Bitten by the Thrifting Bug

If you are a thrifter then you know exactly what I mean when I say that my sister and I have been bitten by the thrifting bug. We are both in love with the idea of making our homes beautiful using items we have found at thrift stores, antique shops, estate sales, yard sales, and sometimes even on the side of the road!

Growing up in Vermont, we called it “tag-saling”. I can remember my mother hitting up tag sales (yard sales) around town in order to gather up pots, pans, dishes, and towels for our pop up camper. With five kids, and my public school teacher dad as the sole breadwinner, buying items new was just not an option. Financially, thrifting was a necessity.

A thrifted teacup that reminds me of my grandmother.

As my sister and I moved out into our own homes and started our own families, thrifting, yard-saling, and second hand shopping made financial sense. However, what started out as a financial necessity has become so much more than that! Now the idea of creating a beautiful home using secondhand finds has become a passion. We love the challenge of finding the perfect piece on the shelves of Goodwill or in a box at a yard sale. Saving money is always nice, but saving something from the landfill or embracing the history of a pre-loved treasure is what fuels us now. We love to imagine the previous lives of our new-to-us finds. Thinking about how someone loved and treasured these objects make them all the more special to us. The nostalgia of finding bowls in the same pattern as the ones our beloved “Grandma Bunny” (our paternal grandmother) had feeds our souls in a way that even the shiniest new object from a retail store cannot.

Vintage goodness!

The next time you want to change up your décor or make your home cozier, hit up your local second hand shop. You never know what you will find. I can guarantee that when you find that perfect pre-loved treasure, you will be hooked for life! I hope that through this blog my sister and I can inspire you to make your life beautiful on a budget.

Fun vintage finds put to daily use.