Thrifty vacation

After delivering 22 boxes of Bibles and books at Love Packages, Hubby said “we better not go to the bins. We will just find more stuff to fill the van.”
We went to the bins. I saw Christmas fabric.
As a fabriholic i rationalized “This little bit of cloth barely takes up space.”
After arriving in hubby’s home state, we visited at length with friends and family in nursing homes and squeezed in a stop at our favorite thrift store.
I parked a cart between two bookcases of gently used Bibles on sale for 50% and 75% off. I filled the cart.
“We have enough. I am going to go check out,” hubby said.
“I want to look at the crafts and sewing department,” I said. There I found a small pile of fabric panels and cross stitch kits. Plus! such a bargain – a quilt frame on sale at 75% off.
At the granddaughter’s house we plugged in her sewing machine and pressed the power pedal.
It didn’t work.
Two hours later, hubby and her dad reassembled its plastic shell. The belt had slipped out of place. We only had enough time for one small sewing project before meeting friends for supper.
Our Thursday host canceled because the doctor ordered isolation before surgery.
What to do?
Oh look! A neighborhood of 20 yard sales. It took a couple hours but I perused all of them.
We left with a heap of fabric, sewing notions, a craft cart and a box of free stuff we might need some time.
Our son had invited us to his neighborhood’s Saturday yard sales. Friday before hitting the thrift stores,vwe found a yard sale offering hundreds of free books. We filled half a box with Bibles and Christian literature.
At the first thrift shop we loaded a couple boxes with books and Bibles. As we stocked books at checkout the clerk said, “the Bibles are free.”
We still had time, money and space.
“The thrift store with a sewing section is open today,” he said.
I met a fellow fabriholic. Her loaded cart said she had beat me to the stash. I only found a couple yards of Harry Potter cloth to buy.
“She got there first,” I shrugged.
“Well there’s a little thrift store downtown we can check,” he said.
It happened to be the weekend that the shop featured fabric and notions.
I found more Harry Potter fabric, packages of pre-cut quilt blocks, double sided quilted fabric; dozens of packages of bias tape and a 1970s sewing machine. The sign said it worked.
“It looks good and it runs ” hubby said.
I bought it and more books that Sonny found.
“Is there a Habitat Restore?” Hubby asked.
There was and he found a newish lounge chair to replace his old one.
We had to re-arrange everything in the van. It dwarfed the boxes of books and piles of fabric, but he wedged it in.
Saturday, we wandered around the neighborhood. I bought a couple items and found a couple free items.
Hubby and Sonny found a church with tables filled with children’s Bible story books. They proudly showed me the box they had filled.
“I paid $2 for the box,” hubby announced.
I selected and filled two more large boxes with illustrated Bible stories and lessons.
“We have no more room,” the guys said.
They lied. We repacked and even found room for the boxes of books and Bibles Sonny had saved for us.
On the way home, we made another delivery to Love Packages so we wouldn’t arrive home with van fuller than when we left.