if you’ve been around these parts for any time at all, you’ll quickly find out that i’m the gal trying to save a buck or two. i love a good bargain & i’ll wake up at the crack of dawn on saturday for a promising yard sale. almost every single piece of furniture in our home is purchased secondhand & i’m pretty proud of that little known fact.
i am often asked how i find such great treasures while thrifting. today i am here to share my top tips for finding those affordable treasures while thrifting:
1. go often: i thrift or go to yard sales about three times a week. i have a schedule that i follow & a list of stores i visit on specific days. by visiting your local shops often, you’ll find your own rhythm & favorite shops for certain items you’re looking for on a regular basis.
2. know your location: knowing where to find the best secondhand treasures for the best deals is key. take a map or locate your gps app & hit the road. stop at every interesting yard sale you see. once you’ve explored your town & surrounding areas, you’ll find the best places to shop. i visit yard sales every saturday in the same parts of town & i am rarely ever disappointed. find those hot spots in your area & get to thrifting!
3. shop smart: thrifting is in large part about finding a deal. sometimes i cannot live without an item & i purchase it for more than i’d otherwise pay. more often than not, though, i stick to a budget & only spend what i really think the item is worth. if i feel like a price isn’t quite within my budget, i’ll ask for a discount of about 30% off. if the seller won’t budge, i pass. that means something better is just up the road, friend.
4. celebrate the quirky: thrifting is a fun way to express yourself within your home! i love purchasing items i normally wouldn’t purchase or even see at a big box store. the bird chair on the left was purchased for just $5 at goodwill & adds such a pop of fun to our bedroom. don’t be afraid to mismatch patterns & colors. if you love it, make it work within your home. don’t be limited to what you think you should like.
5. see potential: thrifting has a lot to do with seeing the potential in an otherwise forgotten item. i picked up that dirty, old wooden box at a sale. i brought it home, cleaned it up & moved it into our living room. it now serves as our coffee table & it even has extra storage inside for board games. the glass bookshelf below now sits in our dining room with crates full of cloth napkins & hand towels. a bit of cleaning, a fresh layer of paint & a new perspective can turn a secondhand item into a gem perfect for your home.
6. have fun!: most importantly, have fun thrifting! invite a group of girlfriends or your mom to bring along on your thrifting adventures. personally, thrifting is my weekly retreat & i savor the quiet time walking down the aisles of my local thrift shop. it’s my favorite hobby & i absolutely love the thrill of the junk hunt.
what are your top tips for thrifting? please share!
love,
natalie
right now, i am…
– brainstorming & dreaming up big plans for our future.
– harvesting (still) baskets full of goodies from our garden. this will never grow old.
– cutting, sewing & packaging happy flags. this is what my hands were made to do.
– drinking iced maple toddy in mason jars. a shot of toddy, a splash of raw milk & a teaspoon of maple syrup, please.
– savoring summer & celebrating hints of autumn.
– listening to npr every morning with a cup of coffee in hand.
– enjoying having a little nook at 410 for selling my vintage finds.
– canning tomato sauce, salsa & tomato jam into the wee hours of morning.
– not buying groceries for two weeks. on purpose!
– focusing on gratitude & contentment instead of wants & jealousy.
– baking cinnamon butternut squash. recipe coming soon…
– excited for three days of folk music at roots festival.
– giddy about working with marisa of food in jars this weekend.
– wearing big necklaces & big glasses because #yolo.
– finally (!!!) eating corn from our garden
—-
what are you doing right now?
love,
natalie
our story is one that surprises even me when i share it out loud.
this past year & some odd months of owning our farm has been nothing short of absolutely beautiful & exhaustingly hard.
i think that’s probably how all things feel that are worth our time, worth investing in, worth fighting for, worth living within.
so when elise asked if i would like to come share our story of what it looks like to be a life-long learner & farmer, i 1. squealed & nearly fainted 2. said yes.
because that’s what the farm is for us. it’s a classroom for making messy mistakes & if we’re lucky enough, sharing a plate of food we’ve grown with loved ones.
so, my people, grab a cup of coffee & click right here (i’m episode #24!). share the next thirty minutes with elise & me as we chat about what it looks like to learn on the farm.
& yes, i’ve got a southern drawl.
love,
natalie