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What are your thrifting rules?
Posted on April 24th, 2009 14 commentsDo you thrift or collect? I love thrifting and antiquing but I have certain rules. I don’t know very much about price values, so I stick to items that I really love. Attempting to anticipate the future worth of antiques is just as risky as playing the stock market. I either buy items that I will actually use or can be displayed prominently and add significant decorative value to my home. I don’t buy items that are going to sit on a crowded shelf or cupboard and collect dust. I’m very selective with what I buy. It’s very easy to get into some bad habits while thrifting, because items are so affordable it’s easy to think you can afford to buy just about everything you want and then find yourself over budget, (not to mention with a house full of clutter.) If you’d like some tips on how to thrift, check out The Thrifty Chicks, one of my favourite thrifting blogs.
Normally, as I said, I don’t collect, as in I am not a collector of rare or valuable pieces. I did, however discover this Star Trek collectors item. (Did y’all already realize I was a great big NERD or did I just out myself?)
I found this fantastic Star Trek bowl in my favourite antique store. It wasn’t in the best shape when I bought it. There was some old tape on Dr. McCoy’s face, dirt encrusted on the bottom, and some stains. (The tape was probably there from an unsuccessful garage sale - that hurts.) I got all the tape off, and all the stains off on the bottom and sides of the bowl with baking soda. I think I can remove most of the stains inside the bowl with a little Comet, although I worry about damaging the plastic.
This bowl is, according to price books, worth about 4-times what I paid. However, this was not consistent with the prices I found on Ebay. I wonder if this is because the present demand (with the poor economy) means there is less interest in collectibles. I also wonder if more people are attempting to sell off their collectibles in order to make a little pocket money. So the Ebay prices might not reflect it’s future worth. With that perspective, it’s probably a reasonably good time to buy collectibles.
Anyway, I now am faced with the dilemma - do I use the bowl or protect it? Light will surely fade the plastic. But what’s the point of having cute memorabilia like this if I don’t use or display it? It’s not worth much if it’s hidden in a box somewhere.
Do you thrift or collect? What are your thrifting rules? And do you display or keep your cherished items portected?
Linked to: Life as Mom
14 responses to “What are your thrifting rules?”
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I only collect glass butter dishes.
They are hard to find and I never pay more than $15. I have one on the counter for everyday use. If the top or bottom gets broken the whole thing is recycled. -
My favorite thing to look for at thrift stores in canning jars. When I do find them, they only run about a quarter each.
Oh, and please do display that awesome bowl. It’s so much fun! Just don’t set it out in the direct sunlight. You could use it for nuts or candy. Wouldn’t that be a conversation starter when you have company? -
I’d love to, but we just can’t. Packing up and moving several thousand kilometres every two to three years helps fuel the urge to purge.
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In trying to declutter our home, our new rule is that all ‘collectibles’ must have a use.
When I was in university, I collected shot glasses. I just discovered them in a box in our storage room that has been taped up for 6 years. To the garage sale they go.
I’ve started ‘collecting’ stationary. I love buying boxes of pretty cards, picking out the right one to send someone, and sharing them. I’ve found it great when travelling, a sort of useable souvenir.
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Catherine April 24th, 2009 at 14:06
SQ~love your new acquisition! Made me smile…hubby and I used to watch Star Trek every night back in ‘old’ 1969. Display it for sure.
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i’d totally choose eat out of it over display it. that’s what it was originally made for, right?
you may want to try borax to get the stains out, before you try comet. since the stains are likely from some kind of natural product (months of cereal consumption?), the natural enzyme fighting power of borax may be just the ticket, and it’s not as corrosive as comet. just a thought.
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My mom would love that!!! LOL!! I remember my mom watching the original Star Trek when I was a kid! That being said, if you love it, use it!! And yes, I think you just outed yourself as a trekkie
but that’s ok… There are worse things in life! LOL!! -
I vote that you use it, as well; it can be as collectible as it wants to be, it’s only really useful to you if it’s out somewhere where you can enjoy it, so enjoy it!
