Saturday, September 12, 2009

In Praise of the Yard Sale Gods

How I love thrift shopping! It’s the fun of finding old, odd, and interesting items, as well as the triumph of finding unique and useful things to fill the needs--for less cash! Not to mention the challenge of using yard sale finds as raw materials for new creative projects.

But we have come to realize an added dimension—much of the time, even the most obscure need or desire is filled, evidently by the Yard Sale Gods, once we have simply stated said need or desire. Latest example: two days ago, my daughter and I were discussing her need for a new frame to hold her hanging laundry sorting bags after her recent move. Our thoughts tended toward making a PVC pipe construction to fit the size of the bags and the available space in the new laundry area. Then, this morning on a trip to the thrift store, there it was! A sturdy PVC frame, the exact size of the space, the exact size of the sorting bags, and priced $1.00. Praise to the Yard Sale Gods!

High chair for the cabin? You got it. Set of 3 8” cake pans? Yep. Three silicone pastry bushes for $.50? Same week. Two foot plastic lobster? There he is.

This is not to say wishes are always granted directly after the need is stated, though often they are. After thinking I would like an American Girl doll of my own for some time, 15 years to be exact, and not caring to pay the $90.00 price, this month TWO beautiful dolls came my way—at $1.00 each! On the other hand, last yard sale season we were on the way home from purchasing (for full price) a folding craft table when we stopped at a yard sale, and there was the SAME table at a fraction of the cost. We just didn’t wait long enough! And then there was the time I reluctantly paid full price for a pizza peel, and the same model showed up the next week at the thrift store for one dollar.

What bounty! Yes, the Yard Sale Gods can provide many (too many?) things we didn’t even know we needed. But we are seasoned and selective and enrich our lives with care, not to mention fun. All hail to the Yard Sale Gods!

1 comment:

  1. A few months ago I was looking for two matching nightstands for my boys. I had one, but figured it was crazy to try and find one that matched. Lo and behold, I was driving on a street I don't normally drive on, and there was a MATCHING nightstand sitting on the curb!

    HA! FREE! Thank you, Yard Sale Gods!!

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