Op Shop Adventures - Bentleigh

Centre Road, Bentleigh, where all the op shopping action is. This past Saturday we went adventuring to 5 op shops, 2 of which were in Centre Road (there are actually several along the same strip, but I've been to a couple of them before). The day was shaping up to be beautiful, weather wise, I just felt like everything was going to turn out awesomely.

So first up was...

Sacred Heat Mission

271 Centre Road Bentleigh

9557 0895

Mon - Sun 10am - 5pm

We were greeted first by baskets and suitcases waiting at the front door, all in wonderful condition, some filled with toys and others with linen for sale. 

Upon walking in the door there are so many things to look at, from books, to costumes, to linen and jewellery. 

Books for miles! Everything was so well organised, no rummaging through books, it was nice and easy to have a look at all the book spines and work out what we wanted. Justin ended up with a couple of books from here, no idea what they were, but he was happy!

  

In the centre of the store they have a couple of large storage racks full of glassware and crockery. I bought 4 large drinking glasses, and 2 nice little spotty mugs for work, at $1 each for the glasses, and $2 for the mugs. The glasses were a hit, so I think I might head back next weekend and buy a couple more.

 

I just loved how the store recycled everything to decorate the store, or organise and store their products. Above left is the way they organise ladies intimates, and on the right is the change rooms, which look like giant glass doors, covered by coffee bags! All in all, we left with 2 mugs, 4 glasses, 2 winter scarves, new shoes for Justin, a couple of books and a checkered jacket too. Everything was really well priced, and the staff were wonderful!

We left with smiles on our faces, and hope in our hearts! Off to Vinnies!

394 Centre Road, Bentleigh VIC 3204

(03) 9557 1002

Mon - Sun 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

The store display that can be seen from the street was full of goodies when we went, but I completely forgot to take a photo, so here is the front table instead! A bit jumbled, but still full of fun things to look at. 

The store was reasonably busy which was nice to see, and it looked like there was a new volunteer working that day who was still learning the ropes. We wandered a little, having a look at all of the clothes on display, which were plentiful, but we didn't find much for us. I did however find an amazingly soft grey woollen scarf, so I had to have that (one can never have too many scarves).

 

The store had a great stock of winter coats, both natural and man made fibres at great prices ($8?!?!?) and fashion handbags of all sizes and styles. The handbags were a little hard to look through just because of how they were stored, but if you really  wanted to, you could work it out.

 

As is tradition at most Vinnies stores, they also had the 'Vintage' rack for $20 a pop. Some interesting designs I must say, none of them appealing to me though. They also had some great shoes for sale, sadly, none of them to fit my flippers. I was surprised however at their rather large selection of larger sizes. Look at all that gloriness! (That's a word, right?)

When we were paying for our goods, the lady at the register was so lovely! She was training, so it took her an extra minute or two to work everything out, but we chatted while she worked, and her boss was teaching her at the same time. It was so nice to see older people working and learning new things! 

Granted we didn't find much here, it was still a lovely store to visit.

We didn't find all of the op shops on Centre road, so will be heading out again in a couple of weeks to find the rest.

Love,

J xx

WTM: Yarra Valley Dairy

Sundays just scream country adventure to me, and my favourite country place is the Yarra Valley. Just far enough away from everything, yet close enough as well. It's about a 45 minute drive from my house, and just over an hour from Melbourne CBD. There are so many amazing wineries out here, as well as cafes, small boutiques and little nooks and crannies to explore.

One of my favourite places to visit is Yarra Valley Dairy. For no other reason than I love cheese. I mean, I really love cheese. If you love cheese, you really need to make the trip out here. 




Yarra Valley Dairy has both the cheese factory, which uses fresh cows and goats milk from neighbouring farms to make their delicious artisan cheeses, as well as their store front, where you could spend hours looking at all of the wonders on offer, tasting cheeses and wines, and sitting down to enjoy a ploughman's platter.



The staff are delightful and full of knowledge, rattling off information about all of the cheeses. For any tastings, you'll try about 6 different cheeses, including my favourite Juno (with juniper berries). Keep in mind though, the tastings are free for groups of less than 8, for groups of 8 or more, it's a $3 per person charge. Well worth it either way. 



Other things on offer around the store include things like: homewares, chocolate, sauces, jams, wine and bread. Most things are sourced from the local region, and they're high quality and delicious. Speaking of wine, they also have wine tastings on offer, with plenty of bottles to chose from.

  

We tried all of the cheese (even though we already knew and loved them) because who says no to free cheese from Yarra Valley Dairy? Had a bit of a wander and a look at all of the homewares, they have a new range of crockery including some amazing looking tea cups, as well as a few linen items like tea towels and aprons.



In the end though, we were there for the cheese, and the cheese is what we wanted. Between the 2 of us, we could have bought one of everything. We showed restraint though, and left with a Persian Fetta, House Cow, and a couple of Junos (because there just isn't enough for the two of us to share. Normal people yes, Alex and I, no.)



