Baskets, baskets, baskets

Today I have to haul all of those baskets to school. I didn't realize how many I had actually purchased this summer, until I put them all together. I had them at the top of my supply request list, but I never get them. So, I decided to find them on my own. I got pretty lucky, I think. These are my latest acquisitions...

A lady at the Public Market showed up for Saturdays through October. She sells larger baskets for about $1 apiece, and has a whole ginormous box of baskets of all sizes for 50 cents apiece.

My problem is that I don't like the baskets with handles. They do not neatly fit on my shelves. In fact, most of what I have left has handles, because they do not get used as frequently. I dug through this ginormous box and found several smaller ones with no handles. I am also in dire need of smaller baskets. Mine have actually held up pretty well over the years; I just want some more to better fit on the shelves and to be more visually appealing. I ended up with this box full for a mere $7. I want to go back some more.

And no, those wine bottles will not be going with me. Actually, I took this picture two weeks ago. They are already gone.

Earlier this summer, I was shopping at Savers. It is a similar concept to Goodwill in that you donate gently used items. They resell them and donate to a charity. I forget what they actually support. It has quickly become one of my favorite stores. ($7 Lands End slip-on shoes, but I digress.) On that trip, I got lucky with the baskets.

And then there was a trip to the local Goodwill...

And finally, I stopped in at Ben Franklin back home in Ohio. That store is deadly for Montessori teachers. They had all kinds of random baskets and trays and what-not from which to choose. I had to behave...

All of this for about $20. Not bad. This should give me a good head start when I go back. I could dream and hope that I have a whole slew of new baskets also waiting for me. I won't hold my breath....