I only really only thrift for clothing and yarn, myself, and very rarely lanterns… I love lanterns. Those aren’t commonly found in thrift stores, alas… but yes. Clothing. And thrift yarn, should you ever get into knitting or weaving or what-have-you, is insanely cheap.
No under-things, though. Nothing on earth would ever convince me that they’ve come clean enough for me… :p
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SQ, did you know you’re my hero?
Frugal, green-aware, and a Sci-Fi nerd?? I think I figured out how to spell perfection. Lol You’re all aces in my book kid! 
Never bought anything at thrift/antique places, but I’ve visited a few in the past year (got to thank a new found friend for that). I’ve got a “fetish” for all machinery type devices - i.e. extremely old Singer sewing machines, 1920’s radios, ancient typewriters, anything that is industrial or way back when. I think I should have been born in the 20’s or something…when times were simple living and filled with simple devices. Maybe one day I’ll buy some cool things, but right now, there are other objects on my “want” list that are more functional than display items.
As I’m sure I mentioned before, one of my “hobbies” these days is swiping tea bags from hotels I stayed at. I made out like a bandit at an Ottawa hotel conciege lounge where they were stocked up with Mighty Tea Leaf tea. YUM! He he he
I say go use the bowl. I understand how people go antiqueing looking for possible treasures, but I still think antiqueing is best getting things you enjoy. Screw financial value. Make it a once-a-week-use thing (like a Sunday or Saturday morning), so that way you can get excited about using it. If you use it everyday, it’s appeal will get lost quickly. Just think how exciting it would be, sitting on a Wednesday morning, waiting with anticipation for Saturday to come so you can eat your Lucky Charms while watching cartoons!
Enjoy!
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hey! we have the matching cups to that bowl! i found them at a big garage sale a few years back. they’re my sons drinking cups. One of the first phrases he learned was…”Oh no! Klingons!”
I didn’t realize they were worth anything…they have faded quite a bit in the last 2 years that i’ve had them.
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The bowl is super cute! I vote to use it! LOL!
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I used to collect beer mugs but after 20 years of hauling them around, never having a place to put them, and just storing them in boxes, it’s over. I garage saled them all last year and it didn’t really hurt one bit to get rid of them. I am hugely into decluttering and try desperately to follow the ‘one in/one out’ rule.
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I vowed to myself never to start collecting anything.
I’ve made Mr Bee promise to stop me if I would want to start something like that after I watched a TV show about make-overs of houses that wouldn’t sell. This particular house didn’t sell because the owners had a doll collection. There were dolls EVERYWHERE, they had compeletely taken over the house. It was a bit scary actually.
And I watched a documentary once about people that collected the plastic toys from Kinder chocolate eggs. It was really disturbing. It seemed like as soon you start a collection, it becomes some sort of addiction. That one plastic toy is then suddenly something you really really want to have, while before you started the collection, you wouldn’t care about it at all.
Collecting, to me, is deriving joy from HAVING things. Which a) I think is not as satisfying as using/displaying things and b) would be extremely unpractical in my case since my house is already completely packed with stuff that I do use and look at and enjoy and display. (I’m really bad a throwing stuff out, but I’m working on that. Also, this doesn’t mean I don’t buy stuff which I don’t need but just adore…).
For the bowl:
Either keep it with the intention of selling it for the highest possible price OR enjoy it by using it. I don’t think keeping it in a cupboard just to be able to think you have something valuable stored away is the way to derive the most enjoyment from your cool bowl! -
Saver Queen April 28th, 2009 at 14:46
Thanks to everyone for your input!
Dinah - that’s so funny that you have the matching cups! Yes, they are collectible items too!
Erran - indeed I am a big sci-fi nerd. I like your idea about using it on special occasions like once a week!
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