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07.10.2000

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other recent LOUNGE articles:
o the Incredibly True Confessions of a First-time Homeowner
o crafty crafty: Make a Throw Pillow Cover

o On Weeding: School Stuff

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10 tips for Furniture Foraging  
a secondhand-shop-a-holic spills her secrets
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1 Shop often. Be patient.
Okay, let’s take a trip back to your college intro psych class. Remember the poor lab mouse who’d keep pressing that stupid lever, hoping against all hope that this time, he’d hit gustatory gold and get that little food pellet, this despite the fact that his efforts frequently yielded nada? The seductive allure of thrifting is a textbook-perfect example of the partial reinforcement effect: most days you’ll find nothing, but just when you’re about to give up and renounce flea markets and yard sales as a complete waste of time, you’ll un-earth a great deal that’ll convince you that maybe, just maybe, you’re not quite ready to quit cold-turkey. Needless to say, if you’re looking to furnish your home primarily through secondhand sources, you’re going to need to have a lot of time, and heaps of patience.

2 Charity-affiliated thrift shops offer the cheapest goods and the widest selection.
The reason for this is simple: most of the goods that places like Goodwill, Salvation Army and other charity-run thrift stores are hawking were donated … so they can afford to sell stuff for dirt cheap and still make a tidy little sum. In my experience, it's best to avoid the for-profit used furniture places ... generally the prices are so marked up that they're really not that much cheaper than new. Look up "Secondhand furnishings" or "Thrift Stores" in the Yellow Pages to find the thrift shops nearest you.

3 Estate sales offer the highest quality at an affordable value.
Estate sales are generally held when a person dies, and the family is trying to get rid of the contents of the deceased’s estate. Unlike garage and yard sales, in which the crap for sale tends to be items that either don’t work, or are so butt-ugly that the seller couldn’t bear to keep it in his/her house anymore, many of the items you’ll see at estate sales are still in excellent condition. My best furniture finds have been at estate sales – the solid wood buffet I scored for $60, the $20 lamp I later saw in a vintage shop for $295, and most recently, a gorgeous, mid-century modern dining table set – teak extension table and 4 chairs – that we just couldn’t resist for $275. Estate sales don’t offer the cheapest prices, but you’re almost sure to get great value for your money. Check out the classified section in your local newspaper for listings. But be forewarned: the elderly love estate sales, so be prepared to do battle with all little old ladies who won’t hesitate to push you out of the way to get to the Hummel collection.

but wait, more secrets to be revealed

 

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