My adorable, untraumatized, grandson-son who has lived with me since birth crumpled up his face in despair at the grocery story when I wouldn’t shell out $8.oo for two Tonka toy trucks. “Are you nuts?” I’d shrilly asked? “Do you know how many of these you could get for $8.00 at a yard sale?”

Each Saturday I shop at yard sales with up to a dozen of my always excited children. Garage sale snobs, as if, we only go to the expensive neighborhoods, or at least we plan our route to hit the upscale areas first where I’m not shy about bargaining dirt cheap prices down.

This morning, that same kid whose eyes had welled up at the cash register last week, melting my soft heart, and nearly making me overspend until I’d caught myself skidding past the good sense aisle, this same darling scored today. All the above pictured trucks plus a dozen Tonka toys and we only spent $5.00 total.

I’d purchased a dozen canning jars with brand new lids for a buck, a spanking clean shiny lunchbox for Tony while Lily got a new lamp and Sabrina found a trendy, high quality bedspread for a couple of dollars.

Once again we flew under the budget radar, outfitting my children in name brand clothes, buying stainless steel mixing bowls for the kitchen, and a new Heath-O- Meter bathroom scale for a quarter. Another lady simply handed my four year old a toy, “Honey, I don’t want to have to carry this back in the house. Take it and make good use of it.”

I’d raised my now 33 year old daughter totally on second hand merchandise all her life, myself as well, as it is ecologically sound and financially smart to do so. This philosophy is how I was able to buy real estate, to end up with acreage and an almost paid for mortgage; spending only on that which increases in value rather than on depreciating assets. She and I traveled a good bit back then before the other 38 children joined us and slowed down my high speed antics.

But, bottom line, I could not raise 39 children without a scrounge-ability factor.

My birth daughter, now an awesome cook and food writer, had gone to town yesterday where a store keeper gave her a sample of $50.00 a bottle balsamic vinegar. Blown away by the indescribable flavor, she still would never spend that much, it just goes against her grain. This morning I found (for just $3.50) seven cookbooks for her, all local Atlanta and Georgia based, that made her ecstatic, she’ll now pore over them for weeks, and I’ll benefit from the taste sessions.

Such a win-win experience for us all.