Lessons from an Estate Sale

I love a good bargain.  I love thrift stores, garage sales, yard sales etc!

Everything I am going to say is coming from a place of recognizing my own weakness & faults, and also my own opinions about giving.  I recognize that other people have different values or ideas and that even if they differ from mine they aren't wrong.  Don't get me wrong, its nice to have nice things.  And if that makes you happy, then no judgement.  

 

I love giving. 

Receiving gifts isn't my love language, but giving is a way that I can show my love towards others.  It's my way of saying "I was thinking of you" when I find something for someone that I think they'd enjoy.  

Many women might love it if their partner was like my husband in his thoughtful gift giving.  "I saw these beautiful flowers at the store, and they reminded me of you." etc.  I am working on being a better more gracious gift receiver.  

I love receiving affirmations from others but I'm terrible at expressing my love and gratitude in notes, or verbally.  I am known to be direct, blunt, and every other synonym of those words.     

Anyway, how does all this relate to estate sales? and non profit alleviation???

Our culture overconsumes (again in my opinion) and I am just as guilty.

Fast fashion is the clearest example of this.  We discard old clothing not because its worn out (although sometime it isn't built to last anymore) but because its no longer fashionable. 

At the end of your life, when you die, how do you want to be remembered?  All too often it is a burden for your kids to get rid of a life's accumulation of "stuff".  We recently went to an estate sale and there were many good ways this lady had spent her money.  Again, this sounds super judgmental talking about how others should or shouldn't spend money. It's their money after all.  You do you.  I am just opening a dialogue to the idea that we don't need as much as we think.  Happiness can come from so many sources other than buying more things.  All that being said, this lady had a lot of craft supplies and things that showed ways that she prioritized spending that truly brought joy.  Did she need hundreds of shoes? Probably not. But maybe that brought her joy. 

Everyone who has helped buy a pair of shoes for school kids in Honduras has experienced the same if not more joy as buying themselves the cutest new shoes.

If we are purchasing for our ego, and how we appear in front of others, (vs what truly makes us happy) I think it's less gratifying.     

You might regret making a purchase, but you will never regret helping a child. 

Last winter I bought a really nice down jacket at the thrift store for $6.  It was the best purchase I made all year.  It kept me warm.  It was cute, in my opinion.  And every time I went outside in the freezing weather, I was grateful for it.  Other times, I've spent money on something only to have a fleeting sense of happiness from it.  

What do ya'll think?  

Anyone want to join me in an effort to consume less to be able to prioritize other things? 

Everything we own we exchanged time for it.  Time working to be able to afford it. Time shopping. Time we could have used to differently.   Sometimes when I check out at the store and the cashier is checking me out I wonder if they judge me for buying a luxury food thing that is worth an hour of their income.  They probably aren't.  It's probably my own guilt about spending money.  haha.  I know talking about money can be so taboo but I hope that this is a reminder to anyone who needs it that it's okay to not keep up with the Jones.  It's okay to consume less.  In a world of influencers and fashion hauls, here is a counter opinion.  What if we consumed less and gave more? If we cared more about helping others than buying things we don't actually want or need...food for thought.