I've been hunting for a buffet for my dining room for a month or so now, and no luck thus far. But I have learned that patience is often the key to a good thrifting find. This past Wednesday didn't reveal any new contenders in the search, so Natalie and I headed for the default area of the Salvation Army, which for us is the VHS tape section.
She chose a Little Bear movie and it only cost me $0.50. I can't really do the math, but for a 75 minute full-length feature, that adds up to a lot of quiet time for me for not much money.
You can find VHS tapes super cheap at yard sales, thrift stores, and consignment sales. I hit a yard sale once where a family was getting rid of Disney VHS tapes for only $0.25 each! I found Last of the Mohicans over the summer for only $0.75.
I store the girls' VHS tapes in the drawers to our TV armoire, so they can choose their own movie when they're allowed to watch TV. (I keep our DVDs in an antique secretary in the living room.) I know that someday VHS tapes will be completely obsolete, but for now, it's a great solution for my family. My girls get to watch some of my favorite childhood movies, and I don't have to spend a fortune on them.
{Do any of you still buy VHS? Where do you store your movies?}
Linking to Rhoda's Thrifty Treasures party.
*There's still time to enter this week's insanely cute Giveaway from Ribbon Blossoms! You can also link up your favorite post of the week to my Weekend Bloggy Reading party for an extra entry. (Please add my button or a link back to me before joining--code is below) Both are open until 10 pm (ET) tonight. Hope to see you there!*
oh, you're tapes are so nice and neat! i haven't bought any vcr tapes in awhile but we still have all our old ones and a vcr player. ours is in our living room in the entertainment center with the tv. we had it built and put in drawers for tapes and dvd's. I have to say that my drawers are a mess though and another place in my house that needs serious organization. we also don't have alot of the covers because they've gotten squished or broken over the years. i'll add this to my list of things to organize :)
ReplyDeleteWe haven't bought any VHS in a while but we still have a VCR upstairs so BBC can watch older movies, too.
ReplyDeleteDH has a shelf in the man cave with all the grown up movies in alphabetical order implemented by him. I was impressed - ha! The kid movies are stored on a shelf in BBC's armoir.
Good luck on the buffet hunt!
oh I so buy old VHS tapes @ the thrift store...they live in a old dresser...well, and a couple of extra drawers...
ReplyDeleteOur VCR died a while back and we didn't replace it. I donated most of our tapes to Goodwill. I think that you are smart to spend $.50 here and there for tapes that offer hours of entertainment for your children.
ReplyDeleteWe still have a VCR, although we only hook it up occasionally, usually because the kids are feeling nostalgic and want to watch one of their old movies.
ReplyDeleteI love Little Bear! I had the book when I was little and my oldest watched it all the time when he was a tot. I just love the show...it's wholesome and calm. I wish they still watched it!
How cool! This is such a great tip for kids. We don't really watch or buy videos often, but when we have kids, this is a wonderful idea. Inexpensive and practical. And, what a steal on the VHS tapes! My aunt has nearly every Disney VHS tape there is, she's a Disney addict. I don't know if she's planning to get DVDs or stick with what she has, I've never thought about it.
ReplyDeleteOh, and my favorite part of this is that she was all about going to Goodwill to show off her ballet outfit. This little girl and I would get along. =)
Kim
My younger kids have a VCR in their room that I bought from a neighbor's garage sale for $2 last summer. It was practically brand new. They watch movies on it all the time. We have tons of VHS movies, most are from when my 16 year old daughter was little but I have a few from when *I* was a kid that they watch. As long as the tapes and VCR continue to work, we'll keep watching the movies. :) Oh, we store them on some built in shelves in my kids' room.
ReplyDeleteHi! Thanks for stopping by my blog :) We don't have a VCR anymore... our last one died, so sad. But you've gotten some great deals on some fabulous movies for your girls!! I'm your newest follower!
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda!
ReplyDeleteYou are so organized! Moms have to be!
Our tapes are a mess...you have inspired me....they are in a box.....
love,kelee
Amanda, those old VCR tapes are great for the kids, good for you for being thrifty with it all.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for all your support this year on my party! You've been a faithful participant & always leave me great comments. xoxo
I gave all of our VHS tapes to Goodwill after our last VCR starting eating tapes. Now we have to start all over with the Disney collections! Good luck with the search for a buffet. I hope you find a beautiful one super cheap.
ReplyDeleteJust the other day I was wishing that we still had a VHS player! I do still have a number of VHS tapes, and there are a few movies that I've not yet purchased on DVD. I think movies are a wonderful way to get a bit of "babysitting"--I sure used them when my kids were little!
ReplyDeleteOur DVD's are stored on shelves we had built for just that purpose. In fact, this is one of the few places that I actually do keep organized. (I'm an organization wannabe, but usually I'm a FAILURE!) I keep the DVD's all together on the shelf arranged in alphabetical order. That way it's always easy to find what we want. :)
P.S. I thought about you on Saturday! Can't wait to hear how your party went. I hope it was a huge success!
ReplyDelete*gasps* there's a little bear movie? I love little bear. haha
ReplyDeleteI too have a VHS built into a TV in the guest room and the kids love to watch my old VHS tapes. I keep them in the room in some wall hanging book cases. So they can choose and use them anytime they want.
ReplyDeleteI don't buy VHS anymore though..they have gotten older and love to sort through my DVD's now. Sigh! They grow so fast!!!
Hugs
SueAnn
Most charity shops here in the uk seem to sell videos for 25p. Some still ask 99p but then they just sit on the shelves unsold I think. I've bought most of the older (classic) disney films this way. My minded children love that we have such a huge selection for after school viewing.
ReplyDeleteMy 13 year old loved that movie when she was little! We buy DVD's now because all of our VCR's died. My kids carry their DVD's around and they get all scratched up. I hate that.
ReplyDeleteIf I had kids I'd bebuying vhs tapes - you're right about how cheap they are! They hold up pretty well to bad treatment from little ones too.
ReplyDeleteAmanda, Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today. I have enjoyed checking out some of your post. We also still have a VCR and tons of VHS tapes that I have picked up from thrift stores too and ebay has tons for pennies. I told my husband just a few days ago that we MUST always have a VCR because I love all those old tapes!
ReplyDelete