23.1.10

Ahoy Matey!

That’s what successful garage sailors scream from the bough of their ship on their return voyage, while defending their bounty from mutinous shipmates.

I almost didn’t go garage sailing today. I was tired, The Boy had the car, we already have enough stuff, I’m trying to pack & purge not buy more, we’re poor… but I ended up going anyway. I had to. It’s a sickness.

I only went to two, we were pretty late when I could resist the sultry siren calls no longer, the first was more like a “potting shed” sale, and was a little too picked over; one glance at the lidless Tupperware on the foldaway card table and I knew we were too late. The second was a Mecca of all that is good about garage sales.

We wandered around the back, Le Punk & I, admiring such treasures as a $10 laminex kitchen table (if I’d had a ute, we would now own 2 laminate kitchen tables and have nowhere to put either) & 70s bar utensils, when we were encouraged to head inside too. The woman that lived in the house was headed to an aged care home & her family were tidying up. I’ve only ever been to one similar sale, in the Blue Mountains, an estate sale where there was stuff stacked upon stuff in a tiny little house, and I was oddly fascinated by the whole thing.

It’s rather strange & a little unsettling to walk into a house, somebody’s home, and be able to buy whatever you see there. Everything had a price sticker, or “Make an offer” scrawled on it in red marker.

juice

In the kitchen I saw a Breville Professional Juicer for $20 & had to have it. It was exactly the same as the juicer The Boy bought me once that I didn’t want at all, but I hadn’t been turned on to the joys of orange, carrot & ginger juice then, so he gave it to his mother after it sat unused in the cupboard for a year or so. To his credit, he wasn’t as annoyed as I thought he’d be when I revealed I’d bought another, probably because I already had a tall glass of delicious fresh juice waiting for him.

fabrichaul

In the hallway there was a huge box of fabric, different kinds separated into little plastic bags & neatly labelled, the box said “Make an offer per bag” so I asked the lady how much she wanted for the whole box, obviously her mother’s modest stash, and she said “Make me an offer”. I had no idea, I was thinking $20 but then I was thinking “No, she won’t take that…” so all I said was “I would but I don’t think it would be enough!”, she looked at the box again & asked “Would $10 be too unreasonable?”.

No.

$10 would be very reasonable. Thank you.

After getting my treasures & The Punk home, I sorted through the fabric (lots of knit & rib, will have to become better acquainted with my overlocker eventually) and did some washing up, all the while thinking “I didn’t look at everything! I was so excited by the fabric I forgot about everything else!”, so, as tragic as I know this sounds, I went back.

Punk stayed with The Boy’s little bro while I dashed over again (I also had to get oranges for juicing… so… like… I’m not THAT bad….) to have another look.

score

The family were so lovely, asking where Le Punk was & how old she was, the guy outside showed me an ice-cream container full of old rubber & wood mounted stamps. The price tag said $8 but he said he’d give them to me for $2. He said that his brother inside had told him “You’ll never get $8 for those!” so if they asked me I had to say I paid $8, just to prove him right (nobody asked, mores the pity). I also got a recipe book stand/holder (That’s what I’m calling it anywho, but I’m pretty sure it used to hold a bible…) for 20 cents, but latent guilt about my fabric stash steal saw me force $1 upon the sweet lady instead.

 

Experiences like this do nothing to help my addiction.

I am doomed.

16 comments:

  1. Oops! Yep, me thinks doomed is an apt word to describe it Vic. Oh but what a hoot, and how could anyone resist! Those stamps are a must.
    Another big giggle with this post. Twice in one day is good going!

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  2. aaaah dont you love stumbling into garage sales like that!! what a score!
    I agree though, the deceased estate ones are the worst, pretty much an entire house for the taking, with cupboards open and just stuff, i feel guilty but then i think, at least im giving the stuff a good home :) much like you do!!

