Road Trippin With Rachael

In the last fifteen years or so, I have seen that there has been a resurgence of buying used. Purchasing used vehicles has been a thing for decades, but it has only been relatively recent that it has been in vogue to purchase clothing and household items used. It used to be, at least while I was growing up, what you did when there was literally no money to spend on anything.

That is no longer the case.

For the last ten years, I have actively purchased used. I do this primarily in three different ways. 1.) Antiques 2.) Thrifting 3.) Online Consignment shops. For the purposes of this blog, I’m only going to be talking abaout the first two.

Antiquing verses Thrifting

I’ve noticed in conversations with people that we will some times use antiquing and thrifting like they are synonyms for each other. This is not the case.

It is true that you can find antiques at thrift stores, and you can find items that are more appropriate for a thrift store in an antique shop. But they are not the same thing. Here is how I would explain it in a nutshell

Thrifting is a collectio of items that have been donated. They are divided into broad categories that customers need to sift through to find what they are looking for, and they are often sold an extremely discounted prices since they are pre-owned and may not be in the best condition, and you are taking a chance at their quality.

Antiquing is when a vendor has currated a style or specializes in specific brand, item, or style and the items are priced accordingly for what they are worth.  Although you can find good deals overall in antique stores, vendors typically know what they are selling and they are attempting to make money. For this reason, antiques tend to be of higher quality, in better condition, and are priced based on value. For the record, although I did not get into thrifting until I was in my twenties, I have grown up going to antique stores with my family and worked in one; so I have worked with vendors from both sides.

Why I choose to invest in antiques

I have four reasons as to why I choose to purchase antiques for my personal space. My reason are as follows: finances, keeping things out of landfills, quality, and because I like them. I will go into more details for each reason.

My first big reason is finances. Of course, I can thrift and I do, but there are some items that I am more likely to be able to find when I am going to an antique store. Although items are used, and at an antique store items will be more expensive than thrifting, I’m still paying less than what I would pay if I were buying something new.

Second, as a Christian I do believe that God gave us the world to hold dominon over. I understand that to mean that we are to be the care takers of what belons to God, which means that we are to take care of our plante.t. This will look different for different people, but one of the things that I like to do is try and keep things from going into landfills. Whether that is using cloth bags, repurposing, avoiding single use items, or purchasing used. Going the antique route allows me to do that with items that may otherwise be passed over.

Third, I’m looking for quality. Since antique vendors have already sourced what they are selling in their booths, if you know what you are looking for you will be able to recognize quality and know when you are being charged a fair price. For example, I happen to like Pyrex bowls – I think they are pretty, but they are also the perfect size for when I am mising up batter or dough for baked goods. Although extremely expensive, I know that I can get the indivdual bowls for decent prices. But I have gotten lucky and have two sets – I happened upon some dealers who didn’t normally deal in Pyrex, so they didn’t know what they had or how to properly price them. My gain, in that case. Additionally, I have some bakeware that is older, and made of heavier quality material, that will lat a long time. Recently, I acquired a new Club skillet that matches a set that I received from my grandmother – which she got wwhen she was married in the 1950’s. They are still going strong, and I’ve been able to add to the set. Friends have commented on my use of older cookware – but, I will continue to argue that it is better because of the quality, because I’m still using it despite it’s age.

Finally, I just like it! It brings me joy and that is really what matters. If you like something and what to have it in your home, do it. Of course, I take my finances into account, but what I like allows me to have a style that is unique to me, and no one else will have something just like it.

So do the same. Find your style that you like and enjoy making it come to life. Have fun with it, and make it yours. You’ll find something that is affordable, has quality, and you’re doing a little something for the planet while you’re at it.