Oh, almost forgot! They also have pates and pies and other yummy treats!



Clearly we were excited about cheese! If you are going up to visit on a weekend, be prepared to find a full store, as it's quite popular. 



You can find them here:

Yarra Valley Dairy
70-80 McMeikans Road, Yerling
9739 1222

Lots of love!

J (and Alex I guess)

xx

Market vs Supermarket - Cheap Meats

I've spoken before about striving to live on a budget. Now normally, I can get away with grocery shopping up to about once a month, and just buying fresh fruit and vegies every couple of weeks. I've been trying to find a cheaper way to buy my meat, rather than from the supermarket, and I have trouble getting to the butcher due to my availability.

So recently I came across Tasman Meats, probably not a new thing to some of you, but cheaper for me than where I normally buy my meat. Here's a bit of a run down about Tasman Meats:

"Tasman Market Fresh Meats is a large format butcher with over thirty years experience in providing a personalised shopping experience to Victorians. We have 16 stores conveniently located across metropolitan Melbourne, Geelong, Shepparton and Traralgon.

As a company, we pride ourselves on the freshness, quality, range and value for money that our products provide. Our meat is 100% Australian grown and is mainly sourced from the lush pastures of Victoria. All meat is delivered fresh daily to our stores where it is prepared and packed on site.

We carry a full range of quality yearling beef, choice cuts of lamb, a full range of pork, chicken and other poultry lines as well as game and veal. We also sell bulk meat including full cryovac pieces.

If you are planning a function or a barbecue be sure to visit any one of our stores, where we will be able to assist you with your requirements. We can make product recommendations as well as cater for special orders.

All of our stores offer complimentary services such as marinating, slicing, cutting and trimming to your requirements.

Tasman Market Fresh Meats carries a wide selection of complementary grocery, frozen and deli products and a range of Italian products that we have exclusively imported."

I thought, while I'm out I'll do some price checking, so see if it really was worth it. During my grocery shops I go to Aldi, Coles and Safeway, depending on who has what on Special and where I am at the time. Here is my price comparison:

Product	Tasman Meats	Aldi	Coles	Safeway
Diced Lamb	$18.99 per kilo	-        -    -	$20.00 per kilo	$21.99 per kilo
Chicken Thigh Fillets	$11.99 per kilo	$8.99 per kilo	$13.00 per kilo	$14.00 per kilo
Pork Mince	$7.99 per kilo	$9.98 per kilo	$11.00 per kilo	$10.99 per kilo
Regular Beef Mince	$3.99 per kilo	$5.99 per kilo	$7.00 per kilo	$7.56 per kilo
Chicken Breast Fillets	$8.99 per kilo	$8.99 per kilo	$14.00 per kilo	$14.00 per kilo

So clearly I couldn't find diced lamb at Aldi, I'm not even sure if they stock it. All of the prices are based on my location in the South East Suburbs of Melbourne. I've highlighted the cheapest price in red to make it easier to read. I've tried to work out why at Tasman meats the chicken thigh fillets are more expensive, I think it's because I only bought a pack of six. If I had seen & bought the pack of 12, it would have been a little cheaper. Not as good as Aldi, but you win some you lose some.

Now, I know you're all wondering what the quality is like, well, let me tell you, Tasman trumps the competition! I actually watched them cut up the meat and package it there, then put it out on display. The mince meat has no preservatives, so they last 24 hrs and need to be either cooked or frozen for later use. The chicken products are plump and fresh, with a natural chicken smell (nothing gross here!), and the red meat is all beautiful red meat colours, even out from under the lights.

If you guys know of somewhere cheaper that has great quality meat, let me know, I'm always on the hunt for bargains!

Much love,

J xx

Op Shop Adventures - Mountain Gate

Just down the road from my house is a small shopping area, with a Coles, Safeway (It's not Woolworths damn it!) and a few random shops. Mixed in is a Villa Maria op shop, and across the road is a large Salvos. Unfortunately the Villa store was closed, but we headed over to the Salvos to see what we could find.

Salvos Mountain Gate

Mountain Gate Shopping Centre3 Mountain Gate DriveMountain Gate

9756 0495

 

There is plenty of parking out the front, and there are a few other large 'factory' stores in the same lot. Now, I know sometimes it can be confusing to find, but if you're ever in the area, look out for the Carpet store on the corner, and turn in there. The store is larger than it looks from the outside, and they have everything from clothes, to mattresses, and pretty much everything in between, even a piano!

The selection of clothes is really good, and they've categorised everything just like you'd expect. It's easy to search for specific things you want, because of how it's set out, but the lighting isn't the best, so it can be hard to see colours and stains etc. on the clothes. 




