Back for its second season, Would You Buy This or Not is my yard sale column. Formerly called To Buy or Not to Buy, this weekly photo essay is primarily about yard sale finds Janie and I come across, and whether we decided to buy them or not.
Along with each day's sale items we may also throw in a few other items, and this week, we also take a look at beer.
It's a nice enough "spring" day in downtown St. Paul. A little cloudy 54 degrees.
Let's go to a few sales.
Find of the week
Wet stone
price - $7.95
sold
I've been frustrated with the steels and other items I've found lately for sharpening my knives. In the Shuang Hur Supermarket, I came across this brick-sized wet stone. My father-in-law who used to be a tool distributor, told me to soak it for a couple of days before using it to sharpen anything (hence the term "wet stone" I guess). Every knife in my blocks is now sharp as can be.
What we found least interesting
A little toy washer and dryer.
price - $5
no sale
Just what every parent would buy for their son, right? Why not? So why would be buy these for our daughters? These were actually the most interesting thing at our first stop, the Metro State University rummage sale. It started on Thursday or Friday and was ever so picked over.
Other things we did or didn't buy
Big Kolachkis
Price - $12
no sale
Our next stop was the Chech and Slovak Society Hall, for their annual sale. They had Kolachkis for sale, little poppy-seed, almond and chocolate filled pasteries. Most were little anyway. These big ones were about 14 inches across. I like folk art, but I'd rather not eat it. "Kolachkis" is actually spelled numerous ways, and I'm not sure which is correct, so I just picked one. 
Bag of goodies
price - $3
sold
At the Chech and Slovak sale, we loaded up 3 shirts for Janie, (including the flowered one that had a lot of bling sewed on it. There were three clothes items for me: a tan raw silk shirt (I buy every raw silk item I see; a collarless striped hippie shirt (great for mountain hikes); and cargo shorts with enormous pockets. We still had room in the bag, so I threw in a couple tacky aluminum items to sell for scrap. The cat did not come with this stuff, but was very interested in it anyway.
Two large, warm shirts
price - $1 each
sold
(I need to keep business purchases separate from personal, or I would have used them to start another bag). The red is a Columbia, and the gray is a Nine-Twenty East brand, made from a very unique fabric.
On to the Mendota VFW sale. Wow.
Eight XXL warm shirts
price - 50 cents each
sold
Some are like new, others are really warm and comfortable. Some hunter or construction worker is going to love these.
Large display jars
price - 50 cents each
sold
A couple years ago, a friend of ours said he was looking for these. If he still is, great. If not, we'll haul them to my mom's shop in Colorado. The chair is just for size comparison. Once upon a time we bought 4 matching chairs like this for $4 each. We send our new chairs to Savers.
Besides that, there was only one bogus estate sale and one other yard sale with nothing fun or annoying, so no pictures from either of those I'm afraid.
Ribs
price - $14.95
sold
I took before and after pictures, but decided the after really told the whole story.
On the way home we made one last stop to replenish our wine and beer stocks. While there I thought I'd snap a few shots of things I did'nt buy.
No sale, no sale no sale:
HG800 High Gravity Malt Liquor - 40 oz.
It sounded and looked like gasoline.
Mickey's Ice - 40 oz.
The champagne of nasty brews.
Designer Budweiser - 1 liter
Mmmm. Nascar and "beer" made from rice.
Blackthorn Fermented Cider - 1 liter
price - $3.69
sold
Also found in the bargain corner of the liquor store, this is imported from Somerset England. I took a chance on it last week, and I'm back for more. It's fairly dry, with a sake-like finish. Refreshing.
Val-Dieu Triple Belgian Abbey Ale - 1 liter
price - $8.49
sold
Not from the bargain section, but a deal nonetheless. By virtue of it's 9% alcohol content, it's more like buying a bottle of wine. It has velvety mouth-feel, and a slightly licorice finish. Careful how you handle these and don't shake even a tiny bit. The fermentation is finished after the bottle is sealed, so when you undo the wire to take out the cork, beware. The cork could blow out of the bottle before you get the wires off it. If that sounds dangerous, it is.
Whatsit Shelf-like thing without shelves
price - free
no sale
It was nicely constructed, but I couldn't figure out its purpose. I left it by the dumpster. I've gotten amazing things left at the dumpster, but this just wasn't that interesting.
