I think you did the right thing...I am in LOVE with them! I can totally see why you are second guessing because I am not one to pay a lot for something, but these are vintage. They are fabulous. Seriously, good choice. I don't think you will regret it one bit a year from now. :)

They're really cool! I may have gotten the 7-Up one if it had my hometown's name on it (I loved 7-Up as a kid!) But my husband would have totally agreed with your husband! :) I really like that your cashier was trying to stick up for you!

I too am a "thrifter" and love garage sales. I have found that there many times is a struggle in my mind over need/want and/or price. When your heart really grabs ahold of something though, it is better to live with slight guilt over a few pennies than regret over a lost treasure! You did the right thing- for sure!

LOVE those!! And I haven't seen those for under $10 each. I went to an antique store last weekend and they had a fabulous A&W Root Beer crate that was orange on the sides. I thought 'wouldn't that make a great fall display?!' but at a price of $24 I said no :( I was like you 'what the crap??!' I've never seen a crate for sale for that much. But I was bummed...never seen an A&W crate before.

I think they are awesome! If I had the money I think my husband and I might have paid for them too. Although, I don't know if I would have corrected the cashier in the first place. I would have said, "Hey, that sounds good to me!" Maybe she wouldn't have gotten the manager?
There is a possibility we might move from Idaho Falls too, so I am getting a little nostalgic and thinking that I need to start making an IF bucket list.

Good finds...I have seen them priced higher. These are in good condition. I look forward to seeing what you do with them. 2 for $12.00 would have been a steal...but since you were in a thrift store rather than an "antique" store consider yourself lucky. I bet dealers love to find treasures like this and mark them up!

I think you made the right decision, Jess! If you're anything like me, you would have lost sleep over them, and gone back to get them... and who knows if they would still be there! :)

I'm all for splurging on "mementos."

Ooooh fun! I love anything vintage. Awesome find!

Natalie
www.projectdowhatyoulove.wordpress.com

You paid just the right amount. They are cool and things stamped with IF or Pokey don't come up every day. Unique things are sometimes very worth paying for. I think you won!

I don't think you paid too much for them at all. In fact, if you clean them up and keep them in really good condition, they might be worth more than that in a few years!

I have no idea of the worth of things, nor who gets to decide what that worth is. I tend to run by the rule of I decide what something's worth, how much I'd be willing to pay to own it, and if I can't get it for that amount then I don't buy it. Obviously that amount is dependent on how much I love something, but then should it really be any other way?

You got them for a steal! I've been looking at old soda crates; and Pottery Barn has them for $19, and on Etsy, they go from $20-50! Very cool find :)

I think the reason you may have felt these crates were pricey is because you are a thrifty crafter and you make all of your things for next to nothing, so $24 may just be sticker shock.

To put it into perspective, if you went to a full price movie for 2, that's $10.25 x 2 = $20.50 but you have something besides a ticket stub to show for it.

And, after reading your blog, I think they will go perfectly in your home with your decor, and they aren't something you can make. I think it is a total score! Would I do it? Not for these because they aren't my style. But I did once pay $80 for a collectible doll. (You may now look at me like your husband looked at you! haha!)

Trust me, if you lived in the UK, these would be an absolute bargain, so tell your husband to look on the bright side, at least you don't shop here ;o)

If I see something I really like, I always ask myself can I find one just like it somewhere else? Usually it is something unique like this and since I really like it and can't just run out and find another I will buy it. Usually, I will find the perfect use for it too. The things I buy that has the rest of the family questioning my sanity, are the things that in the end I love the most. I have seen wooden soda crates before but none divided out like these. $12, you could blow that for lunch one day. You did the right thing and listened to your inner voice!
Deb

Jess that totally was NOT too much!! I got some for $5 a piece ONE time and have NEVER EVER found them for under $10 again. Seriously they are in good condition and are gorgeous!! :)

I still think about an old quilt top I didn't buy because it was $20... and that was years ago! You're fine to buy them, you saved yourself YEARS of regret.

I like them a lot, personally, I wouldn't have been able to pay that much--honestly you're so crazy cool you probably could have MADE these!--however, when you're a decorator and crafter and so clever at putting things together (such as yourself) I am sure you are going to put these to good use and make them worth your while. You just made a whole lotta things for FREE using scraps you had, so gently remind Hubby about that!!

Think of it this way - I live in the DC Metro area and have seen the same kind of crate with a price tag closer to $18-$20 each. You actually got a bargain!

You will use them and love them. It was worth the cost. Once in a while it's worth it to splurge on a "thrift."