They have a massive selection of books to chose from and even have a couple of chairs so you can sit and read. This would be awesome, except for the older male staff member who routinely patrols the store and tells off people when he thinks are misbehaving. Kids, adults, he'll tell off anyone. But don't let that put you off, the rest of the staff there are amazing. Smiles and jokes all round!

There is a small yet formidable selection of CD's to look through, as well as a few records and DVD's.

Everything is sorted out into categories like adult fiction and kids books, so again, it makes things easy to find (I'm beginning to see a pattern here...).













The only thing I couldn't really find were many kids toys, I mean there were a few soft toys, and a small basket of medium sized toys (water pistols, dolls etc), but nothing that really catches your eye. I think it would be amazing if they had a section for the kids to actually play with some of the toys, I know for me when I go shopping with my friends kids, they want to take home the toys they play with. It just makes good business sense! 

 

 

They had an awesome selection of glassware, which was really neatly displayed on a wall. From sets of glasses, or one off water jugs, to vases and bowls, the options were endless. You can't really see it from the front of the store, as it's currently hidden behind a wall of wooden furniture, but all the better for me I say!



Speaking of the wall of furniture, facing the glassware were buffets and dressers filled with kitchen goods. They had quite a few items of 'vintage' Tupperware (I say vintage because these are ones I remember my Oma having at our old holiday house in Philip Island), and some great bread boxes. They also had some kitchen gadgets, like scales, graters and the such.



I was actually pretty impressed with this store. Considering it's size, and ignoring the cranky old man, I couldn't find anything wrong with it. I mean obviously every store has it's downfalls, this one being the lighting, all in all it was a pretty great find. Yes, the prices were stock standard Salvos prices, but I think the pricing for the larger items was actually pretty decent. 

I'll most certainly be coming back when I head over to the Villa store. Hopefully next time I can walk away with arms full of goodies!

Love

J xx

Op Shop Adventures - Malvern & Ashburton

A couple of weeks ago we went out shopping with my sister in law Vanessa, to some of her favourite op shops. Now, Malvern and Ashburton are normally not on my radar, so I don't bother to go out there. But, considering I wasn't driving, I couldn't complain. We made it to the Salvos in Ashburton, and Vinnies and The Ashburton Oppy in Ashburton. We also went to another Salvos more local to my house, but I'll talk about that separately.

So, firstly was the Salvo's in Malvern:
57 Glenferrie Road, Malvern
9576 0642

  

 

The store is easy to find, and brightly lit. They were playing some nice music in the background, and the store was full of people.

  

Now, like a lot of SALVO's I've been to recently I found the prices to be a little high. But I guess given that Malvern is a high end area I really should have expected it. I still had a look around just in case there was something super special I just 'had to have'. There wasn't, but I did enjoy looking at all of the amazing things. They had beautiful crockery and a spotty tea set I was tempted to take home, if only I had more room! 

I did however find a nice scarf that came home with me, beautiful silk with green and purple butterflies on it. It cost me nearly $7, but I do have a strange love for scarves, so I was okay with it. Now that we had our little purchases, it was off to Ashburton to find out what goodies they had!

The Ashy Op Shop
285B High Street (corner of Welfare Parade)
Ashburton
9885 5923

 

Where to start? Firstly, there is an outside and an inside store. Sounds strange I know, but essentially the outside is for furniture and larger items, and the actual store is for clothes, crockery, bric-a-brac etc. Of course we went rummaging through the furniture first, not looking for anything in particular, but had fun looking anyway. The wooden furniture is all under cover, and the plastic things, like kids toy trikes and baby baths (yes, there were 3 of them) were all out next to the fence, which has no cover. At first I thought it was a little odd, but it makes sense really, considering how much stuff they actually had there, compared to the room.



Next was into the store! They had a few displays out the front full of random things, and inside the store was no different. Mind you, walking into the store was like stepping back at time, I mean really, look at that carpet! I was amazed at how the small store was so full of beautiful things, and how well organised it was.

 

Yes it was a little cluttered, but really you can't expect much more. They had collections of handbags, records, books, crockery, vintage and retro clothes, random electronics, and my favourite, buttons!

  

The staff there were so lovely, and they had no problem with us rifling through things, or me taking photos. I wish I had more energy to stay and keep looking, I feel like there were so many hidden treasures!

We went across the road to the Ashbuton Vinnies afterwards...

Vinnies
252 High Street
Ashburton
9885 2952

We we greeted with a wonderous display of goodies outside the store, which was fun to rifle through, had a great selection of scarves and bakeware. Sadly the rest of the store was lacking much for me, I'm sure others would love it's collection of crockery though! 






  

I will say though, they had a great selection of plus sized clothing, none of it my style, but still I was impressed such a small store had enough stock to have a plus size section! There were plenty of clothes to sort through, but not a whole lot else. After Vinnies, we were planning to go home, but ended up stopping off at another Salvos near my house (Mountain Gate), but I'll post that separately.

Love,

J xx