I am somewhat of a thrift store virgin but Thrift Store Virgin would be a ridiculous blogging name for someone closer to 60 than 16. Growing up, our family made donations to charitable groups that had stores but I never remember shopping at one or patronizing garage sales. My Mom and one of my sisters love to shop but the shopping gene skipped me. When they dragged me along, I was the kid whining to go home. Now, I have a basket of mail order catalogs I browse while I am on my throne and if I need any clothes, I order off of the internet. Don't make me go to a mall. I've met some contenders for any best dressed list through thrifting and I hope to introduce then to you and pass along some of their tips in the future. Calling my blog Thrifting Diva or any name using Fashionista would not workfor me. While I can admire well dressed people, I'm in the most comfortable category.
As a child, my Dad was an appliance wholesaler. I was the only kid at college with a microwave oven in 1974. It was a real shock for me when I had to pay money for appliances and TV's instead of getting them from Daddy's store. Well into adulthood, I was dropping off a donation and made my first FIND. My toaster had broken that morning and they had one for sale, so a thrifter was born. I forget what I paid but I think it was $2. I'm still happily toasting six years later.
When I went to work at the store that will not be named because I am not an official company spokesperson, they gave us a nice selection of Hawaiian shirts. Many of my co-workers were thrifting experts and they turned me on to a few good places to find more shirts. My Mom could not believe it when we were shopping while I was visiting her in Florida. Driving down the highway, I spotted a Goodwill and started screaming, "Turn in, turn here." FIND two nice Hawaiian shirts. Mom is still not a believer. "I can't understand why you didn't get anything at all those nice stores I took you to." (It's more fun if you say it out loud in a Will Smith, Parents Just Don't Understand voice) Born to Thrift, not.
I started thrifting with zeal in preparation for my move when I bought a house last February. I had been living in condos and rentals since my divorce 15 years ago and was fed up with elevator buildings. Two months living in a duplex owned by the landlord from hell convinced me it was time to move. Low, low, low real estate prices were also a big incentive and if you really want to get a good deal on a house, shop in December and January.
I did not even have a snow shovel. I also was looking forward to having my first garden in the spring and taking care of the small yard.. The house was in great shape and I had all of the basic tools needed to hang pictures and organize closets. For the lawn and garden, I needed all of the things I had sold at my post divorce, moving into a condo garage sale. It was a shock to learn that the shovels and rakes I sold for coffee money were $25 plus at the big box home improvement warehouses. Lightbulb moment... I could pay coffee money for the things I needed if I bought smart. I started shopping at all of the thrift stores, read the classifieds for sales, and turned to craigslist. By Googling estate sales, I discovered estatesales.net For my needs, Thriftique and estate sales are the best resources because they sell tools and furniture. If you need kid's stuff and clothes, garage sales are good.
JACKPOT Snow shovel, $3. It gives me a thrill when I trim my hedges with my $8 Toro using my $4 extension cord, or fertilize the lawn with my $12 Scott's spreader. I have three different types of rakes and two shovels, all bought for less than the cost of one piece at Home Depot. My garage is full of hand tools for weeding, cutting, trimming, planting and potting. The two tables I use for potting were $7 total.
After I was happily settled into the new house, my sister the shopper, now an interior designer, came from Baltimore to rearrange and organize. I had plenty of furniture that she moved and she also brought me a bed frame from her basement. Free is really a good bargain. I was able to find the rug I needed to put together the living room at overstock.com. A bargain but not free.
My other sister, also not a shopper, is very active in community service groups. While I was at her house, I saw the National Council of Jewish Women Cleveland newsletter in the basket in her bathroom. They do good work for women and children in our community AND THEY HAVE A THRIFT STORE! They were having a membership telethon and I told her to sign me up. When I saw the call for volunteers at Thriftique in my membership package, I thought I would try it. I had a blast with the customers and the other volunteers. Every time I volunteered, they had new stuff in the showroom. I will show you some of the things I have found in future posts. The volunteers are an amazing group of dedicated people and the customers are some of the most interesting people I have ever met. I kept going back, made some new friends, and found some great stuff for the house and yard.
I also found the nightstand I needed. Sorry Crate & Barrel, I paid about what I would pay in sales tax for the piece I was looking at from you.
And that is how I became Thrifty Volunteer.
Thanks for reading so far. In future posts I'd like to share my new found love of thrifting, introduce some of my thrifting mentors, and show some of the great things available at Thriftique.
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