# Canning jar score at garage sale (just too excited!)



## joyfulheart (Mar 26, 2009)

I am SOOO excited!

Neighbors behind us were elderly and ill, we tried to be friendly with them, but they just kept to themselves. They moved into a home a few months ago, and their son rented out their homeâ¦ today those renters had a garage sale. Went over, just talking and noticed a shelf full of empty canning jars. I said, OOOH! Yaâll do canning! 

They laughed, said the owners left them there. They offered to sell them to me for $10.

Thatâs the first time Iâve ever gotten such a deal!

7 half-pints
17 pints
37 quarts jars are going through my dishwasher today! 

Plus the additional 7 quarts and one large pickle jar that are not canning jars (plastic lids, canning lids donât fit) but still useable for dehydrated food.

I have been praising God all afternoon! What a HUGE blessing and an answer to prayer! Iâve been praying for more jars-- We are out of jars and money, but still have stuff to can.
In prayer, I said that if God wanted me to finish canning up whats in the freezer, to please supply more jars. And boy HE sure did! 

Hubby just rolled his eyes when he saw me with the boxes of jars. MWAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!   

He thinks Iâm weird. And he gets annoyed/disgusted at the thought of eating the food from the jars. (IF he only knew how many meals I have cooked that came from jars and he never noticed. LOL)


** not to get woo woo religious, but have felt the SERIOUS push lately to can up as much as possible meat that is in the freezer. So when I prayed and put the lack of jars into God's hands, and then these came today.... I just wonder about it. I'm thankful and worried at the same time. (WHY do we need to can up what's in the freezer? What's going to happen to my freezer? LOL ya know???)

Anyway, I live in an area with mostly younger people, who never can, so to find canning jars at a garage sale is a huge deal here, had to brag a little bit. haha


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

Interesting.

The neighbors sold you jars that didn't belong to them, so God answered your prayers by letting you buy stolen goods?


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## joyfulheart (Mar 26, 2009)

No need to get snarky. The owners told them they could keep, throw, sell or donate anything left behind. They had permission to get rid of the jars.

Thought this was the place people would appreciate that, guess I was wrong.

And yes, it IS an answer to prayer!!!


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

joyfulheart said:


> (WHY do we need to can up what's in the freezer? What's going to happen to my freezer? LOL ya know???)


I think the way things are going, it's not what going to happen to the freezer, it could be a serious power outage. You don't say where you're at , though.

Oregon woodsmoke, are you sure that it's _WOOD_ smoke that makes you think such cynical thoughts? That was quite a jump to a wrong conclusion. Now _apologize!_ :awh:


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## joyfulheart (Mar 26, 2009)

I'm in a suburb of Dallas. Not much doom here, but I guess anything is possible!


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## Timberline (Feb 7, 2006)

That's great. I love those canning jar windfalls. A couple months ago my mother said she was bringing over some jars she had saved for me. I was thrilled when it was 4 dozen.


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## ne prairiemama (Jan 30, 2010)

Awww thats really neat. Glad you got them


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## Nica (Oct 3, 2009)

Last summer my sister said she was thru with canning and brought me 14 full cases of jars, mostly qts. There were a few pints and 1/2 pints also. My wife couldn't believe it, but I was happy as a little...................whatever.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

I got one jelly jar for a nickle today. I take what I can get


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

We had a older neighbor lady pass away, her son said they were pitching a bunch of canning jars. I said don`t throw them away, so the other day he brought me down several boxes of canned goods in jars. He said he kept the empties, and I could have the full ones. I said I guess I could dump them out , jars is jars, some were canned up in the 80`s, 90`s and 2000`s. Beggers can`t be choosers I guess. > Marc


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## joyfulheart (Mar 26, 2009)

Yeah, it was neat reading the lids (she put the lids back on) and some said 80's, 90's, and one said HARVEY! DO NOT OPEN!

That one I'm keeping. It makes me smile. He musta REALLY wanted that jar. hehe


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## dranger1108 (Aug 7, 2010)

I was happy I found three at a yard sale today. One blue one with a zinc lid, and two with the wire and glass lids.


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## Aseries (Feb 24, 2011)

The local garage here up the road used to have 4 pallets of jars sitting behindthe building wrapped in plastic. Well over the years kids threw rocks at them and then one day the owner sold them all. But there was still a huge pile of broken glass left behind.

My friend rented the place next door, and we were looking for a racoon or something in the field, the pile of glass was in the weeds. I was like what the heck canning jars, there were still good ones. I asked the owner if I could pick through the jars.

I got 300 out of the pile, I gave about 50 to my now ex gf, I boxed up the rest and still have about 100 that I havent cleaned the dirt off of yet. I had been stock piling jars so I just added them to the lot. I still buy Jars though, used, new and I ask people to save me the classico jars from the store...

