I have a different sort of After Halloween Haul for you guys this year. I have discovered the magic of bin stores! If you don't know what a bin store is, it's a place that sells items that are either overstock or returns. In the case of the store I'm shopping, it's mostly Target overstock and Amazon returns. Although lately, there's been this table of beauty and health items that I'm not sure the source of. But, oh how I love that table!
I'm not sure if all bin stores work this way, but ours marks items down as the week progresses. There are tables and tables heaped high with stuff and it all starts at $13 on Fridays. Then it keeps being marked down by various amounts until Wednesday, the day I go. The day where everything on those tables is $1. Yeah, less than the actual Dollar Store now. I could go on and on about all the deals I've found. If I had a blog about face creams and hair products, well I'd have a lot to share. But, I'll be sticking with the Halloween stuff I've found. Keep in mind, each of these items cost one dollar.
This 13x13" pillow is made of a fluffy fleece material. There are little lights in the eyes and mouth. A battery goes in a pocket on the back of this.
How awesome is this bow? It's made of a velvety material. As you can see, it is a pretty nice size next to that large pumpkin (9 x 12"). There's a loop and a clip on the back of this, so it can be used in a few ways. It could make a nice addition to a wreath.
Four pumpkins for a buck! You can't beat that. They're not super tiny, either. Each is 5" tall, not counting the stem.
And you know novelty string lights are expensive! I'm not sure how many are on here, but no less than 50. I didn't count them, but I'm thinking it's more like 75. I like that they're on a black cord. Such a beautiful purple too. They're brighter than they appear here, but photographing bright lights is tricky sometimes. Anyway, the purple lights I've seen in the past have been kind of dark and dull. So I was thrilled to plug these in and get some actual light!
This is a pretty nice size plate at 10.5". It's made of melamine, like a lot of Target plates. That's part of why I like it. The ghosts are of course adorable, but that scalloped edge is a nice detail.
Speaking of adorable ghosts, check out these three! Yes, $1 for three ghosts made of wood.
Each ghost stands about 4.5" tall.
Once in a while, some floral pieces end up in this store. Again, if you know the prices of floral decorations, you'll be amazed that these were only $1. I was sad to lose JoAnn's, but finding a place with quality floral and craft items for $1 is helping me feel better! So yeah, this entire branch of leaves = one dollar. Yeah.
I just wish I could have found a second branch, because then there could be one around each pumpkin. I think the color of the leaves looks so beautiful next to the color of the pumpkin.
I found branches of darker leaves too. They worked well in with Thanksgiving decorations. Three branches of the dark ones for $1. I couldn't believe how much was sandwiched into the plastic wrapping!
There are some nice little flowers at the ends of the stems.
I got two bouquets of these orange flowers for $1. So less than half the price of Dollar Tree floral with a lot more flowers. Each pumpkin got a bouquet.
I like the vintage look of those plastic stems/leaves.
A fluffy feather boa or garland that looks like it's about to slither away:
I saved the best for last. This haunted house is made of wood and stands 13" high.
It has some neat gingerbread details, like you guys know I like on real houses.
I'll have a few pieces to cover up/add to, but I enjoy crafting and fixing things up. Like the bottom of this window, I think I'll glue some kind of wood window box over that.
And there's the missing fence on one side of the bottom. I'm thinking there's going to be a little gothic garden over that. Or I could easily enough glue a mini patch of pumpkins there. Yeah, I'm thinking that's the way to go.
Even though it needs a few minor fixes, it's a pretty large haunted house, and what's more... it lights up!
I'm pretty happy with this year's After Halloween Haul. I may end up adding more to this blog post if I find more items. I found what's here during November up until yesterday. So if you guys have a bin store near you, you will no doubt find some Halloween stuff. It seems like it goes straight from Halloween clearance at Target to places like this. And here I've been wondering the past few years why after holiday clearances at Target aren't what they used to be. I need to forget about shopping at actual Target stores after holidays and just go to this place!
If you guys google "bin stores" near you, you might just luck out and find one. I'm lucky enough to have one of these under five minutes from where I live. Now I can't wait to see what shows up there after Christmas!
*Update* I visited the store today (Dec 9) and found this garland of lighted leaves. I always wanted some leaves with attached lights! I'm sure these will work into all kinds of fall displays.
I haven't added batteries to try these myself yet, but here's a photo from the back of the box to give you an idea of how these could look.
