While I certainly love having as many vintage items in my home and life as I can, at times, those pieces can be costly when acquiring them. It is helpful to know just where to look for some new favorite items that you can add to your home or your wardrobe on a thrifty and frugal budget, because let's face it, everyone likes saving as much money as possible and getting a good deal!
While I certainly do love shopping in antique stores and at online vintage boutiques, at times, some items can be rather costly, and can instead sometimes be located in other areas that you might not have necessarily thought of in the beginning.
Yard sales, garage sales, estate sales, and the weekend flea market are some of my favorite places to find vintage pieces that are in decent or good shape and don't cost quite as much as antique dealers. I have found that many of these sales or booths are either operated by elderly individuals who are decluttering their home or they have been acquired by a third party and are being sold for a small profit.
Yard sales and garage sales are an easy way to look for all sorts of treasures, including clothing, accessories, and vintage pieces for your home. I like to peruse the announcements in the newspaper beforehand and identify the sales which sound like the best sweet spots to hit. I have found from experience that the early bird gets the worm, and yard sales are certainly no exception. The best deals seem to be had first thing when the yard sales get going, and you can also have your pick of the items available for sale. I don't always completely rely upon the announcements in the newspaper, as there are many folks who have yard sales but don't advertise them. I don't like to aimlessly drive around the entire town looking for yard sales, so I typically pick one area that already has yard sales I know about and branch out a little from there. Once you've done this enough times, you will more than likely identify certain neighborhoods or times of the year where the yard sales are the best. They are typically held moreso in the late Spring and the entire Summer. I have found many, many wonderful items at yard sales throughout the years like a favorite vintage pearl necklace of mine, vintage handbags, vintage clothing, and even some accessories. Furniture is also a plus that you can often find at such sales. The beauty of finding vintage pieces at a yard sale is that you can often barter on the costs of each item, thereby saving you much more than what you would have initially paid at an antiques dealer, since most yard sale holders just want to get rid of items they don't need or use anymore and make a little extra pocket money.
Estate sales are a little less commonly held than are yard sales, but you can often find all sorts of gems at them when they are held. Often, the whole reason for the estate sale is that an elderly loved one has passed away and their family holds an auction to sale off items they don't want or need anymore. I have found that perusing the newspaper each week will give you information on the dates, time and location of estate sales in your area. Many auctioneer companies also post advertisement signs near the property well before the auction date. At an estate sale, you are bound to find nearly anything up for sale, from jewelry, to clothing, to household goods, to furniture, to decor. The pricing may go a little higher than you would typically pay at a yard or garage sale, but you might find one real treasured piece that might save you a little money rather than buying it at an antiques store. I have been lucky to find such vintage items like kitchenware, clothing, books, and furniture at estate sales when they are held.
Lastly, the flea market is a common place that you can find a few treasures at. While I don't normally find a whole lot at these types of booths, you can come across a treasure or two from time to time. There are normally many different vendors or people set up at flea markets, and it's all a matter of perusing what they have and sometimes digging through a box or two in order to see if you find anything. I have typically found that I do better with individual booths that have personal items rather than visiting the ones which are more of a business-type setup, where they only sale commercial items. As with yard and garage sales, you can barter on the price of an item you like and you just might save a little more money on the purchase. I have been lucky to find some vintage earrings, vintage drinking glasses, a few furniture pieces, and some vintage dolls that I collect at flea markets in the area. I recently found a large collection of Gone With the Wind Hollywood collection Barbie dolls that I purchased for a great deal, as I am a huge GWTW fan and just couldn't pass up the bargain price.
I am a thrifty person. If I can find it cheaper somewhere else, and it looks just as good or better than another place, why not shop around and save some money? I do this on everyday things like grocery shopping and daily expenses, so I don't see any difference in doing it on the vintage things in life as well. The possibilities are endless when it comes to what vintage treasures you can find when looking for a deal. Just get out there and search!
A clawfoot settee (photo courtesy of Newport Modern) similar to one that I found at a thrift store which I paid $75 for
You can often find wonderful collections of vintage RPM records at yard sales and flea markets for a bargain of only a few dollars each, most of which still work and have pristine covers (photo courtesy of Joe Lauro's Historic Music)
A vintage pearl necklace similar to one that I found at a yard sale for only $0.75 (photo courtesy of Dejavu Antiques)
Vintage drinking glasses very similar to the many that I have found at yard sales and flea markets, all of which are usually only $1 each (photo courtesy of ClassiclyAmber, Etsy)
A vintage 50's houndstooth jacket very similar to one that I found at a thrift sale for only $30, which was in pristine condition (photo courtesy of LittleOceanAnnie, Etsy)
A vintage armoire similar to many that I have seen at flea markets and estate sales for great bargain prices (photo courtesy of Mr. Beasley's Antiques)Happy Hunting, Crystal
*Image courtesy of Bombshell Vintage
*Image courtesy of Bombshell Vintage
*Image courtesy of Hot Topic
*Image courtesy of Hot Topic
*Image courtesy of Rocket Originals
*Image courtesy of All Collection
*Image courtesy of Ask Men
