05-23-2008

I Am a Scavenger

By Renae

I hate paying full price for fashion, feed, or furniture. My markets are garage sales, thrift stores, and, occasionally, the trash. I am not a dumpster diver, but if a fancy lamp was on the curb I probably picked it up, or, at least, grabbed the finial. I freely admit my tightwaddery, but never considered myself anything other than cheap.

Then last year, I helped prepare an estate sale. The business owner hired me because she needed extra help and heard I frequented garage sales. While sorting piles, she noticed my grin and skip. It was undeniable. I was having a blast.

What would we find next: a Carnival Glass pitcher or another unidentifiable tool? Discovering treasures in the mess kept me going in spite of unearthing a mummified rat. After shielding our eyes and scooping up the disgusting critter, we returned to the hunt. This hardworking lady explained something as we inspected a bowl of matchbooks,

We are scavengers.

Just like that. Plain and simple with no hint of regret or shame.

Table Turned Planter

She is right. We like to find what someone else overlooked. Our creativity finds uses for things discarded. Her house is a mansion compared to mine, but a spark of the unusual resides in each dwelling. More than perfect, we want comfortable. And more than shiny new stuff, we want good deals.

Yes, I am a scavenger. I gather what others leave behind. My husband knows it, too. That’s why he brought home the base of a broken table. It is now the planter on my front porch that Anna-Marie and Charity asked to see.

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22 Comments

  1. Andrea 05-23-2008, 7:00 am

    Ah but you’re a wise woman who makes the best of the resources available to her. ;)

  2. Emily 05-23-2008, 8:17 am

    There is no shame in it! It’s resourceful, creative and thrifty! Embrace it!!

  3. Renae 05-23-2008, 8:30 am

    Andrea,
    Thanks. My husband has gotten in the act, too. He brings home computers to autopsy. I think we could make a wall out of the carcasses. Hey, there’s an idea… ;)

    Emily,
    Oh, I have! Almost everything in our house is used or recycled and a bit of creativity pulls it all together. Well, usually. We have spots that need some flare, but it’ll happen.

    I was just a bit surprised to learn that this lady, whose income is *much* higher than ours, has the same drive.

  4. Anna-Marie Hawthorne 05-23-2008, 10:12 am

    Ooooh the planter is awesome! Great job, and if you are like me you smile every time you see it because you know where it came from.

    I also hate to pay full price. We just found tons of summer clothes at the Goodwill for the kids ant $1.99 a piece. For less than $60 I outfitted them all with church and play clothes. Woohoo!

    LIving a frugal life is so much more adventurous than just shopping at the store. You never know what treasures you will come across.

  5. Heather Young 05-23-2008, 11:15 am

    Oh absolutely–and that is how I ended up working part time for an antique appraiser–the scavenger mentality makes us kindred spirits.

  6. Emily 05-23-2008, 11:34 am

    The shame is oh, so long gone for me too! I think your pot is awesome. In fact, I would have never known if you hadn’t told us, that it was a recycled pot. :)

    I love garage sales so much that I get all giggly. My husband rolls his eyes, but loves what I can dig up for a buck.

  7. Renae 05-23-2008, 6:02 pm

    Anna-Marie,
    That’s super! We’ve been given clothes this year, so I haven’t had to buy very many. And yes, frugal living is an adventure. Sometimes you hit a dead end, and other times you discover the perfect place to picnic.

    Heather,
    I learned so much about antiques preparing that sale. I sure wish I’d held onto some things my grandmother gave me, but the really valuable stuff ended up broken anyway.

  8. Renae 05-23-2008, 6:07 pm

    Emily,
    My neighbor, who spends a lot of money on plants and planters, thought mine was very nice. When I told him what it was he was shocked. Sharing what you get for a buck (or for free) is so fun, too! :)

  9. Barbara Frank 05-24-2008, 7:28 pm

    Life is so much more interesting when you look for “treasures” instead of shopping off a list at Wal-Mart (although you shouldn’t find any mummified rats in a store, I would think) :)

    Love your planter, btw.

