Not a good weekend and "thrift" language

[Tammy]

Those that had good thrifting weekends Congratulations!  We have what is called Spoon River Drive the first 2 weekends in October.  Lots of small rural towns with 2 lane roads just full of flea markets, garage & antique sales, food!  All this is to celebrate the fall colors.  So we head out about 2 (earliest I could go) on Sat and then again yesterday AM.  All we found was either expensive antiques or baby clothes!  My youngest just turned 20 so I'm not at all interested in that anymore.  I think in the 2 days I bought 3 books, a silk bouquet, a 4 shelf cabinet for $7.50, and 2 small refrig pyrex dishes for .25 each. 

What really irritates me are the people who put out garage sale signs and it's nothing more than more expensive antiques.  Or they put out garage sale and it's nothing but crafts!  When I think garage sale, I think cheap misc stuff.  Craft sale is of course crafts.  And what do you think an antique sale is??  There were flea markets, which I tend to think of as cheap garage sales lumped into an area, but the flea markets we stopped at were mainly crafts and antiques.  One woman at this antique booth anytime I so much as looked at something would yell out something about that being 1 of a kind and she'd take this or that for it.  Got extremely annoying! 

[alexandra]

Used to be that garage sales were held to rid a home of unwanted junk.  It seems that these days, too many are held in order to make a profit.  What a shame!

Thriftily,
Alexandra
www.livingwithoutmoney.blogspot.com

[Good Buddy]

There were flea markets, which I tend to think of as cheap garage sales lumped into an area, but the flea markets we stopped at were mainly crafts and antiques.

I hate the "Flea Markets" that are nothing but car stereo booths, weapons, new cheap items, sunglasses, and cell phone accessories. Used to be cheap garage sales lumped into an area. Renninger's is a real Flea. I can't wait to go when it's here.
Are you coming with us SeSo?

Used to be that garage sales were held to rid a home of unwanted junk.  It seems that these days, too many are held in order to make a profit.  What a shame!

Amen Sister!

[SecondhandSophisticate]

Hey GB and Cookie, we would LOVE to go with you to Rennigers...when are y'all going?

We are cleaning out the house today (we must be the world's cleanest people it's also why I am available online every 15 minutes )because next week for us starts:

THE DREADED KITCHEN REMODEL   

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh...so give me a time frame to see if we can escape for a few hours. 

SeSo

[SecondhandSophisticate]

PS;  I've pontificated on this subject on way toooo many other threads, so here I'll just add my "AMENS" to y'alls' posts.

Which brings me to a subject I've been giving a lot of thought to:  How much stuff is enough?

For me, I believe I have reached "maximum saturation point" on thrifting, which is very disconcerting, considering I've been doing it for so long.  It leaves me wondering "So now What?"  I don't need anything, really. I can take books out of the library. I love great design, but I can't own it ALL.  I love the thrill of the hunt, and I'm finding that I leave some really neat (well, to me, anyway) behind because as much as I love it, I have no place to put it and it doesn't serve me. As for resale, it is my observation that eBay is glutted, and locally, unless I own a "collectibles" shop, my chances of reselling it for profit is nil (and puts me in the "pickers" catagory, which I am not. I am the end-user.)

Any and all thoughts and ideas and feelings from my fellow thrifters will be appreciated and considered. I am not a collector.  As I get older, I feel the need to be less "weighed down" by stuff that does not serve, even if I love it, I'd rather see it in a place where it will be used, be useful, even if that use is only (only!--we are anti-emotion Americans, after all) is to make someone happy.

So guys, what are your takes on this subject? 

[Good Buddy]

The next big Renninger's show is November 16, 17, 18, 2007, so that's when we're all going!

http://www.renningers.com/dora/flaexthome2.html

As for having too much stuff, so do we. We just bought a bookshelf and could still fill 2 more with books if we had the room.
We're VERY particular about what we thrift now though..