garage and rummage sales

Garage sales: Ultimate proof that you can get nothing for something. --MAXINE

Sorry Maxine, but I gotta disagree with you on this one. Besides the fact that garage and rummage sales are just plain fun (oh the thrill of the hunt!), you CAN get good bargains. In fact, my only major regret in taking on a weekend job is that I've had to sacrifice going to these sales. So what did I do this past Saturday on my first weekend off in almost a year? Yep, sales, sales, sales! Well, only two because it was raining like crazy, but at least I got to feed my former addiction a little bit. And I actually planned last weekend off to coincide with my favourite rummage sale, which is held in a local church every first Saturday of the month.

This time I ended up with three Tabi t-shirts at 50 cents a piece, and two old-fashioned kitchen implements at 10 cents each for a total of $1.70. Not bad eh? I must say though that this church has spoiled me completely because I'm now used to paying rock-bottom prices for clothes. When I was unemployed I got ALL of my clothes there (I obviously don't care about fashion much), and would make people laugh by insisting that paying $4 for a T-shirt at Value Village was simply insane. Can you imagine my reaction then if I ever tried shopping at a regular clothes store? Snort.

I've been very fortunate too in picking up things dirt-cheap and reselling them on eBay for prices that has amazed even me. My best find so far was a T.G. Green egg cup that I bought for less than a dollar and resold for almost fifty bucks. It's true! And a couple of ceramic Melitta coffee filters that someone gave to me for free I turned around and sold for nearly $30 each. As they say, one man's junk is another man's treasure. But I've also kept a lot of what I've found because I happen to love old things, and even though my decor can best be described as shabby shabby chic, visitors usually use words like "cozy", "warm", and "inviting" when they see my place for the first time, so I figure I'm doing something right.

So no Maxine, this time you're WAY off the mark! :)

Comments

[krissa]

Wow! That church rummage sale does sound like a good one! Too bad you can't go there regularly anymore.

[think outside the piggy bank]

Yeah, I really miss it. And they've got everything: clothes, books, housewares, footwear, toys, linen. Sigh. ;)

[think outside the piggy bank]

Oh, the one thing they don't have is baked goods. But hey, that I'm willing to sacrifice!

[Emma]

I enjoyed reading this post. You won't find me at garage or rummage sales. I've never liked the idea of wearing second-hand clothes, unlike some other people in my family. My parents are both fans of second-hand. A lot of the outfits my mom wears were given to her by people she knows. They're usually not the kind of thing she'd buy for herself. My dad shops at Value Village and regularly brings home stuff he finds in the park or that people give to him. Apparently, you can find a lot of interesting trash in parks (or treasures, if you prefer; yes he has found jewelery too). Once he found a wedding card and coincidentally a relative overseas was getting married, so he got the whole family to sign it and mailed it. Occasionally, my dad succeeds in persuading me to accept some of his found items. I have a few baseball caps in a dresser drawer, which I have never worn and don't plan on wearing. There was a backpack that wasn't too shabby looking... if only it hadn't smelled so musty even after I washed it. I only used it when absolutely necessary and have since retired it to the closet. Not sure if and when I'll use it again. I usually don't spend a lot on clothes, but have on occasion bought items that I ended up wearing only once or twice or in some cases never. Some might consider that a waste of money. I'll probably be dropping some bags of clothing off at a donation bin soon. If you want I could send you some stuff, like maybe that old backpack. It doesn't smell musty anymore. ;)

[think outside the piggy bank]

LOL, hi Emma, good to have you back! Sounds like I would fit in quite nicely with your family, snort. And yes, I've found "treasures" (and good old cash to boot!) in parks as well. Have to say though that I'm fairly picky with second-hand clothes i.e. I want them to be relatively clean and in good shape. Don't blame you about the caps I must say. As for the backpack, hmmm, I'll think about it! ;)