Where to get the best stuff for super cheap!

 

This is such a random post for me, but I thought I would share where I purchased all my current set of dishes, my glasses and few other things.  First of all you must know, that all the dishes we received as wedding presents 20 years ago were broken within a few years.  I break a dish or a glass at least once a week.  I am always in a rush and Tiara is always accidentally hitting things over, so as a team, we break lots of stuff in our house.

I am actually so notorious for being clumsy and rough on dishes that one of my best friends won’t even let me help clean her dishes in fear I will break something.  Once I was at her house for lunch and I kept trying to help clean up.  She kept taking things out of my hands and taking over and I was so confused.  I finally asked her “why won’t you let me help?”  “Because I don’t want everything to get broken,”  she said.   “Ha,Ha, works for me, I will watch you clean.”

So back to where I got my dishes.  About six months ago I was in serious need of new dishes.  I decided to give away the set of dishes we had been using for over 10 years.  My mom bought them for us at Mervyn’s a zillion years ago and they had a picture of 2 ladies eating in a French Cafe.  I really loved them but the colors were so wrong and we had been using them forever, so I gave them to the Goodwill, without buying a new set.  I was on a cleaning out mission and didn’t think about what we would eat on after I gave them away.

We have a set a melamine dishes from Target which we ate most of our meals on because of our propensity for breaking things.  The problem is that you aren’t suppose to  microwave them and they look really ugly if company shows up.  Well, you can microwave them but it isn’t safe because of the plastic coating. 

So every time Lou would try and heat up his left overs it became very complicated.  I didn’t like him to waste a paper plate, always trying to save the environment, but I only had a set of green ceramic plates which came out of the microwave excessively hot.  So hot, your immediate response is to drop the plate.  The other options were china and a really cool set of hand painted dishes I found a TJ Maxx, neither of which are meant for the microwave.  So invariably everyone started using paper plates all the time which made me really mad, even though I left them no options.  I finally decided I needed to buy some new plates.

I went to Crate and Barrel,Target and TJMaxx but the boring white dishes seemed so expensive for what they were where.  I then decided to hit up the thrift stores.  OMG, I found great white Crate and Barrel plates, a whole set for $4, and clear plates to mix in.  I also found some super cool glasses and a few other fabulous kitchen items.  My cabinet is so overflowing with cool plates they barely fit.  I now have 26 plates, which go in the microwave, look great and cost me less than $15.00.  Plus, the style is to mix and match.  So every time I set up the buffet for a dinner, I just alternate white, glass, white, glass, etc.   So cute and easy.

 

Funny enough, Lou hates anything from a thrift store, he isn’t a bargain shopper and thinks it is all gross stuff that has been used by other people.  That part is true, but once I got the plates home and ran them through the dishwasher, he surprising loved them.

 

 

So my advice is, if you have never gone thrift shopping, you should try it, it is so much fun.  Trinity loves to pop into thrift stores with me whenever we get the chance.  Luckily I don’t have a utility vehicle anymore, so I can’t drag home any large items anymore.  I am known for picking stuff up on the side of the road and other random assorted places.

Have a wonderful weekend!!!