Frugal RV items - Thrift Stores/Yard Sales

[DeanRIowa]

This week

Free:

• 2 Milk Crates - In Hotel dumpster, noticed while throwing away some garbage from car
• 1 Milk Crate - Side of road during snow storm

Cheap:

• 10 coffee pot percolator for over fire - $1.49 - Salvation Army, 10 cup for others, my family 3 cup

I had been looking for another coffee pot as everyone in family does decaf and I like regular. The milk company milk crates are great for carrying items to and from camper for us.

Returning cans today, thus off to two Goodwill Thrift stores in area to search for more items, which drives my wife nuts.

Anyone else finding anything?

Dean

[dewey02]

DeanRIowa wrote:


Wagner Kettle


The kettle is going to be a bit of work to get restored. The inside has a bit of flaking.

Dean

You shouldn't worry too much about the inside of that kettle.
It is primarily supposed to be placed on a stove (wood stove that heats all day) to add moisture to a house or kitchen...not really for making tea or drinkable water.

[ken56]

Just scored a brand new "trailer aid" for $20 bucks. You know, the gizmo wedge that is supposed to replace a jack.

Nice score on the cast iron. That Griswold skillet is worth the $72 bucks alone.

Look up using electrolysis to restore cast iron. Pretty slick and works like a charm if you have the things needed to do it.

[DeanRIowa]

While out of town for work, I found these items in two thrift stores for $72

Lodge 10" Dutch Oven


Lodge 12" Skillet


2 no name griddles


Griswold 11" Skillet


Wagner Kettle


The kettle is going to be a bit of work to get restored. The inside has a bit of flaking.

Dean

[austinjenna]

No law enforcement officer would give a flying xxxxxx about any milk crate with a name on it. You guys are funny and worry way too much about silly stuff.

[CharlesinGA]

I suspect the milk crate issue is somewhat similar to the oxygen, acetylene, and other compressed gas bottles with the names of now gone companies. For the most part those companies got bought up by a bigger company that acquired all of the bottles, and while not having their name on them, they do own them. Its very possible with the milk crates that there is a successor company that actually owns the crates. I suspect that many of them were left in grocery stores that went out of business, and never got back to the dairy. Some dairy's did go out of business completely with no successor company. At any rate, its certainly tough to track down the rightful owner and probably not worth the time.

I confess, I own a wire type milk crate that came to me with a small welding outfit with two 02 and one acetylene bottle and torches and regulators, hose, etc, so I too am probably a criminal.

I have become very cautious of buying stuff nowdays unless I absolutely need it or use on a regular basis. I buy almost nothing on speculation that "I might need that someday" Got too much of that already.

As far as the microwave tray, they do get broken as Speakeasy described. Someone on the Winnebago View/Navion forum was looking for one, for the same reason, it came flying out of the microwave when the door opened while driving. You would think that companies that make microwaves that will get used in RV's (and they are somewhat specific to RV's in many cases) would make them a little more durable. I found a whole stack of various microwave turntables (used) at the local Habitat For Humanity Restore last year. I think they came from an appliance repair shop that was cleaning house.

Charles

[dcmac214]

I guess we'll just go around Pennsylvania...

I wonder how a state with such a milk crate law would handle legally purchased dairy-named crates from defunct/out-of-business dairy. I got a carload, as many as I could cram into & on top of the old Ford, about 40 years ago up in Maine. Still have most of them and they're very well used.

BTW, since I bolted a 2' x 2' piece of 1/4" plywood under my 20# propane tank crate haven't had it tip over in our travels.

[doxiemom11]

We had a canvas awning that had thread rot from the sun and was letting loose from the top. We purchased a used Brother sewing machine from a thrift store for $30 and did the repair ourselves.

[SpeakEasy]

ro_sie wrote:
SpeakEasy, I loved the story of the microwave plate. I too love to shope thrift stores. You never know what you will find. Lots of times it is junk, but sometimes...................... Well, you need to start listening to your wife 🙂

Yeah; as you could surely tell from reading the story - she has a different take on things than I do. But I sure am a happy man to be able to share life with her.

-Speak

[ro_sie]

SpeakEasy, I loved the story of the microwave plate. I too love to shope thrift stores. You never know what you will find. Lots of times it is junk, but sometimes...................... Well, you need to start listening to your wife 🙂

[SpeakEasy]

Do you believe in miracles? My best "thrift store" story happened a couple years ago on our trip to Alaska...


Miracle in Glass


-Speak

[DeanRIowa]

Made some ground beef jerky last weekend, it was pretty good so I decide to look and tonight I found a never used jerky gun on special for $1.45.

Dean

[Jebby14]

wa8yxm wrote:
I like home made bread but.. Well, my Carpal Tunnels are not up to the job so how ab out a "Dump Loaf".. Dump the stuff in the loaf pan, push the button on the Bread Oven, and ... 3.5 hours later BEEP.. Fresh baked bead.. 5.00, 10.00 and well I got the original one (long since wore out) at a retail store.

A few other cooking things.

Bedding

Assorted "Toys", both adult and child.

I was a volunteer at a thrift store for a time.. Great Bargains, even the Shirt I'm currently wearing. (Though my favorite shirt was... retail)

thrift store adult toys is a whole new level of nasty

[mbopp]

Our previous TT rocked quite a bit (Lippert electric stabs.) I picked up a pair of scissor jacks at a flea market ($5 ea) and used them under the trailer frame. It helped quite a bit.

[DeanRIowa]

I went to 6 thrift stores over this past week and everyone of them had milk crates with a dairy name on them using them for storage, I never noticed in the past.

2012Coleman wrote:
Looks like a rival to the Weight Police has been born!

Now that's funny!