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  11. Michele 05-25-2008, 8:26 am

    I enjoyed hearing your “confession”. We are the same way, my husband especially. He likes to stop and pick things up that he sees on the side of the road. He is a visionary. I view alot of it as junk, but every once in a while we find things that are so interesting.
    Also, your previous post about when to stop schooling was so great. I have many of the same thoughts and it is so encouraging to find that lots of other moms are just like us.
    Thanks for always writing such thought provoking posts. I look forward to them each time.

  12. Nodin's Nest 05-25-2008, 4:54 pm

    I admit to be of like mind, If the things in my home could talk I can only imagine the histories they would have to tell!

  13. Jennifer in OR 05-27-2008, 1:41 am

    I love to thrift shop as well, and would even put up with a few mummified rats along the way! You’ve made great finds and must have a creative eye that sees beyond the present.

  14. Renae 05-27-2008, 10:26 pm

    Jennifer,
    Yes, I enjoyed seeing your finds for spring. Thrifting is always an adventure. Although I’m not sure I could’ve faced the dehydrated rats without being paid. That was gross! The lady I was working for did the actual scooping. We gave each other moral support to get through that mess.

    But I do like to use creativity to make old things new. And sometimes I even make new things look old. :D

  15. Renae 05-27-2008, 10:29 pm

    Michele,
    I can relate. My husband brings home old computers. But today he brought home a nice office chair, a bag of notebooks, and a set of jacks. All good stuff. :)

    Barbara,
    Thanks. And no, I hope I never encounter rats of any kind ever again. ;) Yuck!

  16. Danielle Batog » You Make My Day! 06-10-2008, 8:24 am

    [...] and to spend a Saturday afternoon with Life Nurturing Education, a blogger who loves to ’scavenge’ through the stuff other people are [...]

  17. HSB Suzanne 06-11-2008, 1:30 pm

    Hopefully I’m not posting too terribly late… as in, this post may now be “old news.”

    Anyway, I just wanted to share that I, too, must be a “scavenger.” (No, I’m not Templeton the rat on “Charlotte’s Web”.) This Saturday, June 14th is our area’s used curriculum sale. At the end, many of the “sellers” end up giving away some of their things and even throwing away some. Last year I dug out some of the “goodies” (i.e. books, cassettes, etc.) from the trash. (No, it wasn’t in a dumpster yet. LOL)

    Also, I scavenge at a used book store whenever I get a chance. And, yes, my hubby rolls his eyes when I bring things home.

    I need to “share the wealth” with other like-minded scavengers… maybe I’ll make a list (at some point) of the things that may be more helpful to other moms.

  18. Renae 06-11-2008, 2:09 pm

    Suzanne,
    Oh, no, you are not late. Comments are always appreciated. :)

    I’m glad you were able to rescue the curriculum. We have a non-profit bookstore here that has a huge giveaway once a year, so most homeschoolers take their unsold curriculum there. I found some nice things last year, and this year I took some of my spoils.

    And yes, I would enjoy reading your list. I’m always looking for ways to save money.

  19. And the Beat Goes On: 127th Festival of Frugality « Funny about Money 09-2-2008, 11:26 pm

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  20. You Know You’re a Homeschooler When… 09-11-2008, 10:38 pm

    [...] surprises like discarded library books, broken chairs, and dead computers. He even brought home a planter [...]

  21. Annette 09-12-2008, 10:07 am

    I bet the Proverbs 31 woman would be cheering you on! It looks really pretty!

  22. beth 09-12-2008, 2:25 pm

    Great hunters, always having our eyes out for the treasures we know are out there… frugal hacks is what we are! I’m a scavenger too I guess, and I’m married to a bonafied dumpster diver! Guess us industrious, thrifty, creative types just cannot help ourselves, huh? LOL
    http://brewcrew.homeschooljournal.net/2006/12/02/dumpster-divin/

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