Selling Stuff and the Coolest Thrift Find of 2023!!

 There is a vintage store in a near by town.  Last time I was in UNIRONICALLY wearing torn up old Carhartt pants and a 25+ year old letterman's jacket, both of which I got at thrift stores years ago, I found the same items in WORSE SHAPE on the racks for sale for lots of money.

80$ish for the pants, 150-200$+ for letterman's jackets.

SO....last weekend I went in with some of my crap.  Some tatty Carhartts that I haven't worn in years because I lost weight.  A coffee pot I got a thrift about a year ago but it makes weak coffee.  It is like a moka pot from the 1980s.  Got 10$ each.  

No dice on the vintage Durango boots (that I got from thrift and they just hurt my feet) and a suede jacket I got for 25cents several years ago and never wear.  It's cute and fits, but I never wear it.  They didn't want it.

Oh well.

Earlier that day before the vintage shop opened up, I was doing a thrift store run with a friend (who also sold some vintage stuff to a different store) and spotted a super cool percolator for 6$ that looked damn old.   Also a columbia shirt in perfect shape also for 6$.  That's high for a shirt but my others are tatty and it's a new color, neon pink, that I can wear on job sites and skip the orange safety vest usually.  Those are handy.  It has zippy pockets too.  

The coffee percolator.  I thought 1930s but the base is skinny and odd so maybe older.....HOLY CRAP!!!

Last made in 1908:

That's it behind the tea cup (also thrifted a while back)

It is super cute.  I used the patent and maker info to google it and last made in 1908.  That skinny base is odd but it works.   

The coffee in that cup was nasty.  I hadn't cleaned out all the bits of antique coffee dregs apparently

Now I'm running plain water through it when the wood stove is in use anyway.  It is getting lighter and lighter.  I've used a few bamboo skewers to pick at the nooks and crannies that are full of coffee munge.  We'll get there.

The same pot in perfect shape is for sale on the ebay for 250$.  Ones in similar shape for much less than that but more than 6$.  Also, looks classy so I'm going to keep it and enjoy it.

ACTUAL Caveperson Food...Kind Of

 Remains of a cooked meal or two or actually several, has/have been found from neanderthal times. While neanderthals are not cavemen, or even cavepeople, still, you know what I mean.

I'm basing this off the report in the Guardian

Oldest cooked leftovers ever found suggest Neanderthals were foodies

 Cool.   They weren't "foodies."  It's more that western academics think everyone remotely different or from any time in the past is a stupid savage stuffing grass and bloody meat with skin and hair on it down their gullets.   

Turns out...DRUM ROLL...      WRONG!

 Anyway, the upshot is, these neanderthals from various eras and epochs were mixing and processing ingredients and cooking them before eating.   Not news to most of the planet but still, fun to hear about for me... a recovering academic.

The food find was a mix of pulses, mustard type seeds, a grass seed (read "grain"), and some nuts.  These were most likely mixed, soaked, then pounded or ground up a bit.   Then formed into a patty type shape and cooked on a hot rock.

I had lying around the wee shed, lentils (a pulse), mustard seeds (duh), cracked wheat (a grain) and some chopped walnuts.  So, I mixed equal parts lentils, wheat and nuts, and a bit of mustard seed and soaked it overnight. 

In the morning, I ground it up a little in my way to small for this job mortar and pestle, pattied it, and cooked it inside the wood stove on a preheated tiny cast iron skillet (got that at goodwill...probably part of some cookie kit nonsense).   

It was really good!  Tasted great.  The outside got a bit dry and crusty and did not stick to the pan even though I did not grease it (there was residual grease likely but not much as it didn't smoke or smell of burned grease).  I used green lentils with the skins on.   The pulses in the ancient food bits had the hulls on. I did drain off a little of the soak water but not enough to get rid of all tannins.

The toasty nutty spicy flavor and slightly crunchy outside with still soft inside was just really nice.  I'm going to make it again...and will make or get a bigger grinding stole.  It was a tad messy but I think I can get the hang of it with a couple of tries.

Not sure how long I cooked it.  I put it in and got on with my yoga and making coffee and things (by the way, it went well with strong coffee).  At least 15 minutes.  The inside of the wood stove was probably about 400F based on how long I cared to have my hand in there.

The walnuts were likely the least authentic item.  Almonds or pistachios would be more like nuts used in the samples found.  But, I wasn't going to drive to town for an almond or pistachio.  Used what I had...which was an authentic approach I believe.  

 

I didn't take pictures but next time...must do that.

 

Words on my S--- List

 Seriously people...stop over affixing your words!!!!

"Dangerousness"...formerly known as "DANGER"

"Resiliency" ...formerly known as "RESILIENCE"

These are the new "irregardless."  

Just stop with the extraneous affixes.

WOOT WOOT UNDIES!

 So, I have a reader (Hi Chris!!).

