Friday Frugal Finds: games, basket, décor, and the house I wanted to buy

I found quite a few things last week on my frugal shopping venture I am always on.  1/2 price day was last week at Value Village and of course I was there!  I got this basket for $1.01.  And 2 more pillows I forgot to take pictures of – won’t keep the covers but just wanted the down inserts – $1.30 each.

Then I stopped by an estate sale I had seen advertised on facebook.  I got these games for $1.00 each.

But I have to show you this estate sale house too…

I loved the yard, the porch, and all of those windows…and of course was hunting for bargains once I got inside.  But then the more I walked around, the more I started looking at the house and I sort of fell in love with it.   It was an older home – think built in 1979 and needed some updating and fixing up but it has sort of become my unexpected inspiration for our next house.  It wasn’t big – 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths but it had storage closets everywhere!  All those dormer windows make for great storage closets beside them – one bedroom had 3 closets!  It had a HUGE detached barn/garage with a finished apartment upstairs complete with heating and air.  The garage/workshop space is a must on my husband’s and my list and this one was beyond perfect..

I didn’t take many pictures but here is the living room.

It had a balcony upstairs that overlooked this with a small sitting type area.  I have it all planned out in my head!  Whitewash the brick fireplace, install a chunky white mantel with maybe some overlaying trim on the front/side too, create custom built ins on each side with IKEA shelves, and stain the original wood floor darker… and look at that pretty glass door – had quite a few of those separating rooms downstairs.  The kitchen and bathrooms needed some serious updating but a coat of paint on everything would be a step one fix until you could do more.

The house wasn’t for sale – had already been bought earlier this month by an investor probably and it isn’t in the location we want but it definitely helped me tuck some ideas away and sort of blew me away that I liked an older home as much as this one instead of the more craftsman style that I love so much. 

Back to the yard sale finds… I got all of this at one sale except for the placemats and the yardstick which I got on my 2nd trip to the estate sale (had to check out the house one more time.)  Paid like $6.00 for all of it.  Set of 6 placemats and the yard stick were $1.00 each.    Sandals were $1.00 and candle was 25¢.

I snatched this up fast – a red sweater pillow cover with a zipper!  For 25¢!

Books were 5¢ each – will pack away for birthday gift.

Fishbowl (for a goldfish we have had since a fall festival last year that just won’t die already!! ) – $1.00.  He has gotten so big he had pretty much outgrew the small vase I had him in.  New IKEA spice jars – $1.00

So there’s my finds – minus the house that I accidently fell in love with.  

How about you?  Any fun finds?  Falling in love with a house you saw at a yard sale or estate sale?