"One woman's trash, another woman's treasure"

Rosie Wells' comments on Thrifting Philosophy

Thrifting ought to be a verb. It's not, at least according to my well worn ( from a school sale) blue, cloth -covered , Merriam-Webster dictionary. Verb, "an action performed by or suffered by the subject, or a state experienced by the subject..." (Merriam-Webster 1938, p.911). Heck, it's an action I perform almost every Saturday, and not once have I "suffered". A grand experience, bar none, and I invite my reader friends to share in its joys.

Someone once told me that what drives the passion for thrifting comes from the hunter gatherer instinct within us all . Having not followed the moose hunting path like some women (Sarah Palin) , my hunter gatherer evolved sans camouflage,deadly weapons, and night goggles. Rather, in a somewhat Darwinian twist I evolved into a "thifter". This being one who is found salivating at 6am with newspaper carefully folded and sales circled in red, and ready to dash up the first driveway. Weapon of choice being a fanny pack securely fixed to the waist and holding my budget for the day. ( You must keep your arms unencumbered).

This way of "doing life" seems better suited to my commitment to reuse, recycle, and live simply. for years my car sported the bumper sticker "Live Simply so others may Simply Live." Now this doesn't mean that I don't have "stuff", Nooooo. I am constantly bringing home new "old" things, but then it's easier too resell or donate to keep a balance. If something new comes in, the something old must go. I know it's important to remain mindful about how clutter impacts our psyche, so I suggest practicing breath work before every purchase. ( Just a few deep breaths from the tummy.) I have been able to resist a few stupid purchases by just giving myself time to breathe.

I love being able to have a variety of cloth napkins for my home. One less paper product for the landfill. And well made, classic clothes, like the vintage navy wool pants I found for my husband. They were made in Vermont. What a history they must have!

Rosie Peters' comments on Thrifting Philosophy

I would like to assert that a garage sale can be a soulful event. At least, it is for me. I want to illustrate my idea by using our annual work garage sale . Every year for the past 5 years, my co-workers and I have hosted an organization wide garage sale to benefit our in-house charity. To me,this garage sale marks a season of cleansing, a ritual of taking unwanted and unneeded objects and removing them from our houses, our offices, and other personal spaces in order to allow a "cleaning of the house." This can be emotional, spiritual, and physical in nature. Maintaining the balance with one's possessions, having an in-flow and an out-flow are important components to one's overall sense of well being. Have you ever just felt weighed down by the amount of shoes in your closet, the unused appliances in your kitchen, the unpacked boxes hidden in your closet? Those dark places that you know one day you will have to face the monster of your clutter. The event of hosting a garage sale with the intention to sell it all or send it all to the thrift store allows an individual to feel the freedom of moving their items to a new home. A wise woman once said to me," There is no room in your life for new things ( people, experiences, relationships) because they have no place to enter." The energy to purge and clear can then be transformed into a new energy for other life adventures. I encourage everyone to host a garage sale or donate to one of the large benefit garage sales in town and "clean their closets." Open yourselves to something new!

The Secondhand Rosies will be providing information on how to have a successful garage sale in future blogs. Please send us any questions that you may have about this topic. Thanks.