Thrifty Thursday 12 : Shopping my Stash
We've all been there... in the clearance aisle at Target, staring at all those little striped tags telling us that that totally unnecessary trinket is cheaper than a meal at McDonald's and that we should of course toss it in our cart and take it home.
We've all gotten home thinking that that little trinket is great and just what we were looking for (when we weren't looking for anything at all) for about a week before we get tired of moving it around to clean or trying to find the "perfect place" for it to now live.
We've also all been standing at the dining room table, looking for the return receipt in our purse or wallet, only to realize we've tossed it in the garbage, and that our better half took that bag to the dumpster yesterday.
I had too many moments like that in the past year to even count, and I'll be the first one to raise my hand and agree that, yes, I'm tired of the cycle. So I've decided to do a couple of things this year:
A lot of home décor bloggers & Instagrammers shop their stash on the daily for styling purposes. In one post, a vase might be on a shelf in their living room with some cat tails sticking out of it, but later that week, you might see that same vase in a new post... only now it's perfectly centered on their dining room table, full of their favorite in-season floral arrangement.
We all move things around trying to find their perfect spot, but what happens when you remember that you have the perfect item stowed away, buried in some storage container you haven't seen in a decade because it's crammed into the dark scary corner of your basement? Chances are you just keep moving the thing that's already out around...and then buy something new you think will work just as well as that decade-old treasure in your basement that you just didn't take the time to go get... but why?
I have been so guilty of this behavior for the past 3.5 years, and quite frankly, it's shameful. I tried several avenues to help alleviate some of the instant regret purchases (like the Target scenario above), but nothing has ever worked quite as well as donating those items elsewhere.
Trying to sell individual items is a nightmare, especially through local sale groups. You get the flaky buyers, the over negotiators, and of course, the all-too-common no-shows. Trying to donate large quantities to the local thrift shops is usually a disaster for me; I start a donation box, I fill it over the course of two days, and then it sits in my house or trunk for another 3 months.
That's why I've brought back a 'program' that I used to do a few years back: the Mystery Mail list. Every month, I choose someone from my mailing list to send Mystery Mail to... they receive a free item I know they'll either love to use in their home, or be able to resell in their small shop for more than I'd ever get for it, and I get something out of the house. It's a win for everyone.
You can join the Mailing List by sending your postage address via Instagram (where 'winners' are announced each month), or by emailing me here on the blog.
I've also toyed with the idea of starting a limited time promotion I'd call Boho Boxes. These would contain whatever I could fit in a flat rate shipping box, and would contain a variety of décor items, from fabric to ceramic, from baskets to frames. The items would be pre-selected, and the entire set would be $10 +shipping. I plan on running a couple of boxes next month through Instagram to see how well they are liked.
This could be a great opportunity for me to get rid of several items at once, make some small pocket change, and for someone else to (again) be able to either enjoy in their home or resell in their small shop for a minimal price tag.
Let me know if you think that Boho Boxes could be a good idea, or if you'd be interested in joining the Mystery Mail List!
We've all gotten home thinking that that little trinket is great and just what we were looking for (when we weren't looking for anything at all) for about a week before we get tired of moving it around to clean or trying to find the "perfect place" for it to now live.
We've also all been standing at the dining room table, looking for the return receipt in our purse or wallet, only to realize we've tossed it in the garbage, and that our better half took that bag to the dumpster yesterday.
I had too many moments like that in the past year to even count, and I'll be the first one to raise my hand and agree that, yes, I'm tired of the cycle. So I've decided to do a couple of things this year:
- purge all of those items from my house & donate them to someone who'd enjoy them
- shop more intentionally when I am out at Target, thrift shops, or on Amazon
- shop my stash at home
- Someone else will benefit from my discards & I'll have less clutter/storage
- I'll be saving money by not purchasing unnecessary items
- I'll be using only items that I love enough to keep around
A lot of home décor bloggers & Instagrammers shop their stash on the daily for styling purposes. In one post, a vase might be on a shelf in their living room with some cat tails sticking out of it, but later that week, you might see that same vase in a new post... only now it's perfectly centered on their dining room table, full of their favorite in-season floral arrangement.
We all move things around trying to find their perfect spot, but what happens when you remember that you have the perfect item stowed away, buried in some storage container you haven't seen in a decade because it's crammed into the dark scary corner of your basement? Chances are you just keep moving the thing that's already out around...and then buy something new you think will work just as well as that decade-old treasure in your basement that you just didn't take the time to go get... but why?
I have been so guilty of this behavior for the past 3.5 years, and quite frankly, it's shameful. I tried several avenues to help alleviate some of the instant regret purchases (like the Target scenario above), but nothing has ever worked quite as well as donating those items elsewhere.
Trying to sell individual items is a nightmare, especially through local sale groups. You get the flaky buyers, the over negotiators, and of course, the all-too-common no-shows. Trying to donate large quantities to the local thrift shops is usually a disaster for me; I start a donation box, I fill it over the course of two days, and then it sits in my house or trunk for another 3 months.
That's why I've brought back a 'program' that I used to do a few years back: the Mystery Mail list. Every month, I choose someone from my mailing list to send Mystery Mail to... they receive a free item I know they'll either love to use in their home, or be able to resell in their small shop for more than I'd ever get for it, and I get something out of the house. It's a win for everyone.
You can join the Mailing List by sending your postage address via Instagram (where 'winners' are announced each month), or by emailing me here on the blog.
I've also toyed with the idea of starting a limited time promotion I'd call Boho Boxes. These would contain whatever I could fit in a flat rate shipping box, and would contain a variety of décor items, from fabric to ceramic, from baskets to frames. The items would be pre-selected, and the entire set would be $10 +shipping. I plan on running a couple of boxes next month through Instagram to see how well they are liked.
This could be a great opportunity for me to get rid of several items at once, make some small pocket change, and for someone else to (again) be able to either enjoy in their home or resell in their small shop for a minimal price tag.
Let me know if you think that Boho Boxes could be a good idea, or if you'd be interested in joining the Mystery Mail List!
Comments
Post a Comment