Menay O; mom to 4, Christian and thrift shopper on the side…

Everyone who knows me know the thrift store is my favorite place; besides the beach. I get lost at the thrift store and focus only on what I’m looking for. And what I’m looking for varies from day to day or even week to week. This past week I found a great bag by Botkier, its blue; a color I don’t have believe it or not. The bag is in really great condition and it’s times like that I wonder why someone would donate such a great item. It’s so true that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, well woman’s…

I love when I’m on a mission for someone like my girls will send me off with instructions of what they want and their sizes. In this age of technology I don’t have to worry that they will not like what I buy. A simple text with picture and bam instant answer! I also keep in mind what other members of my family like. My mom is a big Coach fan so I love finding bags for her. Just the other day I was cleaning out my hall closet and “found” a cute coach crossbody bag I forgot I had bought. I sent my mom a picture and there you go she likes it.

In the coming weeks I’ll be on vacation so I won’t be in the thrifting game. Where we go has thrift stores but there’s nothing worth buying. One year my friend’s husband drove me to every thrift store along a strip of highway and I brought home nothing…a sad situation for me anyway. There is one store I love to go visit. Its kind of a salvage store. They sell big pieces of older indoor furniture and vintage outdoor sets. They also have quirky galvanized wall hangings, key chains and an antique or two or three. Definitely a good place to go rummaging around.

I think thrifting runs in my blood. My grandfather was a huge yard sale fan. We used to go every Saturday when we were kids and both our parents were working. He used to get the Saturday paper classifieds and we were off! “Get in the car!”I love those memories of being with him. He was also an avid coin collector and on some Saturdays he used to take us into Manhattan by ferry. In those days you could drive your car on the ferry and go sit upstairs. The ferry would dock and you’d drive off the boat, right into downtown Manhattan. Very cool. My grandpa would take us to these very dusty, old looking stores with creaking floor boards in search of some elusive treasure of a coin. The shopkeepers were always so nice to us. I loved those times with him.

My Aunt Marge, my mother’s duster was also a huge thrift shopper and yard saler. When we would visit her in Upstate New York she had a mental map of what thrift stores we would visit and it was an added bonus to find a yard sale while driving around. I remember calling her cell phone many a time while at a yard sale asking her if something I came across was a good deal or not. I needed that expert opinion of her’s. She was awesome at spotting gold jewelry, she just knew by looking at a piece if it was ” good ” or not. I’d say she was gifted in that manner. Aunt Marge passed away 7 years ago and I still miss her.

So the thrifting gene carries on in my own children. They love seeing what I come home with and many times Alyssa will go either by herself or with me. Last week Lelly came along with me and we had so much fun! It’s nice to have company every now and then.

So wish me luck this week!  You never k ow what you’ll find at the thrift!