Thrifty Finds - Weekend 4 (and Confessions of a Garbage Picker!!)

I have been having some really good luck on the garage sale circuit lately.  My last week's finds were featured on Embracing Change this week as the most popular link!!  Thank you to Stacey for the feature this week!

This past weekend I went yard-saling by myself.  McG wanted to go fishing since the weather was so good. I teased him saying he was going to miss out on some good deals, but I couldn't sway him.

There weren't too many sales in our area last weekend - I think I had only 8 to hit - and I'm pretty sure that was because it was Father's Day weekend.

Pickings were not too good either.  I found two fishing nets for McG (which I didn't get a photo of before they went in his boat) and two lovely bird pictures (shown below).

They were $1 for the set of two and I really thought they would look good in our bedroom.

Saturday afternoon once we were both home - I HIT THE JACKPOT THOUGH!!  We saw the neighbour putting an old metal gazebo to the road.  I didn't need the gazebo since we already have one,

 but what I was interested in were these...

These metal panels were part of the sides of the gazebo...I thought they would look great painted up and possibly used as garden art or as trellises for some climbing plants.  I talked McG into carrying them home for me.  I think he was kind of embarrassed since the neighbour saw us take them, but I didn't care - a good deal, is a good deal, and if I had to carry them home myself I would have!

They are about two feet wide by 8-9 feet tall!!  SCORE and they were totally free since we just picked them out of the neighbours garbage!!  Do you do that - do you "pick" from someone's garbage???  I have to confess, I do it all the time.  I think its in my blood, since I can remember my parents doing it when I was young.

And that's not the best garbage find I got last weekend.  On Sunday afternoon, those same neighbours put these out to the road...

I checked them out and there was nothing wrong with them - no scratches on the metal and although the fabric is fading on the chairs, there were no tears or rips anywhere on the chairs.  Another SCORE!!!  I had McG carry them home for me - he joked with the neighbour - that maybe we could just go through his house and see what else they wanted to get rid of!!  The neighbour laughed and said that was all he was getting rid of.  It seems they got new patio furniture and didn't want the other chairs.  I'll take FREE anytime - and look, they are very similar to some of our own patio chairs...

I am hoping that my streak continues and now I am looking forward to this weekend with such anticipation - wondering what great things I will find!

Thanks for coming along on my weekly Thrifty Excursions!  Until next week...

Have you found any good thrifty things lately?  I'd love to hear about them - please leave me a comment!

Cheryl

Linking up @:
From My Front Porch to Yours 
Creative Cain Cabin 
Twelve O Eight 
The Frugal Homemaker