Thrifting

(via my 365 project}

It’s not a secret that I like to hit up the thrift stores every once in a while.
My MIL took me thrifting for the first time a few years ago and at first, I didn’t really know what to expect. I actually thought that she was going to take me shopping at places that were meant for “low income” families. Little did I know that it was basically an indoor, year-round flea market. As you can already guess, I’ve come to love it.

When I was little, my parents used to sell used stuff at flea markets. My sister and I always came along and it was always a lot of fun. We usually picked out a few toys that we didn’t want to keep any longer and got to sell those. My parents then let us keep the earnings and we were allowed to browse the items of other sellers in the vicinity and spend it on something new used.
So in a way, you could say that I was brought up on “thrifting”.

I don’t now if those kinds of flea market that we used to go to still exist. I remember that we went to the flea markets in the bigger cities and that my parents had to reserve a space in advance, because the flea markets were popular and huge (or maybe only huge to the mind of a 9-year old, I don’t know for sure). The flea markets that were held in my hometown were small and after a while became pretty boring, because more and more sellers would offer “new” goods for cheap, instead of selling used stuff. There was nothing old and vintage to be found anymore. Eventually, I stopped going.
When it comes to thrift stores, I believe Germany has none. We do have second hand stores, but they are usually too expensive to be considered thrift stores in the literal sense of the word.

This weekend I snatched up this beautiful vintage coffee mug and a few books. I’d really like to buy some old furniture/home accessories to compliment our IKEA-styled interior, but right now I really have to keep myself happy by buying small treasures, because we really don’t have space for any excess furniture in our apartment.

Do you like to go thrifting? What do you usually look for? Show me some of your favorite finds!

Emily Jane
October 4, 2010 at 5:10 am

I do enjoy browsing thrift stores, but when I was little, I used to go with my grandparents to what was called a “car boot sale”, basically people would park their car in a big parking lot and open the boot and place a table outside it where they’d display the stuff they were selling. So you could wakl rows and rows of car boots in a morning and find a LOT of stuff!
.-= Emily Jane´s last blog ..Shelving the Past =-.
lauryn
October 4, 2010 at 7:47 am

I looove thrifting! I especially love to do it on my days off when I can just browse around by myself. It’s relaxing and I usually end up finding a few random treasures!
Deia
October 4, 2010 at 8:42 am

Two weeks ago I went to my first flea market. It was really nice and I really enjoyed my time, but I didn’t have the courage to buy anything yet. But I’m going to another one next weekend and perhaps I’ll find something…
.-= Deia´s last blog ..Flowers =-.
emmysuh
October 4, 2010 at 8:54 am

I love thrifting — I usually look for jewelery (can get some cool vintage pieces!), shoes (good ones for cheap!) and pajama pants (can you beat $2 ones? nope!)

My little sister has crazy good look with coats there also.

I have to go when I’m super patient otherwise I’m bored in 2 seconds.
Jen
October 4, 2010 at 11:57 am

My first reaction to thrift stores has usually been: Why? Why would I want to buy something old, used by someone else, versus something new? I take all my old clothes and stuff and donate them to the Salvation Army or to Goodwill. In Venezuela, since we don’t have those, I would sometimes venture to flea-markets to sell stuff (I did this twice when in high-school/college) or just give it out to someone I thought might want/need it. But I can understand the appeal of a good find, especially if it’s a bargain, and why not reuse something if it’s still good? I think I could apply that thinking to furniture and knickknacks, but when it comes to clothes, I don’t know, I feel kind of weird wearing shoes someone else wore, call me strange but it kind of grosses me out a bit.
.-= Jen´s last blog ..This might explain it… =-.
Maribeth
October 4, 2010 at 1:48 pm

I used to Thrift all the time, but now my house is full and I need to bring it all in and recycle it! You just can’t imagine how much junk one can amass in 52 years!
.-= Maribeth´s last blog ..2301 Posts &amp Counting… =-.
Ashlee
October 7, 2010 at 8:08 am

Thrifting is my FAVORITE thing to do. Mostly because it’s the only shopping I never feel guilty about. And, it’s practically recycling so really, I’m just helping the environment ;)

My recent thrifted finds:

https://wheremyheartresides.com/2010/09/13/makeover-monday-coffee-table/

and

https://wheremyheartresides.com/2010/09/02/all-about-the-hunt/

and

https://wheremyheartresides.com/2010/06/30/goodwill-goodness/
.-= Ashlee´s last blog ..on originality =-.
Terra
October 7, 2010 at 6:40 pm

I’m a big fan of thrifting for fun house odds and ends. That coffee mug is a GREAT find and exactly the sort of thing I would have snagged up.

I remember going to flea markets as a kid too…the details aren’t very clear but I just remember the place being HUGE.
.-= Terra´s last blog ..Education &amp Things exactly the way they’re supposed to be =-.

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