Secondhand Storage Solutions: How You Can Keep It Neat For Cheap

Vintage White Owl Cigar Box, $1.00. 

Thrift shoppers are often met with skepticism. Sometimes, thrifters are met with disgust. And on the rare occasion, we're faced with just honest curiosity. And since the advent and popularity of Hoarders and Hoarding: Buried Alive, there's one curious questions I'm asked more frequently than others. 

"Where do you put all this stuff?"

While some thrifted wares, such as clothing, accessories, furniture or electronics have a functional purpose, others serve only as a decoration or display piece. These are always dangerous buys. Too much decor in a limited space can run the gamut from kitschy-clutttered to complete hoarded hell. 

The simple solution would be to simply buy less stuff. And while I do place more value on quality of vintage thrift store finds over the quantity, sometimes you just can't talk yourself out of sweet thrifted temptation. 

So how do I balance between the stuff I want and the space I'm working with? 

Talk about "vintage filler." Look how pretty and practical it is!

I've been making my thrift purchases do double-duty. That vintage White Owl Cigar box is cool. But it's super cool now that it holds my favorite ephemera. It's a functional display piece that stores my old maps, post cards and photographs. 

When you think storage solutions, your mind probably goes to that dark place in the corner of your closet that's stacked ceiling high with Rubbermaid totes and cardboard boxes. But the next time you go thrifting, think outside the boring old box. Instead, hunt for a beautiful vintage storage piece that you can display proudly.

Small Wooden Crate, $1.00.

Take this wooden crate. I'm planning on painting it a creamy egg shell color and using it for storing spices and dried herbs on the kitchen countertop. Can you see it in your bathroom holding clean washcloths? Or maybe it would be good for keeping craft supplies handy instead of scattered in that black hole of a junk drawer. (Don't worry. We all have at least one junk drawer).

Galvanized Pail, $1.00

Galvanized pails are secondhand gold when it comes to stylish storage solutions. I've always wanted a collection of vintage pool balls to display. And when the same rummage sale yielded that set of old pool balls for a buck and this galvanized pail also for a buck...I plopped those balls right in the pail and went skipping down to the checkout counter. 

You could use a pail for gardening supplies, for countertop cooking utensils, for storing all of the dog's toys when you don't want guests tripping over them...pretty much anything your frugal little heart desires. 

When looking for practical display pieces that can function as storage, there are three main things to consider: purpose, space and value. Is the item both aesthetically pleasing and a functional means for storage?  Will bringing the item into your home mean more usable space or less? And of course, does the form and function of the item validate its cost? When you take all of these factors and an open mind to the thrift, you'll find yourself making thoughtful choices of what to bring home and what to leave behind. 

So the next time you're fretting over space, stuff and storage, don't lose sleep over thrifting less. Just thrift smart instead. By making your secondhand hauls act as creative storage solutions, you'll never end up on Hoarders...Well, unless you hoard storage items. And in that case we might need to call a specialist. 

What secondhand storage have you found lately?

On Hoarding.

A station wagon is packed and parked outside 2nd Avenue Thrift.

In the last few years, the term “hoarding” has been a booming part of vernacular with regard to mental disorder. This is due in large part to the  look into those affected through TV shows such as Clean House, Hoarders and Hoarding: Buried Alive. But in the grand traditions of saving, collecting, thrift and clearance shopping, a grave situation much like those horrifying hoards on TV is not entirely uncommon.

In a struggling economy where bankruptcy, foreclosure and unemployment are at an all-time high, an eye for frugality and a thrifty resourcefulness are typically positive attributes to possess.

However, I also have certain qualifiers… a test, if you will. If tBut when it comes to the seemingly endless variety of items found at the thrift store, estate sale or flea market, how does the average secondhand shopper know what limits to set?  And just how much stuff is too much? 

It’s a quantitative term, signifying a spatial reality, the words “too much.” But at what specific number is the border between collection and hoard crossed? 5…25…50?

As for me, I have varied interests in music, movies, books, hobbies and decor. And this hunger is in part, satiated by the diversity thrifting brings to the table.

As a diehard thrifter and vintage enthusiast, I can find several reasons justifying an impulsive secondhand purchase. For instance:

• It’s vintage. It’s kitsch. It’s completely bizarre.
• When and where will I ever come across something like it again?
• It’s dirt cheap.

he following criteria isn’t met, I cannot in good conscience make the purchase.

• Does the item serve a purpose? And will it likely be used for that purpose regularly?
• Do I have a space that could be reserved for the item without difficulty?
• Is the item appealing beyond the low price? Or is it a “must-have” just because it’s a can-have for the low price?

Of course there will be exceptions to these personal shopping habits. After all, every shopper begins with good intentions: finding affordable goods that serve a purpose.

And this is exactly why thrift stores serve as a potential danger for the shoppers who just don’t know when enough is enough. The goods are cheap and potentially useful, when kept contained to a reasonable amount. But for the compulsive shoppers who buy, buy, buy without cleaning and purging unused items already in the home, it’s a virtual black hole.

