modern thrifter
I love beautiful things and thoughtful design. I also live in one of the most expensive cities in the country, and our family lives off a single income so that I can be at home with our kids. Patience and persistence have been the key to finding stylish things on a tight budget.
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3 posts tagged reader finds
[ THRIFTING OBSESSIONS ]
My friend Margaret Ann emailed me recently about her newest obsession: Pyrex. Since she is a gifted writer (I still hope to be privy to some of her poetry one of these days), I’ll just let her explain.
“I seem to go through waves of obsession when it comes to thrifting. For a long time it was cool wooden toys, favorite movies, the ever elusive Dansko, dressers, et cetera. Lately, it’s been kitchen goods—cute mugs, serving dishes, and now, vintage Pyrex. At least, I think it’s vintage. I looked up the pattern on a Pyrex website and they placed it in the 1960’s (with a question mark). It doesn’t really matter—I love these bowls. They are bright and fun and slightly reminiscent of my childhood (which was firmly in the late seventies/eighties, but my mom held on to a lot of her kitchen stuff from before I was born). I don’t know if I’ll use them for mixing—I’m hoping to use them somewhere more visible.”
I, too, have gone through similar obsessions. Right now I seem to be bringing home a lot of books and games. Patrick’s obsessions for years have been chairs and vintage office equipment/electronics. What things have you been drawn to recently?
![[ SECOND CHANCE PURCHASE ]
Margaret Ann recently emailed me about a bag she picked up at the thrift store. What she had to say sounded so much like what goes through my mind when making a purchase for myself that I wanted to share it. Here’s her story behind the bag:
The bag, an OiOi Messenger Diaper bag, retails for $120 dollars. I got it for $12.99 plus tax. A few details:
1) I didn’t buy it when I first saw it because paying $13 for a used bag (and I didn’t know the price then, but I suspected it was on the higher end) seemed like a lot. However, I came home and looked it up online. Then I thought about it all afternoon, and decided in the evening (with my husband’s encouragement) to go back to the store and see if it was still there. Happily, it was (mostly because I left it in the wrong section when I took it out of my cart) and I paid my 13+ bucks with almost no trepidation.
2) Why did I go back? It’s not just that it was expensive and therefore suddenly “better” in my eyes (though there was a touch of that). It was also because I really, really wanted a cute diaper bag, but I couldn’t really justify getting a new one for myself for our fourth (and most likely last) baby…just like buying a new infant car seat seems ridiculous to me when we’ll only use it for a few months (though I’ve found that borrowing one has its own set of troubles, too). And yet, when I found a cute bag, I put it back because I wanted to save money. But even buying a lower-end diaper bag would cost at least twice what I paid for this used bag. Sometimes being frugal leads to me denying myself things that are lovely and give me pleasure on a daily basis—even when I find them for cheap. This doesn’t make a lot of sense and doesn’t really save us a ton of money in the long run…and I end up feeling “deprived”, which is foolish and unnecessary.
3) I would never pay $120 for a new diaper bag (and I don’t think this bag is really $120 worth of materials). But it’s so darn cute. It was worth two trips to Goodwill and a lot of thought.
Like Margaret Ann, I fall into this trap quite often. I seem to have no problem buying things for my kids or for the house, but when it comes to getting something for myself—even a necessity, I drag my feet, feeling guilty. Last week Patrick mentioned to me that he would like some new socks for the winter. Since most of his are low/ankle height, he thought it would be nice to have some warmer ones. I was quick to point out that I only have one pair of socks that don’t have holes in them, so he could probably make do. He looked at me like I was crazy and lovingly told me to go buy socks for myself.I was wearing my frugality as a badge. Like, “look at how much more I’m willing to endure.” It was silliness (and a touch of pride). Socks are something that are well within our budget. I’m happily wearing a new pair of socks today, and I can bet that Margaret Ann is enjoying her new bag. I’m certain that neither purchase will put either of our families into financial ruin.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lb9zfgyNcy1qc7v1bo1_500.jpg)
[ SECOND CHANCE PURCHASE ]
Margaret Ann recently emailed me about a bag she picked up at the thrift store. What she had to say sounded so much like what goes through my mind when making a purchase for myself that I wanted to share it. Here’s her story behind the bag:
The bag, an OiOi Messenger Diaper bag, retails for $120 dollars. I got it for $12.99 plus tax. A few details:
1) I didn’t buy it when I first saw it because paying $13 for a used bag (and I didn’t know the price then, but I suspected it was on the higher end) seemed like a lot. However, I came home and looked it up online. Then I thought about it all afternoon, and decided in the evening (with my husband’s encouragement) to go back to the store and see if it was still there. Happily, it was (mostly because I left it in the wrong section when I took it out of my cart) and I paid my 13+ bucks with almost no trepidation.
