I believe I have just ventured into territory that even some thrifters would fear to tread.
I just bought someone's old (and obviously used) trash can. From Goodwill.
Even I had a moment where I paused, looked at my husband and asked if I was going too far.
He responded with his absent-minded-professor shrug and "Nah" - a manner that I've since come to learn means that he's found something he wants but won't tell me what it is.
Turns out, someone had donated a HUGE box of random vintage bulbs (mostly for slide projectors & cameras) that the hubs was deeply contemplating and would not say a word to me about because he had no idea if any of those bulbs would fit HIS slide projectors.
Once we got home and he had a chance to research, he found out there was a good chance some of the bulbs would indeed work. I said "Good. Go now. And take this box of donations with you."
Sad thing was, the huge box was gone. The whole thing. They had the bulbs priced at 89 cents apiece, and there were perhaps 50 bulbs in all. Now there's always a chance that someone scooped these up for a good reason or cause, but to me it seemed like someone knew these bulbs could be pricey a/o valuable and scooped up the whole box at once the same way that there are people who will buy 50 dollars worth of lottery tickets at the same time.
But my husband is a sweet man. Disappointed or no, he did the rounds, looking through plates, housewares and glassware for me. And in that section, what would appear but a small cardboard box. A small cardboard box that held 9 bulbs, the exact ones that would fit and were the right voltage for his projectors.
He had done just enough research to find out what would fit. But in his haste, he didn't actually pay attention to what these bulbs retailed for. I was the one who was curious about how much they cost to replace. Lowest price I found was 25 bucks apiece.
Holy cats! We got lucky. We certainly don't need 9 of them at the moment, but this was definitely like winning a 'lifetime supply' contest.
I will always be curious about the fate of those other bulbs. I'd prefer to think that a school or church is now well supplied, but I think it's more likely that someone with a little knowledge and cash to burn is dreaming and ebaying a Florida getaway right now, lol.
And waaaayyy back at the beginning of this long, long blog, I mentioned that I had done the unthinkable (ha!) and bought someone's USED trash can. Well here it is, freshly cleaned and sanitized, a charming vintage Rubbermaid that looks lovely in my bathroom.
