welcome to Buttzville.

Welcome to Buttzville! Home of Five Acres flea market. I visited Five Acres on a Saturday versus the usual Sunday. I would say that in the future, pass on this flea on a Saturday and instead opt for going on a Sunday. A few of the regular vendors were there and some different ones that I hope attend more often. 

While sifting through boxes, I noticed a girl that was also doing some picking... except she was like a ravaged flea market goer. Frantically digging through the boxes, sprinting from table to table. Slow down! She had in her hand a few items, mainly cups and dishes. As I was walking away, she was bringing her finds to the seller. She must have asked him how much for the bundled items and unfortunately, I did not hear his answer. I did hear the girl's reply though: "I'm a college student and I have $40,000 in debt so I don't have money." Bad, bad form. I've bought bundled items from the same guy before and he is pretty cheap, so I can't imagine her items costing more than $5. I don't think I've ever used the college debt bit as a means of getting a cheap price and I won't use it in the future. It seems tacky to me. On the other hand, maybe this line has worked for her in the past so it's her go-to for haggling price. I don't know. I did see her later at another table with her items in tow, so she must have gotten the price she wanted.

The only find that I bought that day was a ledger from 1931. Most of the pages are unwritten on, so I will have to find a use for it. The ledger must have belonged to some sort of company - a deli or general store perhaps - because it keeps the accounts of money due to various companies such as Heinz, the Sandall Candy Company in Newark, Beach Nut Packing Company, Luxury Mayonnaise Company, and J. Crescenzi Ice Company. The ledger is mostly for the months of November and December 1931. Ice was delivered pretty much every day, costing between $3.00 and $6.00, though the quantity of ice is not listed. All accounts were paid for in cash.

Ledger books can vary in price on such sites as Ebay and Etsy. I bought mine for $2 - a bargain. Even if I would choose not to use it, it will look great on a bookshelf or on a desk. The company names written inside lend a history that seeks to be discovered.

~ Flea Fact ~
If you are going to have a haggling line to go on, I wouldn't chose announcing your debt as a way to lower a price. If you are in that much debt and can't afford to pay $3 for an item, maybe take a hiatus from flea market going until your funds can afford the items you seek.