.  It was grey and overcast as well which did not help my mood.

Anyway, I am back and keen to tell you about my latest acquisitions.  When I went into Maleny to do some errands and shopping I popped into the 2 op shops we have here in town.  I dropped some thing off to the first one and then had a look at their buttons.  Apparently any garments that are not fit for resale have any buttons cut off (still attached to a strip of fabric) and these are all tossed in a basket.  I went through the stash and found these to add to my collection.  They cost 5c each.

Then it was off to the other op shop to see if they had anything that caught my eye.  I was in luck and picked up a pair of jeans for Izz for $3.95.

They don’t look anything out of the ordinary from the front.  But the back view…..

…..is rather cute.

As I was heading back towards the counter I saw these for $5.95

A pair of unworn Clarks leather shoes.  They will not fit Miss O for a few years yet but too good a bargain to pass up.  They will be great with jeans when she is a bit older.

For those of you who are interested in my dialogue with Origin – I rang yesterday and they will be sending the bill as a priority so I should get it in the next week!  I did establish that the 1 month free is the offer I signed up for and it is an average of our usage over the past 12 months.  It is a credit of about $35 – every little bit helps.  I have changed the bonus offer so that we actually get 5% discount on all electricity used from the grid for the next 12 months so that will make the differential between the amount they pay for what we generate and  put into the grid and what we draw out even more substantial.  Bring on the savings!  I also asked how I could claim the credit from our solar panels.  Once we receive the bill/statement I will know much credit we have and I then ring and ask for it to be credited to us.  I am not sure yet whether it is paid as a cheque or directly into our account.  More on that another day.

Shopping & Sewing

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As I mentioned in yesterday’s post I had a successful op shop expedition. Here are the results:

Summer jeans

A pair of summer 3/4 jeans for Miss O – look almost brand new.

Hoodie

And a hoodie for Miss O.

Denim dress/pinafore

A gorgeous denim pinafore for Izz.

I spent some time today sewing and finished the sandwich wraps as well as a pair of trackpants and have started a couple of other outfits for the girls.

I did some mending and also altered a pair of trousers for Miss O.  They are a pair of corduroy hand-me-downs which were too loose for her last year so I made the little belt.  Now they are too short so I added some extra fabric on the bottom.  It matches the belt and looks quite smart, I think.

We are off to Brisbane tomorrow.  First stop to see Belle and drop off the clothes, although she does not have the girls this weekend so it will be a surprise for them when they get home.  I am going to help her sort out some things as she is trying very hard to cull a lot of the ‘stuff’ she has collected over the years as well as clothes and toys that the girls have grown out of.

After that we are off to the other side of town to see Missy and to drop off 2 prints which she asked me to get framed recently.  I had them done at Holden’s Gallery, a gallery and framing business here in Maleny.  We have had a lot of work done by them and it is some of the best framing I have come across.  Phil and Jennifer do a brilliant job and are very pleasant and helpful.

Here are the prints after framing.  They are ones that Missy got when she was on holidays in New York last year.




Back to Work & Bargain Hunting

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I am pleased that it is Friday and the end of the working week.  This has been my first week back at work after 3 weeks of holidays.  The problem with holidays is that no-one does the work – it is just there for when you get back.  I have spent most of the week catching up and am now pretty well back where I want to be.

Despite being busy with paid work, I have managed to achieve a few things.  We ate meals cooked from scratch each night for dinner and The Duke and I both took our lunch to work each day.  I bought and posted books to a friend, made a hair appointment for next week, had some medical tests, mended the hem of a beach towel, did 2 loads of washing, took a bag of stuff to the op shop, picked up some framing, stripped and changed the bed.

Tomorrow I will need to do a big basket of ironing, clean the kitchen and get stuck into the sewing for Miss O and Izz that is on my list from things to do before Sunday.  Speaking of Miss O and Izz, I managed to pick up some bargains at the op shop yesterday.  A gorgeous denim dress for Izz,while for Miss O I found a ‘hoodie’ and a pair of summer jeans.  They have been washed are are on the line at the moment but I will post some photos tomorrow.  All of the items are in excellent condition and cost less than $16 for the 3 things.