Every summer I become slightly obsessed with “thrifting” or in other words hitting up every garage sale, flea market, thrift store and antique shop I come across! This summer has been no exception and as I’ve proclaimed the new décor theme of our house to be “shabby chic” I have plenty of excuses to bargain hunt for great vintage finds. I speculate that this innate itch to thrift developed during my childhood when my parents and in particular my mom took me on her garage sale-ing adventures. With them and myself even now it’s never just about the cool stuff you can find but how you can refurbish or repurpose it when you get home. That’s the real challenge and the real reward. This week I suggest that as a family activity or perhaps as a fun date for you and your hunny that you go on a bit of a thrifting treasure hunt.

A wise thing to do to begin with is set yourself a budget. Finding a great bargain is half of the reward anyways so you don’t have to go crazy. You’d even be surprised with the haul of treasures a kid can find with five bucks to spend! Next you’ll need to make a plan of where you’ll be going. During the weekend you can check online and print a map of all the garage sales in the area and during the week you can make your way over to the local thrift store. In many cases these thrift stores are non-profit organizations that serve the community so you can feel good about spending there. Make sure you keep an open mind while “hunting” as something may not look that great on the shelf but a little spray paint or new material can do wonders. Set aside a time when you get home to repurpose or refurbish your item as it can be so rewarding to feel that you’ve made something on top of getting a great deal!

All of this may seem like an odd suggestion for family time but even as I write this, my mom is picking up an antique pram that I scored online in Saskatoon. Even hundreds of miles apart my mom and I still enjoy the thrill of the hunt together.