Happiness is Often Used

[primsong]

I simply love some of the stuff I come across at garage sales and such - in this case it's a computer hutch! It's beautiful and matches my maple kitchen cabinets, which is a Fine Thing as my comp is right at the end of my kitchen, I am sooo happy. It was missing a couple pieces, so my DH called the company (Sauder) and sent them a picture of it to identify the model - even though it was discontinued five years ago they promptly sent us all the parts we needed, free! (even though we told them we'd bought it second-hand and were willing to pay for parts). Unexpected and very nice! Some creative drilling fixed the holes so they work a little better for computer cables and such, DH added a hook for my headset to hang from too, so I can stop running over the cord with my chair. It even has a light at the top. Yay! I feel so spoiled, I would hug it if it weren't a piece of furniture.

I was just looking around my house earlier and mentally identifying all the stuff we got from yard sales - there's quite a lot, I suppose if I were one of those folks who "MUST have it new" my house would be pretty spartan (or I'd be in significant debt). Looks good to me - I'm grateful for my mom raising me to appreciate how used can be good as (or better) than new.

It's an interesting mindset, the 'new' thing. My daughter, starbells, has an excellent artistic eye for clothing and told me one of her classmates admiringly asked her where she got her clothes. She said "Goodwill" and the other girl was both shocked and dismayed. "My mom won't let me shop at Goodwill, she says the clothes are germy."

I just have to roll my eyes. As if her 'new' clothing shipped from companies in China and handled by who knows how many people before her would be germ-free, lol! When my mom was in real estate for a while, she mentioned meeting a woman who said she wouldn't buy a 'used' house, only new because she didn't want to sit on a toilet seat someone else had sat on. I mean...good grief...

But then, germs hold little terror for me, and I love a good treasure hunt - plus now I get to hunt more often as my Etsy shop needs feeding, a nice bonus. Each to their own!

Comments

[stellastars]

Your new computer hutch sounds like a wonderful find -- and how nice of the company to send you the parts!

I wish my family was less into the "new" mindset. Generally, I feel like I am pretty much my parents' child, but when it comes to purchasing items (and living quarters) there is a significant difference in philosophy! (I'm grateful that friends in college gave me perspective on the new/used mindset.)

Out of curiosity, are you familiar with the Freecycle Network? I've just signed up for my area and have been slowly checking it out, seeing what sorts of items people have to offer... I know other people have had great luck finding things through the groups.

Also, if I may ask, have you found Etsy to be a good experience? I've been sewing a bit more and, while not ready to actually begin selling items, I'm looking into it.

[primsong.livejournal.com]

I love Freecycle, we've found a couple nice things through it and used it even more often to find homes for extra stuff we have (I've given away lots of u-pick grapes the past couple of years, for instance). I had a rusty old bicycle and it was wonderful how I could put up a post on Freecycle and stick the thing out on my front deck and *voila* it had a home. It depends on how your area is moderated, though - some of them turn into 'begging' forums with nothing but people asking for free stuff over and over.

And Etsy has been great! I've sold much more than I expected to, about 3 items a week on the average, sometimes more, and it gets a lot more traffic than my Bonanzle shop. It's really easy to work with. I absolutely recommend them, just be sure you do your research in pricing comparable items both on and off Etsy and you should be good to go. :-)

[stellastars]

It depends on how your area is moderated, though - some of them turn into 'begging' forums with nothing but people asking for free stuff over and over.
Ahh, thanks for mentioning this... There seems to be a mix of asking/offering in my area; I was surprised by the asking post and that comment makes it make more sense.

And thanks for the info on Etsy! (Especially about checking out pricing.) Always good to hear from people who've already worked with it, rather than just jumping in!