This list of ten great reasons to buy something used nicely sums up why I prefer yard sales over retail stores. I particularly enjoy having a chance to chat with the seller for a few minutes if their sale is not too busy. The only danger is we sometimes end up buying a bit more than we need if we feel the money is going to a good cause. The last few sales we’ve been to have all been held by folks moving long distances for work, love, or school.I thought I’d share a few of our recent yard sale finds with you. We got some great deals and enjoyed some good conversation in the process. As an unexpected bonus, I even found someone who would take mesquite seedlings I was thinning from the yard.
I was thrilled to chance upon this kitchen cart this week. The stainless steel top will be great for kneading bread dough and rolling out flour tortillas. As you can see in the CSA photo, my tiled kitchen counters are not well-suited to such tasks. It will also be nice to have my cookbooks more readily accessible in the kitchen, as well as opening up bookshelf space for the books I’ve been picking up at yard sales and used bookstores. A few of those books are in the cart, including a Greek vegetarian cookbook, a cookbook for my dog (really), and The Art of Happiness.
Various kitchen items grace the top of the cart. The white canisters, complete with new seals, came from the same gal who sold me the cart. These are my first step towards transitioning away from storing food in plastic containers. The small glass French Press replaced a Lexan version and works wonderfully for coffee or loose tea. When we want to brew more coffee in the larger glass French Press (purchased retail at a steep discount), we can keep it hot for hours in the thermal pitcher.
The world time zone clock on the left shelf is useful in preventing me from calling my brother on the other side of the country at midnight. The small pair of binoculars are lightweight enough to toss in a pouch when heading out on my bike. Despite a population of over one million in our city, we still see some pretty decent birds in town such as the Peregrine Falcon I spotted flying over a centrally-located park last year.
The crochet instruction book on the bottom right will hopefully help me figure out what to do with the yarn and crochet needles I've been gathering from thrift stores. The funky fuzzy yarn will be inspire me to keep at it when I get frustrated, as I frequently do when learning new skills. I’m still on the hunt for a size P hook so I can try out this project, although I suppose I need to learn to sew first so that I can amass some fabric scraps. And since plastic bags still keep finding their way unbidden into my home, a size M hook would give me a way to reuse them in a functional way.
Tucked in on the upper shelf inside the cabinet is a bead loom and a variety of beads. If you think this seems like an impractical purchase, you're right. Art does not necessarily serve a practical purpose. It does not fill the belly when hungry and it does not warm the body when chilled. However, beauty can feed the spirit and warm the soul. Humans have long desired beauty through ornamentation and have sought meaning through creative expression.
To balance out these new items coming in, we continue to purge our household of possessions we no longer need. Holding onto something I’m not using seems very wasteful and selfish when somewhere there is someone who can use it now. With the Internet, it is easy to make its availability known and I can choose whether to do this locally for free or for profit, or advertise it on a larger scale.
My own personal yard sale wish list still has a few goodies on it so I'll be heading out again next Saturday. Perhaps I'll see you there!
Your new cart looks wonderful. I would love to have one but my kitchen is very small and it wouldn't fit. Thanks for the tour of the items in and on it -- it's always fun to see what other folks have and what they do with it.
ReplyDeleteI love the way you justified all your acquisitions, too *grin* Me, I try to steer clear of yard sales unless I am looking for something in particular. I also avoid the kitchen gadgets section of the thrift store because that is a weak spot. My mother was the same; she must have owned about 5 electric yogurt makers because she couldn't pass them up. The thrift store or yard sales are the ONLY place to buy electric steamers and slow cookers in my opinion. So cheap, and where else can you find a vintage avocado green crockpot like mine? I hope I never find a fondue set because that might just be beyond my powers to resist -- all those fondue recipes in the Uncheese Cookbook(s)sound so tempting.
That cart is so useful! This morning, we clamped the new grain grinder on it and ground fresh organic locally-grown wheat for pancakes.
ReplyDeleteI was like your mother for a while with the Donvier ice cream makers. I paid $30 for a new one when they first came out. A couple years later, I picked up several for $3 or $4 to give to family and friends!
And, Marla, there are TONS of fondue sets in the thrift stores around here - anything you want from basic to fancy, antique to modern, you name it, I've seen it in the last couple of weeks. Fondue must be going out of style. LOL