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.