One Mom's Trash is Another's Treasure

Dear friends,

Over on the Simple Design blog, they are asking folks to share their favorite "thrift hauls" -- items they have obtained free or cheap from yard sales, thrift shops, Craigs List, or, my favorite, the neighbor's curb.

On the way home from church today, we spotted a yard sale at a home that has had great sales before.  So we stopped, and I found a cheery serving bowl for 75 cents.  I brought it home, washed it out with hot soapy water, and immediately filled it with a pile of Granny Smith apples to put out on the table. 

I found the 24" x 24" big pillow on top of a trash pile down the street a few weeks ago.  There was a matching one, but the ruffles were torn on it, so I left it there.  I should have taken it anyway, and seen what I could salvage from it, even if just the fabric. Did I mention that I snatched it as the garbage truck was rumbling down the street?  

My all-time favorite curb side treasure: the rocker recliner I have spent countless hours in over the past 10 years.  Has it really been that long?  This was my favorite go-to spot while I was pregnant and nursing my last two babies (now 6 and 9 years old), and it's still my favorite place in the house to sit!  Now I get to rock my two grandsons in it!  It's in my bedroom right next to my bookcase.  Years after I found this chair around the corner with a "free" sign on it, I noticed the homeowner in his yard and thanked him.  He said the chair was in the house when they bought it, and didn't go with their furniture.  He figured someone else could use it.  He was right!  We also got a white bookcase from his curb about the same time.

This is really only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the dozens of items in our house that I bought cheap, found for free, or received as hand-me-downs from a thoughtful friend.  I'd be here all day if I took pictures of all of them!  I am thankful for God's provision for our needs, even if it is something someone else has already used and enjoyed.  I don't like junk, but it doesn't take fancy to make me happy!  With 8 of my 10 kids still living at home, thrifty is the name of the game here!

Blessings,

Virginia Knowles

www.comewearymoms.blogspot.com