In the last pottery barn mag- they had similar crates for around $20 a PIECE!!!! so your $12 vintage is a 2/1 almost!!!!!!... im trying to link the pic/link...
http://www.potterybarn.com/products/found-soda-crate/?pkey=e|soda|1|best|0|1|24||1&cm_src=NLASEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_-
I hope the link works... ?? GOOD find- plus they will have a memory of POC-A-tello for you! (thats where my mom was born...lol)

I don't think you overpaid. They would have been far more expensive in a thrift shop in New York where I live! And, they are a unique find that is from where you're living.....

I grew up in IF, so I would have snagged them!

It all comes out in the wash. You'll get a rockin' deal on something else, and not worry about it. If you're going to use them and not just tuck them away and wait for inspiration, it was worth it.
-Paulette
3sisters-pjr.blogspot.com

I think if you really liked/loved them and know you would regret not getting them, then the price is irrelevant (to a certain degree). I know there are probably things I fell in love with that I didn't like the price but am glad I got it anyway.
These are great and I can't wait to see what you use them for!

i'm with you, they are cool crates!

I overpay for used stuff all the time. What matters is that you love them - not the price. Really are you going to regret spending an extra $12 two years from now?! I doubt it. Great score.

Way cool, they would be fun to use as a way to put all the forks, spoons, knifes, napkins together for events outside and such.
As for the price, how awesome is that cashier who tried to get the price lower for you? What a sweet lady.

If it makes you feel any better, I saw similar crates in Upstate NY for $20 each at an "antique" store.

These are really awesome. Yes they were over priced, but I would have done the same thing. Sometimes you just gotta buy the awesome junk. :)

I love them, and 12$ each does not seem over priced to me. But that's just me! What a nice cashier though. Don't have buyers remorse, life is too short for that!

I think you got a bargain!! They are so cool! I saw a 7up one here in Singapore yesterday for $88SD!!

I think they're great and worth every penny! Don't know if this idea would work for you but you could turn the crates into shelving so they are decorative and purposeful. Got the idea from http://christyrobbins.blogspot.com/2010/07/old-drawersnew-shelves.html. Hope you can keep enjoying them!

Yours without a doubt. I have never forgotten a few items that I hesitated to buy because they were a little pricey. Garnet Hill had some wonderful owl pillows that were $68 and although they were wildly expensive (to me), I wish I had bought them. It is better to have no regrets than the $$$$ in my book any day.

I saw these selling in a Pottery Barn catalogue a while back as "reclaimed". They were much more than $12 apiece!

My husband and I are in the process of liquidating most of the stuff in our house like those crates. We have had 2 garage sale this summer and have stuff on Craig's list. We've had antique dealers out to the house to buy stuff and give us appraisals. The thing I have learned is that everything vintags/antique is related to the ecomony in which we live. You may have paid too much, but the sellers obviously need the money. They have priced it according to what it might have been worth ten years ago, or so. Bottom line is, if you really like it, then it is worth it to you! And something like that will probably go up in value again, over time. Have fun with them-they are very cute!

They are fun! Honestly, I probably wouldn't have paid that much, but if you compare to how much Pottery Barn was selling them for ($24 a piece) you got a great deal! ;) Here's a link for ideas on how to decorate with them: http://www.casasugar.com/Decorating-Vintage-Soda-Crates-16077331

those are pretty flippin' sweet! And yeah, they were maybe a little overpriced, $24 isn't awful for a splurge. I side with you. :-)

Cousin o' mine, maybe you don't realize what a steal every pruchase you buy is. In all your previous projects when you tell the price of the item you got at the thrift, I gasp, every time. Your thrift stores have unbelievably good prices. So, when you have pangs of regret over those DaRliNg crates' price, just think about what amazing deals you usually get. Nice treasure hunting!

I think you did the right thing.. you really wanted them and I guess you can call me crazy but 12 bucks each actually seems cheap tp me!
I have a cocoa cola one I propped up in my kitchen and have my spices in and I found it in a thrift shop for $25 and bought it right away thinking I got a deal.. lol.. dont beat yourself up..

ok, so I didn't read all the comments to see if someone else said this or not, BUT vintage wood soda crates sell on etsy for $20-40. And then you have to pay expensive shipping. And I doubt any of them are from Idaho Falls :) I think you did the right thing. For sure. And besides, you've saved enough money on other thrifty purchases (ahem, your ENTIRE patio set!) that I'm sure you are still a thrifty queen when you add everything up.

I once paid $25 for an old flexible flyer sled at DI. And we ate ramen noodles for a week. Maybe two. And it has been in my living room leaning up against our entertainment center since I bought it 7 years ago. People still think I'm crazy when they see it and I tell them how much I paid for it. But it is still one of my very favorite thrifted treasures!