Most of us walk out of a store with what we planned to buy, plus a few things we did not. Estate sales can feel like that on a bigger scale. You head out with a loose idea of what you want, and you come home with a few happy surprises. That is the story behind a cheerful haul shared by @savvimac, who spent $150 at estate sales and came home with a little bit of everything.
It was not even a single sale. The shopper made the rounds at three estate sales, which is a smart way to do it. Visit one house and you might strike out. Visit three and the odds of something following you home go way up.
Here is what made the cut, starting with the cutest little trivet. The idea is that it might go on a gallery wall, which is a lovely way to give a humble kitchen piece a second life as decor.
Next came a little soup cookbook, because soup season is about to begin. Anyone who has stood in a kitchen on the first chilly evening of fall knows the feeling. You want something simmering on the stove, and a good book of recipes to lean on.
Then there was a little key holder. It is brass, and the shopper loves anything brass. A small piece like that by the front door is handy and pretty at the same time, which is the best kind of purchase.
And then the matchbooks. The shopper collects them, and found a whole bag of matches and matchbooks. One of them is from a wedding in 1974. Think about that for a second. A couple’s big day, marked on a tiny matchbook, is now part of a collection fifty years later. It is a small thing, but it is the kind of find that makes a collector’s day.
Why A Few Small Finds Beat One Big Purchase
Look at the list again: a trivet, a key holder, a cookbook and a bag of matchbooks. Nothing on it is fancy, and nothing on it is a big-ticket item. Yet every piece has a job or a home. The trivet has a spot on the wall. The cookbook suits the season. The key holder fits a love of brass. The matchbooks feed a collection that already exists.
That is the secret to shopping secondhand without cluttering up your house. Buy what you will use, display or add to something you already love. Leave the rest for the next shopper. If you cannot picture exactly where something will live when you get home, it is usually best to put it back.
How To Plan Your Own Estate Sale Trip
If this haul has you itching to go, a few simple habits can help you shop with confidence.
- Look at the listings first. Many sales are advertised online or in local listings before they open. Check the addresses and hours, and plan a route so you are not zigzagging across town.
- Visit more than one. Following the example of this shopper, plan on several sales in a day or a weekend. It gives you more chances to find something you love.
- Set a budget before you leave. Decide on a number, and bring that much. It is much easier to stay within a limit when you have chosen it ahead of time.
- Bring bags and a tape measure. A sturdy tote saves your arms, and a tape measure keeps you from carrying home something that will not fit your space.
- Check things over. Look for cracks, chips and missing pieces before you pay. Flip through any cookbook you buy, too. Sometimes the best part is a handwritten note tucked inside.
- Ask politely about price. If a tag seems high, a friendly question never hurts. The worst answer you can get is no.
Start A Small Collection
The matchbook find is a good reminder that you do not need to collect something expensive to have fun. Collecting match-related items even has its own name, phillumeny. Matchbooks are small, they do not take up much room, and each one carries a little bit of history, whether it is from a restaurant, a hotel or a wedding.
You can start a collection with nearly anything that speaks to you. Brass pieces, cookbooks, trivets and matchbooks are all good places to begin. The key is to collect things you enjoy looking at, and to give them a proper spot, such as a shelf, a shallow box or a gallery wall, so they feel like part of your home instead of clutter.
A simple rule helps here. For every item you bring in, decide where it will go before you leave the sale. Keep matches and matchbooks stored safely in a dry spot, well out of the reach of little hands.
The Takeaway
The best secondhand hauls are not about spending the most or finding the rarest thing. They are about going out with an open mind, a little cash and a clear sense of what you enjoy. Set a budget, pick a few sales near you and see what turns up. You may not come home with a wedding keepsake from 1974, but you might just come home with something that makes you smile every time you walk past it.
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