[item] 2 new cans of spray gold leaf sealer
[purchase info] Purchased new at Hobby Lobby
[time in my possession] Approximately 8+ years?
[last used] Never
[difficulty level in getting rid of it] Easy
[destination] Freecycle
[replacement item] None
[info] I have no idea why I have this.
[item] Roundup weed killer (1/2 bottle), 2 tubes of caulk (unopened), 1/2 bottle of wood glue, 3/4 container of joint compound and an old rusty saw.
[purchase info] Purchased at various times, all new
[time in my possession] Approximately 6 years?
[last used] ?? Good question.
[difficulty level in getting rid of it] Easy
[destination] Freecycle
[replacement item] None
[info] What do you do with stuff you don’t want, but can’t sell? Yes, you would be a laughing stock for posting an eBay auction for a 1/2 bottle of glue. Freecycle is great for this type of stuff! Don’t throw it away. Not only is that bad for the environment if it’s chemicals like this stuff, but it’s also just wasteful. People can use this stuff! I filled my entire driveway with items like this, grouped into logical categories. In 24 hours, my driveway was empty. Yes, 100% empty. If I need any of this type stuff, I’ll find it on freecycle, borrow it, or buy it if it’s something I’ll use more than once.
Yes, I paid full price. Two times. But it was planned.
As I said early on in the no retail shopping challenge, I would love to have a pair of TOMS shoes. I love what they’re doing and if I buy a pair of shoes, a child that is in need of shoes gets a pair. The one-for-one model. [day 295] I went to the mall… I know, but let me explain! I went to the mall to go have my phone checked out at the Apple store. I told my son I would take him to the Lego store too.
After going both of those places, wondering how I’m going to lower my blood pressure, I made my way back to Nordstrom’s, where I parked. The ambient noise included crowds of people doing their weekend shopping routine and the louder noises of my son chatting about plastic crap and how Lego pieces are not crap and his friend begging to go to girl stores to clothes shop. Why are these kids with me??!?
We stopped in Nordstrom’s in the shoe department to try on some TOMS. I guess I could have bought them there, and I might have, but they didn’t have the color I wanted in the right size. I decided to go home and buy them online. The shopping experience is just not my happy place.
I bought my ash gray canvas TOMS online. I paid about the same price I would have at Nordstrom’s when you calculate shipping for the online order versus tax that I would have paid retail. 
I also bought a pair of TOMS boots, or botas, as they call them. These were not an impulse buy, as I’ve been planning on buying boots for months. I’ve been looking at thrift stores but either women don’t have boots or they don’t give them away. Now that I have two pairs of TOMS, I feel like I bought two pairs of blank canvases to paint.
While thinking of what I will paint on my TOMS, I found a pair of beige Sanuk’s at Plato’s Closet for $10. Screaming deal, but I’m allergic to beige. Yes, these are perfect to paint! I can practice my painting techniques and ideas on these. 
I used fabric paint, fabric dye, old fabric scraps, glue and acrylic paint. I also used a piece of iridescent plastic and some paint pens. So what happened? All of my ideas worked just fine. They’re a bit bright, so my next pair of painted shoes will be toned down a bit, but all in all, they turned out good.
I feel good about all three of these purchases. Why?
Goodwill. Two kids somewhere got a pair of shoes they desperately needed. TOMS are not cheap, but what they’re doing is awesome. I will gladly support a company that helps people in need.
Good deal. the Sanuk’s were a good deal. They retail for $54 and I paid $10. Not my best deal, but still good. Very comfortable shoes!
Good practice. I was glad to have a pair of practice shoes to paint before painting my TOMS. I’ve painted shoes before [day 145] but these would be a little different. $10 is not a bad investment. I had all of the painting and embellishment supplies.
I also thought of a fundraising idea to do with TOMS to help the kids down at Casa Hogar Elim, and the ball is rolling on that. Great stuff! Yes, I feel good about these purchases. :)
[item] Framed light switch plate with artwork
[purchase info] Purchased the frame new, but on sale for $7.00 and the switch plate came with the old house
[time in my possession] Approximately 8 years
[last used] 4.5 years ago
[difficulty level in getting rid of it] Easy
[destination] Freecycle
[info] I made the switch cover using a decoupage technique with artwork from old art books. The frame around it made it look like a mini painting. I had a few of these, some are in my house now without the frames.
I don’t have any resolutions for the new year. I’m doing the no shopping challenge, I’m getting a lot of things done in my house and I’m doing most of the things I want/need to be doing. One thing I do want to change is my cooking habits. Cooking is not fun for me, but I’m trying to be better about cooking more and eating out less.
I upgraded my kitchen this week so I have more counter space and I bought the final piece of Le Creuset cookware to complete my collection. Yes, all of it was used.
I found an island for my kitchen on craigslist. I’ve been thinking about doing this for about a year now, but the island has to be on wheels and a very specific size to fit in my kitchen. Color is no problem, as I can redesign it. I needed something solid so I can tile the top of it. After looking at islands, I think this one retails for around $150-$200. I paid $60. Here it is after the makeover.
The drawers are on the other side. I have the tile to do the top, but I didn’t have the setting materials or grout, so I decided to do an artistic treatment and collage artwork on the top. It’s a great thing to do to recycle and reuse books or magazines. It’s easy to do, just use spray glue for the artwork, layer it until you’re happy with it and paint a couple coats of clear acrylic over it. It’s very durable, as I have a bathroom floor done this way.
The next item I purchased (Merry Christmas to me) was from eBay. It’s the final piece to my Le Creuset cookware. I bought a steamer insert 6 years ago and the guy at the store told me it would work with a pot I already had. It didn’t. So this was not an impulse buy, as I’ve been planning to buy this for a while. 
Why? Let’s just say my MacGyver steamer rig didn’t work out so well. It steamed great, but it took about 3 hours to clean up and luckily didn’t ruin my stove. It was pricey, but it works into the no retail thing. $188 including shipping. This pot retails new for $315 and you can’t kill this stuff, it will be passed on to your grandkids.
I didn’t pay a lot for most of my pieces. I got my first one at the thrift store for $4. I got a set for free with my AMEX points. All of the others were eBay or factory seconds, and I got their coupon calendar, so I paid next to nothing.
I guess I really didn’t need any of this stuff, but it’s all used and because I was not in a hurry, I found exactly what I wanted and for a good price. Value might be a better word. Happy new year.