This is especially true if he or she identifies as a crafter. Crafters, artists and creatively inclined folks see the world a bit differently. Items at the thrift store don’t just have a purpose…they have a desirable aesthetic and potential re-purpose.

And I am all for breathing new life into tired items and for healthy creative expression. But when there’s too much stuff and not enough space, the up-cycling or re-purposing of those goods is a task never completed.

This seems to be the cycle of a hoarder who has thrifted too much.

If you haven’t yet subjected yourself to the scares of excess acquiring and saving through the safe distance of the television,  I suggest that you do (if nothing for the visual shock).

After witnessing floor-to-ceiling piles, bags, boxes and crates of “treasures” as they are often referred to by the subjects of Hoarding: Buried Alive, my stomach drops. My eyes nervously dart around the room, scanning the amount, size and space of my own possessions for early signs of hoarding.

I have the sudden urge to clean.

And since it’s that time of the year for what must be universally known as Spring Cleaning, the issue of hoarding cannot be discussed at a better time.

Today I tore apart the garage, cleaning and sorting. Tomorrow I’ll be working on the bedroom and upstairs hall closet.

So I guess I answered my own question. Perhaps the best weapon in the battle against hoarding is prevention.

What are your thoughts on hoarding as a mental disorder?

Do you worry about hoarding tendencies?

What rules or limits do you set to monitor your shopping?

Thrifty Reads

By now, I imagine some of you may have checked out the Let's Go Thrifting Resources page. It seems that thrifting and other means of shopping secondhand is a booming business, especially given the latest media attention. From American Pickers to Storage Wars, there's no shortage of secondhand television programming.

And when it comes to a good book, there are countless resourceful reads available. There are guides on antique collecting, how-to books to opening your own thrift store, collectives of crafty ideas and even fanzines dedicated to the secondhand lifestyle.

This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to find two thrift-related reads, on clearance due to a bookstore closing its doors. (An event that, by the by, breaks my heart to see. A book store going bankrupt? Say, it ain't so!)

The first, which I've browsed for some brief information and to gaze at the wonderous photos is Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30's, 40's 50's & Beyond.

While some of the finds in this colorful collector's book aren't particularly helpful in terms of manufacturer information, the collections themselves are enough to make a vintage enthusiast drool. Very kitschy!

The second read, which I'm taking in small doses is Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things. While this text is well-researched and written thoughtfully in layman's terms, this is a hard book to digest. But, that's just the nature of the beast. It's a topic that does fascinate me, this serious issue of hoarding. Where does collecting end and hoarding begin? Why do some objects have such a tremendous hold over some people and not others? Why do seemingly useless or unsanitary items have some significance to a person with this affliction? From a psychological standpoint, this book is interesting.  Though the average thrifter or  casual secondhand shopper may not have a particular interest.

In a related issue, we plan to tackle the issue of hoarding with a little more depth in a later post. Nothing too scientific, just some observations on the issue, some helpful advice on de-cluttering and that pesky but obligatory task of spring cleaning.

Now, back to the books. The book store that's soon-to-be-out-of-business hasn't closed yet, so I'm hoping for some more price reductions. Actually last I was there, I was so nearly overwhelmed by all of the titles they still had, I didn't even know where to look! So maybe next time, I'll make a list. Hmm. What to add?

Maybe some of you dear readers have a few suggestions.

So...what thrift-related resources are on your bookshelves?

Donate Now to De-Clutter Your Christmas



Unless your family is this compact, ya better start tidying up for the holidays!

The holiday season is here and so the is all of the chaos that comes with it. Family flying in from out of town, a mountain of boxed and bagged gifts and stuffed stockings will soon be flooding your households with holiday cheer. But before you exchange gifts, bake the fruitcakes and make room for auntie’s sleeping arrangements, why not take the time to tidy up?

Of course you’re likely to dust, run the vacuum cleaner, spray some pine-scented air freshener. But why not confront the ghost of Christmases past and purge some unused goods too?

Chances are you’ll need every inch of space for guests and gifts. So here are a few helpful hints to make room for all that holiday spirit:

• Go through a few closets and sort out any un-worn or ill-fitting clothes and shoes. Don’t forget those holiday sweaters you’ve acquired over the years!
• Filter your holiday decorations to the ones you actually use and enjoy. Ask yourself: Do I really need five dancing Santa Clause dolls and 10 tree toppers?
• Do you still have gifts from last year that just weren’t quite your style? Mint in the box Chia Pets, 1000 piece puzzles you just don’t want to assemble, a Snuggie perhaps?
• So many clearance sale goers stock-up on holiday decor, gift sets, and more after the holiday, by the time the next Christmas rolls around, they’ve forgotten all about their post-holiday stockpile. And this is exactly how you end up owning 50 rolls of holiday wrapping paper. (No exaggeration. This person, who shall remain unnamed, does exist and at one time owned this much or more).

So don’t put the ho-ho-ho in hoarding this holiday season. Donate all unwanted goods to your local thrift store before your family and friends come caroling at your doorstep.

_______________


You may also enjoy reading...

Thrift Fail: What NOT To Donate