Thrifting

Something I learned from my mom is the habit of good deal shopping.   From as far back as I can remember, she loved garage sale shopping.  She’d get all excited when on Fridays she would meet up with a girlfriend to hit the sales.  I know we tagged along with her sometimes, but sometimes we must have stayed at home.  I can’t remember going to all of the sales, but I sure can remember when she’d come back with her treasures.  I do remember that my brothers rolled their eyes at yet another sale, but I liked going with Mom.  Remember those Jelly shoes?  Well, my first pair came from a yard sale.  It’s probably a good thing, too, because although I loved those silly shoes, they were some of the most uncomfortable ones I’ve owned.   But they were popular.  😏

Our Sunday tradition included visiting the flea market, and the whole family went along. Even my brothers seemed to enjoy seeing what new treasures would be for sale that

😀 Smiley’s mug

Earthy mug, and our tea sampling tower ☺️

Little Guy and his elegant cup

His & Hers

Little Bit’s mug
shot

day.   I’m sure we bought things; I still have a music box that I purchased at that flea market, but mostly we just looked and enjoyed the experience of being there.

I rarely have time nowadays to close up shop on Fridays to check out the yard sales, as they call them in the South, but many times I’ve gazed longingly at those signs.   And I know that my mom and aunt carry on the tradition.   Even my husband has a hard time passing up the possibility of a good deal, so he sometimes brings back a nice jacket or sweater, or new-to-him tool that he’s found.

But, even more fun than a yard sale, to me, is a thrift shop.  You don’t have to wait until Friday, and they pop up all through the year, in all kinds of places.  As we’ve travelled, we’ve found that thrift store shopping is pretty much nationwide.  Our family has enjoyed frequent trips to the local thrift shops, never sure just what we will come out with.

Just this week, we found three new games to play on rainy days (like today, when it’s pouring and flooding in many places around us).  One for sure is educational, and teaches about outdoor knowledge, like birds, animals, and camping.  We’re getting quite a game collection here, all used, all less than two-fifty.   But we have more opportunity to play games here than we ever did at home, with the early evenings and staying inside more.

I’d rather find things we need used, anyway, as long as they’re good.  It seems more and more like the stuff at the big stores is just cheap junk, so why pay the new price for it?  We may be able to find older items at a good price, and can be thankful that they were made before the days of plastic.

Shortly after we arrived in CA, we hit the thrift store as a family. I was excited to find five mugs for tea that fit the personality of each of us.  Friendly Man and I got matching mugs with a country scene on them.  Not particularly exciting, but still comfortable and cozy.  Big A chose a brown stoneware mug with a flower on it that reminds me of nature.  It’s very earthy and I love it.  I chose one, actually for myself, initially, that was cheerful and bright, with shamrocks and buzzing bees.  When we got home, though, I realized that Middleman had not chosen a mug for himself, and offered him that one. He smilingly accepted it, and instantly I knew that it suited him.  Smiley.  😃  I chose a mug with a drummer boy’s drum on it for Little Guy.   But right away he said that that one was not the one he wanted. I looked around and saw no more children’s designs, so I asked him what kind he wanted. He happily ran over to a fancy set of beautiful, rich blue dinnerware, and picked up one of those teacups. Well, okay, why not?  So, whoever buys that set of blue dishes will be one teacup short, but Little Guy loves his elegant cup.  Now, we each have a distinct mug that we can use for tea or water, to keep it straight whose is whose. ☕️

Games, jackets, shoes, sturdy hangers (versus the ones that keep breaking from W-mart), a salt shaker that hopefully shakes this time, a beautiful scarf, gloves, ski boots, we’ve found all kinds of fun stuff just this week while out thrifting!  All at next to nothing!    It’s exciting to find recycled treasures, wonderful to get out and enjoy saving money as a family!

And it’s all Mom’s fault!  😉