2) Why did I go back? It’s not just that it was expensive and therefore suddenly “better” in my eyes (though there was a touch of that). It was also because I really, really wanted a cute diaper bag, but I couldn’t really justify getting a new one for myself for our fourth (and most likely last) baby…just like buying a new infant car seat seems ridiculous to me when we’ll only use it for a few months (though I’ve found that borrowing one has its own set of troubles, too). And yet, when I found a cute bag, I put it back because I wanted to save money. But even buying a lower-end diaper bag would cost at least twice what I paid for this used bag. Sometimes being frugal leads to me denying myself things that are lovely and give me pleasure on a daily basis—even when I find them for cheap. This doesn’t make a lot of sense and doesn’t really save us a ton of money in the long run…and I end up feeling “deprived”, which is foolish and unnecessary.
3) I would never pay $120 for a new diaper bag (and I don’t think this bag is really $120 worth of materials). But it’s so darn cute. It was worth two trips to Goodwill and a lot of thought.
Like Margaret Ann, I fall into this trap quite often. I seem to have no problem buying things for my kids or for the house, but when it comes to getting something for myself—even a necessity, I drag my feet, feeling guilty.
Last week Patrick mentioned to me that he would like some new socks for the winter. Since most of his are low/ankle height, he thought it would be nice to have some warmer ones. I was quick to point out that I only have one pair of socks that don’t have holes in them, so he could probably make do. He looked at me like I was crazy and lovingly told me to go buy socks for myself.
I was wearing my frugality as a badge. Like, “look at how much more I’m willing to endure.” It was silliness (and a touch of pride). Socks are something that are well within our budget.
I’m happily wearing a new pair of socks today, and I can bet that Margaret Ann is enjoying her new bag. I’m certain that neither purchase will put either of our families into financial ruin.
![[ HOMEMADE HALLOWEEN: NINJA COSTUME ]
Marin made this fantastic ninja costume for her son when he changed his mind at the last minute about what he wanted to be. Here’s how she did it:
“The head covering is one of my husband’s t-shirts turned inside out. I used 2 black fabric scraps from my stash to make a belt and sling that would hold his “ninja sword” (which was just a Batman sword we already had). We already had black pants, but I did buy the long-sleeved black shirt at Target ($4 and he’s still wearing it a year later). I cut a throwing star out of black cardboard, put a pair of my $1 stretchy gloves on him, and that was it…instant ninja.”
Marin also sent two image of her recent thrift store finds. The first is this super cute cherry patterned pot, which she picked up for $2.99. I think it looks great with her tea kettle, too.
Second are these candlesticks that were thrifted for 99¢ each. Nice finds Marin, and thanks for sharing them with everyone.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lapcuiHxXZ1qc7v1bo1_500.jpg)
[ HOMEMADE HALLOWEEN: NINJA COSTUME ]
Marin made this fantastic ninja costume for her son when he changed his mind at the last minute about what he wanted to be. Here’s how she did it:
“The head covering is one of my husband’s t-shirts turned inside out. I used 2 black fabric scraps from my stash to make a belt and sling that would hold his “ninja sword” (which was just a Batman sword we already had). We already had black pants, but I did buy the long-sleeved black shirt at Target ($4 and he’s still wearing it a year later). I cut a throwing star out of black cardboard, put a pair of my $1 stretchy gloves on him, and that was it…instant ninja.”
Marin also sent two image of her recent thrift store finds. The first is this super cute cherry patterned pot, which she picked up for $2.99. I think it looks great with her tea kettle, too.
Second are these candlesticks that were thrifted for 99¢ each. Nice finds Marin, and thanks for sharing them with everyone. 