    One of my resolutions this year was to not go to so many garage sales, markets or op shops, I am here to say ive failed and it was silly to even consider starting to destash and not bring more treasures into the house, ive been bad, but ive found goooood things so its ok.

    oh and i just did my 2nd blog post of today one with the reading thing ;)

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  3. oh MY!!! you are one very sick mamma!
    it definitely is a sickness & I can't help myself either.
    we live in a 2 bdrm house, I MUST stop..
    what great little treasures!
    love the stamps especially, hmm, now, which box is my juicer in??

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  4. I am so jealous!!! You hit the motherload there. There is not too many opportunities in my country town like that one unfortunately, so well done! :)

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  5. Yeah Vic! Wow wee, I'd be smiling with all that fabric too :D
    It is a sickness, I've had it for years...no known cure ;)

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  6. Oh Darling I adore you!!!
    So eloquent! It's like reading an escapade of my own in days gone by! I used to feel such sadness. Used to cringe at some of the 'g salers' the way they used to scavenge, like vultures on a piece of dead fat poring over the beloved and much loved treasures of a lovely lady gone elsewhere. I've only retired from the hunt as my stash started taking over ;)
    WuHu ... now will live vicariously through your Saturday expeditions. You're a sweeheart! Don't stress! It's only a sickness to those who don't get it ... when they do we're all in the same boat ... you're gorgeous ;) xo

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  7. What a fantastic find, I don't blame you one bit for going back, I would have too :)

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  8. I haven't been to a garage sale in ages. Wonderful finds my friend! I did manage a mad dash to the thrift shop after months away and found these beauties for a steal!
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/28350004@N02/4294283512/in/photostream/

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  9. Cathie - I'm sure everyone has a juicer somewhere, right next the the breadmaker, rice cooker & popcorn popper.... ;)

    Alissa - I don't think there are that many opportunities in THIS country town either m'dear... just rather lucky yesterday... if you don't go, you won't know!

    Zofia - Here to stay then you say? Hmmmm.... we really should have bought a bigger house...

    Cherie - What a lovely, sweet, rather uncalled for comment my dear - THANK YOU for saying so, but I'm not a sweetheart (ask anyon... just not Cathie, above...), oh no, I'm dark & mysterious damnitt!!!
    What a sad day it must have been to have to retire from the hunt, but I know what you mean about the vulture types *shiver* I'm quite happy to bumble up late if it means I avoid them, I don't know what they're looking for, a treasure chest someone forgot to open marked at $2?! (Which they'd bargain down to 50 cents...)

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  10. What a great haul!

    Yep I am on that ship of doom, forever cursed to sail through the garages of Australia looking for treasures. So many barren stops but then you find Aladins cave that makes it all worth while. One last year, I was even pulling things out of their trailer piled with things destined for the dump which they deemed worthless!
    Just don't own a van with seats that fold up... they hold more and bigger treasures and are just too convenient ;)
    (ps replace doom and cursed with serendipidy and delighted) :D

    Re vultures, I read once that you are more likely to get a good price if you admire and value the articles you are buying, rather than beat them down or if you are obviously buying just to sell. i must say, it does work and everyone gets to feel good. I have seen many happy faces when I have said how much I liked something and how it will be used. You are respecting the persons taste and memory.

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  11. I can see that you are going to be as starving as I am. What is it with this addiction anyway?

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  12. I'm so incredibly envious. How do you find garage sales anyways? I never know how to find any!

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  13. Once again I am so jealous. I could make such good use of those stamps! And $2, fantastic! I was out at the craft shop looking for stamps yesterday – do you know how much they want for them – ridiculous.

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  14. If you're doomed ... then so are the rest of us ... but so happy on the way to doomdon (can I even say that?)

    What a great day ... I'm so jealous re the stash of stamps ... they look fantastic.

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  15. wow what an awesome find! no point worrying about being doomed, it's too late now :) and the stamps are definitely a good find. it must be fun when you have a little person ohh-ing and aaghing over treasures too

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