Anyone else love thrift stores!

R. Zimm

R. Zimm

Member
Location
SE Florida
I check out local thrift stores sometimes to look for a particular item for my latest project for World Domination or just to see what's available. Today I picked up a 14 inch flat computer monitor that runs on 12v. They let me test it and I got it for $8!

It came with the 12v wall plug (which I might need for something else anyway) and the monitor has built in speakers which also work fine. I had spare VGA cables and audio cables so I did not have to buy anything else.

Anyone else love to go thrift store shopping?
 

When I was younger I used to check out the thrift stores for stuff, maybe got a shirt to wear or some knicknack, but usually junk. Now, with the bedbug epidemic, I won't buy any used clothing or furniture, etc. :eek:
 
I love thrift stores; garage sales, etc....but, like SeaBreeze, I've become a bit leery about getting clothing there because of bedbugs. UGH. I do still enjoy looking and finding things that I know I can wash and won't have to worry about such things.
 

Yuck..I never thought of getting an extra unwelcome dividend with Thrift Store purchases...never bought clothes or upholstered items, but sure won't be tempted to do so in the future..Thanks for the heads up!
 
I cannot go to thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets or the like because I spend all my hard-earned cash buying things I don't need but just gotta have.
 
Bed-bug epidemic? When did THAT happen?

Are you sure it isn't just another media over-exaggeration? Or a scheme by the pest control industry to drum up business?

Why would the bed-bug population suddenly explode?

And wouldn't washing the clothes get rid of them, even if they WERE there?
 
Here in MO; we've heard a LOT about bedbugs the last couple years. Some motels have had trouble with them, and people who've bought used furniture reported it, too. Some could be media hype, but not all of it.

I've heard that because some of the pesticides we used have been banned, so the bugs came back, OR they developed an immunity to whatever has been used in the past.

Not sure just how much of it to believe, but best to be cautious, if we can avoid the awful things.
 
When I was a kid, sometimes my parents would playfully say, 'good night, sleep tight, and don't let the bedbugs bite'...very loving and funny cute, since there were not bedbugs by us. Just the occassional roach who would lose direction. :eek:

But it appears to be a serious issue, and a lot of hotels, apartments, etc. in my area have bedbug complaints. Thankfully, we own our own home, and our hood is still bedbug-free (as far as I know). I'm glad when we go on camping vacations, that we spend our nights in the wilderness, inside our own little pop-up camper, with comfy and cozy bedding. I even hesitate to go to a hotel/motel anymore, as there may be some uninvited hitchhikers when you leave. http://www.bedbugcentral.com/bedbugs101/topic.cfm/history-resurgence
 
I would just love to go camping, but hubby doesn't care for the idea one bit. Although, maybe now that I'm up in years, I might not enjoy 'roughing it' as much as I used to. Don't like the idea of wolf spiders in or on the tent either, and we've plenty of them here. :eek:
 
Anne said:
I would just love to go camping, but hubby doesn't care for the idea one bit. Although, maybe now that I'm up in years, I might not enjoy 'roughing it' as much as I used to. Don't like the idea of wolf spiders in or on the tent either, and we've plenty of them here. :eek:
Click to expand...

We did plenty of tent camping when we were young, visited Alaska and remote areas of Canada, roughing it in our tent with our dog. Now that we're older, we enjoy our camping in a more comfortable setting, we have a small pop-up camper that sits inside the bed of our pick-up. Perfect for our needs, and no big expenses attached. We now go with our dog and cat, enjoying the natural wildlife and woodlands. This pic was in Colorado.

Camper.jpg
 
There was a guy in our veteran's group who had us laughing when he told us he listed CAMPING as a hobby. Yeah, I wanna sleep on the ground . . . a lot! One is guaranteed sleeping on the ground immediately upon induction into the Armed Services!
 
Wow - what an education on bedbugs! Thanks, folks - I had no idea.

Talk about synchronicity - the local paper just had an article about how stinkbugs are going to be a big thing this year in this area. Great ... just lovely. :rolleyes:
 
That Guy said:
Are bugs called "bugs" because they bug us???
Click to expand...

Interesting story on that ... the word "bug" was first used in the earliest English translation of the Bible, but there it meant "hobgoblin" or "scarecrow".

Oddly enough, the first use of "bug" to describe an insect WAS for bedbugs, as they attacked at night "like hobgoblins".

The things ya' learn ... ;)
 
I still love thrift stores, but I will definitely not be buying any kind of furniture there, after reading all the bedbug information. I will stick to teapots, or something that bugs do not inhabit.

I have been reading that there is an invasion, as well. The article that I found said that they developed an immunity to most of the pesticides that were being used, and then just kept spreading, until now they are found in every state. Even when DDT was legal and available, they were becoming immune to that also.

One thing that does kill about any kind of crawling bug, is diatomaceous earth. It is actually tiny diatom fossils, and is not dangerous to humans or animals, in fact it is full of minerals, and good for the hair and fingernails of humans and dogs.
It will also kill parasites, when added to a dogs food. The way it works, is because, Even though it looks like flour, it actually has sharp little particles, and they penetrate into the bugs and parasites, and they dehydrate and die.

Bugs can never become immune to DE, any more than a human can become immune to a knife. So it will kill any kind of bug or parasite that crawls through it, but not harm our pets.
 
Happyflowerlady said:
I still love thrift stores, but I will definitely not be buying any kind of furniture there, after reading all the bedbug information. I will stick to teapots, or something that bugs do not inhabit.

I have been reading that there is an invasion, as well. The article that I found said that they developed an immunity to most of the pesticides that were being used, and then just kept spreading, until now they are found in every state. Even when DDT was legal and available, they were becoming immune to that also.

One thing that does kill about any kind of crawling bug, is diatomaceous earth. It is actually tiny diatom fossils, and is not dangerous to humans or animals, in fact it is full of minerals, and good for the hair and fingernails of humans and dogs.
It will also kill parasites, when added to a dogs food. The way it works, is because, Even though it looks like flour, it actually has sharp little particles, and they penetrate into the bugs and parasites, and they dehydrate and die.

Bugs can never become immune to DE, any more than a human can become immune to a knife. So it will kill any kind of bug or parasite that crawls through it, but not harm our pets.
Click to expand...

Ohhh...I'm not sure about that, Happyflowerlady... I remember reading that it only kills soft-bodied insects, such as worms, aphids, etc. Somewhere I read that we should never take it internally or give it to pets, as it could penetrate our mucous membranes, etc. Don't recall where I read it, but it makes sense. I'll have to do some more googling on that one, as it has been a while since I looked for information on that.
 
The best years of my life were spent roaming and camping in our trailer, with my husband, the dog and cat. Wish I could have them back.
 

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