I got 3 dozen at thrift place here for 29 cents a jar all kewl old 70's I think square bottom mason jars. My current GF calls me a glass jar whore lol. Everything I buy goes from plastic into a glass jar.... 

Good job on the your score of jars...


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## hillbillygal (Jan 16, 2008)

My big canning jar windfall came at an estate sale. I called the ad when it was first published and asked if there were any canning supplies and the son of the lady who had passed said he thought so but he didn't know yet. I waited a few weeks and called again the week of the sale. The daughter of the lady said yes there were jars but she didn't know how many to come by the sale at the end of the week to see. I was out driving the day before the sale and saw them getting things ready. I decided to stop and check on the jars and offer to go ahead and get them out of their way. The lady didn't seem 100% thrilled I was there early but after she saw how hard I was working to get the jars out and willing to take the full ones too she warmed up to me. I spent over an hour sweating and stacking jars in my vehicle. I had my grandfather with me and I even had jars on his lap, lol. I ended up with over 300 jars and then she threw in some freezer cups. I paid $50 so I was thrilled. It was a lot of work to sort and clean them up but it was worth it!


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## Pelenaka (Jul 27, 2007)

Aseries said:


> My current GF calls me a glass jar whore lol. Everything I buy goes from plastic into a glass jar...


That would make a great t-shirt picture it with an empty canning jar below those words.

Congradulations on the jar score. 


~~ pelenaka ~~


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

We're having a city-wide garage sale this weekend. Trying to drive through some residential streets is worse than a race track. Saw some tables today with jars but something in the back of my brain kept telling me that my current problem is to find room for those that we empty every day. Another part of my brain says that I would be better off looking *at* them than looking *for* them. They are not something that's going to spoil if not used so there will always be room for them. 

Martin


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

I have about 25 dozen qts stacked in my "pack house" that I need to find a home for. I have more jars than I could ever, EVER use!


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

my problem seems to be the smaller jars, (jelly and pint)..I give stuff away, and dont get them back, the quarts always stay home. So I am always looking for the smaller ones.


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## Pam6 (Apr 9, 2009)

Great score! 
Here is what I plan on doing with two walls in my house to store some of my jars:
http://kidsandcanningjars.blogspot.com/2010/08/need-extra-space-check-this-idea-out.html
A lady gave me 2 dozen jelly jars a couple weeks ago, then I got 8 assorted size jars at a flea market for a $1 last week,and then another lady from church gave me 9 quart jars today. The quart jars from today had a Liberty Bell and 1776-1976 on them. 
My DH just rolls his eyes every time I bring home more jars! I can't fill them if I don't have them!


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## julieq (Oct 12, 2008)

suitcase_sally said:


> I have about 25 dozen qts stacked in my "pack house" that I need to find a home for. I have more jars than I could ever, EVER use!


I have boxes of empty jars in my basement, in the spare bedroom (totally filling the closet there actually) and in the corner of my living room. But every time I go to goodwill and see canning jars I HAVE to purchase more! If you asked me how many dozens I have of each size I really couldn't tell you.

Really I do need a twelve step program for canning jar collecting addicts...


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## Rockytopsis (Dec 29, 2007)

suitcase_sally said:


> I have about 25 dozen qts stacked in my "pack house" that I need to find a home for. I have more jars than I could ever, EVER use!


Next time you are driving down I75, stop at the Athens Highway 30 exit and I will meet you there and take em off your hands.
Nancy


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## Becka03 (Mar 29, 2009)

that is just plain AWESOME!!!! Good for you!!!!


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## kenworth (Feb 12, 2011)

> I am SOOO excited!
> 
> Neighbors behind us were elderly and ill, we tried to be friendly with them, but they just kept to themselves. They moved into a home a few months ago, and their son rented out their home&#8230; today those renters had a garage sale. Went over, just talking and noticed a shelf full of empty canning jars. I said, OOOH! Ya&#8217;ll do canning!
> 
> They laughed, said the owners left them there. They offered to sell them to me for $10.


I was a little worried that YOU had been taken advantage of, but thanks for explaining that the seller had the right to sell the jars to you.

YIPPIE YIPPIE YIPPIE!!!!! You got a great deal, glad to hear when nice things happen


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## MelanieP (Jun 15, 2011)

Hey, there, joyfulheart. Sounds like you are truly joyful for the loot so I'm here to share the joy. lol...Kidding aside, I believe what you've found are mason jars - they are great for residential canning - and they cost pretty much. So you're indeed lucky. If you need help in you canning project, you can try to check out this helpful article on canning.


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## uncleotis (Mar 14, 2005)

Congratulatons joyfulheart, I know the feeling. I've got some good canning jar buys at garage sales and auctions over the years.


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