Tomorrow they say it will get up to 65. Next weekend there should be a lot of yard sales. Come back and see what we found. Would You Buy This or Not is a weekly submission to the New Weekly Press and Yard Sales and Such groups.
End mileage: 80835
Start mileage: 80807
rate
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 42
Have you never seen the toy wood cook stoves? They're expensive antiques now, but who would have bought such a labor intensive device for a child back then?
Who knew?
Wilma, it was almost too chilly to go out. It turned out fine, but there weren't many sales.
Pat, I would guess toy woodstoves would indeed be expensive now. Not every family could have one, especially if it was hooked up! I wish I had one back when I lived in a lean-to in logging camp. I would have put it to good use.
Rob, I had a second hand store once, and I'd make regular trips to the Paonia auction to buy and sell. I love auctions, and should get back into them. Thanks for the reminder.
Sarina, I know, but I'm busy today moving around the shelves I have. I really don't need any more, and I hope someone took them.
It's especially nice to see you back Nancy. I'll do my best to get the posts up by Sunday morning, but some Saturdays may be crazy, in which case it might not get out until Monday.
I know so little about alcohol that I just had to skim that part. I guess that's a good thing? Is it? Maybe it's because when I drank I drank with a purpose. Jack and Coke. So refined!
Anyway, I was thinking about this group yesterday. I found something I'm just thrilled about, and when I find my camera, I'll post it.
Welcome out of hibernation (to the group)
Diana, I really have a weakness for stone and other heavy things. It's prominently displayed in my kitchen for sure.
I have to share my "find of the week" with you. I found a three year old Magnavox 20 " flat screen tv/dvd combo at a local Goodwill for $35. It had apparently been pulled off a table by a kid and when it was the antenna wire ripped the connctor out of the tv.
Undaunted, I bought it. there was just enough exposed where the connector got ripped off to allow me to solder a length of coax cable and attach a connector to it. Long story short, the tv and dvd work great. Of course there's nothing worth watching on tv, but if there ever is, I'm ready !
PS: Not a a bad deal yourself, shirts, shorts, and a cat for $3 !
I am so jealous ya'll have some rocking garage sales. I haven't been to any garage sales in awhile due to time restrictions, but I don't remember anything like you have. Hopefully I can hit the thrift store on tuesday as I am also needing more work shirts and jeans. I might follow suit and do like you to post a photo essay of my finds.
Your picture of the ribs made me chuckle.
The "tacky" aluminum stuff? I personally would check it for markings. It may be vintage from the 50's and a collector might want it. Cute cat, btw.
Whet v. to sharpen
still a very good deal , very seldom see them that large.
Stephanie, I look forward to your photo essay. No pressure. Pressure ruins good things. Let enthusiasm be your motivation : )
Roxanne, the aluminum really is junk. Base metal prices have been going up dramatically, and I have a cartop carrier at the end of my parking space full of brass and copper and aluminum. I need to load it up and take it to the scrap yard soon. I'm still looking for scrap at sales though, and I need to buy a scale, so I can weigh things at the sales. I'll pay up to 50 cents for a scale I can carry in my cargo pants.
Jody, thank you for the spelling tip. I thought about looking it up, but got lazy, given the "wet" nature of the water it soaks in. Any really large Asian grocery might have one of these, so keep your eyes open. Personally, I would have paid up to $25, since I love to cook and have a lot of fine knives I've picked up - you guessed it - at sales.
Thanks for the email notice of the sale! I've just one question. I've always refereed to them as whet stones and heard them referred to as such. Am I in error or do they go by both whet and wet?
i thought they were whetting stones, too...
Jessie, it was very far and few between for sales here, hence the digression into beer.
Sadly no garage sales for me this season. Trying to cut back on what we have as an out of state move is in our future.
I may be holding my own yard sale in July.
Mostly toys, heavier balnkets, Disney items and a few wintry things that will be of no use in California.
I would buy that wetstone but use it in my garden or as a decorative item and definitely the bag of goodies. That Blackthorn, ironically, has a lot of Irish symbolism and adore different bottles of liquors and beer. here we have the Buffalo Sabres edition of Bud . . . *laughing* and I though tthat poppyseed was a cool stone at first - OH that Mickeys? YIKES - we have that here . . . be prepared for a woozy. They hit you when you least expect it. Someone brought those along fishing once and was all we had to drink.