I mentioned that one of my fave gifts is nice undies.  And the aforementioned reader gave me fresh undies that fit and are "on brand" as the kids say.  SO nice to have some that fit and are not in tatters.  

My mood is much improved in general as I had been trying to use up my supply of off brand old tattered ill fitting undies.   

PANTS!!!

 I went through 2022 with zero clothing purchases.  Full disclosure:  I got 2 bras before the start of 2022 to make sure I could do this.  And 3 undies.  I broke out the 2nd fresh bra just a month or so ago.  The old bras are "bra shaped" but...man...not enough elasticity left to bother with most days.

So, there we go.

I have a conference coming up and while I have a pair of fishing pants with the zip off legs that are in great shape...they are also made of thin fabric that really shows when you sweat.  So if I got swamp arse or otherwise sweaty at the conference, it would look like I'd had an unfortunate accident.

And ALL my jeans, well, the ones that fit, are in rough shape and faded, ripped, about to fall apart.  No one sees them on zoom meetings but an inperson conference...no.   

I hit a couple of thrift stores yesterday after an out of town appointment and TA DA! nearly new black jeans.  "Idaho Business Casual".  7$ plus tax.  This is the last thrift store in the area that hasn't raised the price to 15$ for used pants.  Jeez.  I grabbed them.  Didn't even wait for the colored tag discount day because they were not going to stay on the rack.    I will wash them this weekend during the laundromat run because this store washes the clothes before putting them out.  They must use an entire box of cheap detergent on each small load because the clothes are crusty with it.  

These jeans have NO SPANDEX...I think we all know how I feel about stretchy pants.  Ugh!

https://simplicityandfrugality.blogspot.com/2010/10/dear-universe-get-your-spandex-out-of.html

It makes me have this disorder:

So hard cotton jeans with NO SPANDEX in good shape for 7$...SCOOOOOOORRRRE

Excellent Thrift Find

 So I found one of these coffee pots:

at a thrift store in Lewiston Idaho. I paid 5$ plus tax so like, $5.30.  

The pic is bogarted from ebay where the person is trying to get 64$ plus crazy expensive shipping.  The one I got is in better shape than the ebay one.  We'll see if that one sells for that price.

I've already used it multiple times.

Protip:  Turkish grind (like talcum powder) coffee is a bit fine for this pot and takes about 20 min to drip through and leaves a good quantity of sludge, but is delicious. I will try it with a proper grind size when I get some.

Thrifty Gifts I've Given and Gotten That Were Actually Appreciated.

 1) A pound of good coffee beans.  I get this one often and I LOVE it.  I like coffee.  I like the process of making coffee rather than going out for coffee, which is also fine but not as rewarding to my aspergery brain.

2) Really good sox!  Who doesn't like really nice sox?  And it saves me spending on sox. I give and get these.

3) Complete cookie mix in a jar.  I like to give this when I can get ahold of powdered egg and dry milk powder (the full fat kind) if required..  Powdered egg is gross if you try to fry it but for baking JUST FINE.  When I can get that, the cookie mix usually just needs a bit of oil or butter and some water.  People love it.  Layer it up in a jar so the various ingredients contrast in stripes or wedges.  Then fill the remaining space with candies or chocolate chips or whatever wrapped in a bit of plastic wrap.  Put the lid on.  I make a tag with the recipe, including a list of all ingredients, and tie that on with a bit of ribbon.  Old christmas cards make nice tags.  Just cut the front off and either cut out the santa/angel/other-featured-element, or use it whole. 

4) Homemade jams, jellies, canned goods (if you trust the person who canned them!).  GIVE THE JARS BACK with the bands. 

5) Dried fruits and mushrooms.  I get these and I like it.  They are home dried by a relative and are super handy as shelf stable food.  The mushrooms work really well in soups and casseroles.  If I put them in water for a bit, then blot dry, they can go in omelets.  

6) Any other homemade product.  I make mustard with no sugar or salt so it is keto/diabetes/glutenfree/lowsodium diet friendly.

7) Undies!  In college one of my favorite aunts always sent me nice undies for christmas.  As I was chronically broke, my undies would get a bit tatty and I'd just keep wearing them until you didn't know which was the leg hole and which was just a hole.  I kind of miss getting undies...(cough cough...jockey's for her hipsters size 6

8)  Grocery store gift card!  I gave this to a young friend when he was in college and he was GIDDY.  It was from a discount grocer so he really made it stretch and was able.

9) Handcrocheted throw from a friend now deceased.  She also made me an appliqued blanket from a cheap furniture blanket and felt cut outs with scenes from my life.  Awesome!

10) A cartoon alphabet similar to Edward Gorey style I got as a graduation gift YEARS ago and still love.  It has a scene for every letter, a rhyming phrase under each picture.  Composed and drawn by my broke-ass college friends.

11) Wine glasses with beaded skirts.  I was broke...but wanted to give a good gift so I found some affordable but nice wine glasses and beaded tiny skirts on them.  I think they might still be in use and it was a good 30 years ago that I made them.