thrifty thursday: estate sales

saturday morning, for the first time since before ramona was born, i went estate sale shopping with my friend amanda, from the petrichor.

oh my. i used to do this every weekend but it’s rather hard to do when loading and unloading a baby at every stop. also, try lugging a baby around while searching for treasures in a house filled with other scavengers. impossible. so ramona spent the morning with jp’s parents and amanda and i followed the route we had mapped out the day before.

my loot was good. i was pleased. it felt good to get back out but, still, i was a bit rusty. my plan is to make this an at-least-once-a-month event. which means i may be revamping my etsy shop. again. or starting another one. bc, for me, it’s the hunt that is so much fun. my little house does not have enough room or wall space for all the treasures i bring back. so take a look around. let me know if there’s something you have your eye on. make me a deal. buy my stuff! (email me if you have more questions about any specific item).

the loot. twas a successful thrifting saturday morning.

clockwise from left: nude drawing $40, mexican print $20, oil on canvas $30

mexican rag dolls, $10 each ($5 for the little one); dhurri/kilim rug, $40

clockwise starting at top: woven purse, $30; woven bag, $15; woven basket, $8

here are some estate sale-ing tips:

• use websites like estatesales.net to find out about local estate sales going on. craigslist can be good too, esp for estate sales not run by third parties.
• map out a route beforehand. maximize your time and miles by sticking to one or two neighborhoods. if it’s yard sale season, sometimes you can squeeze these in between stops. just look for neon signs on the corner.
• don’t be afraid to do the slow drive-by for yard sales. don’t waste your time getting out if the yard sale is really just a bunch of junk that should’ve been donated or junked years ago.
• always carry cash. in many denominations.
• when you enter the house, quickly familiarize yourself with the organizers’ rules. do they take only cash? can you bargain? it helps to know how they like to run the show.
• do a quick walk through when you get inside the house. stop only for the goods that immediately catch your attention.
• then after this, go through more meticulously only if the house seems to hold promise for what you are looking for.
• always check the basement for hidden goodies. and the garage. some of my favorite finds come from these places usually overrun by weird men looking for tools.
• don’t be afraid to bargain. most people are down for knocking some bucks off, esp if you’ve got a lot of goodies. besides, the worse they can say is no.
• know what price you are willing to pay for something and walk away if you can’t get it. if you don’t follow this rule, you will end up with a lot of junk and spend too much money.