Hello Dear Reader,
We've been hard at work in our garden today. We've re-homed the gold fish and removed the pond. The rest of the garden needs trimming and tidying. It's a really dry south facing garden so I'm going to plant lavender as it will thrive in the heat. We have also dug up and freecycled all the shrubs and we're preparing to lay a lawn in the garden. We've weed killed today and will dig over the area we want to lay to lawn in a few weeks. I keep saying 'we' whereas it's all down to Dearly Beloved. The nearest thing I do to gardening is pruning and weeding...............I would rather work inside the house.
Talking of inside the house, we're planning to change aspects of it and we will need to do so as cheaply as possible. Our previous house was a large 1960's house and I gleaned 60's and 70's teak furniture and larger items of furniture, mainly from newspaper sales. I never paid very much for anything at all. Most of the items are too large for our tiny cottage and will be sold through the newspaper or sent to the auction house on the industrial estate around the corner.
I have been a few times. As I have a set budget and we always leave bids. So far, we've only managed to 'win' a side table for our lounge. Today, I left bids on an armchair and a corner shelf. I don't want to pay much and always hope that I might win the auction.
They are fascinating places, mainly full of junk but I see it as recycling. It's better that some one wants it than it goes to landfill.
Below, is Dearly Beloved filling in the bidding form. They will send us a text if we win and we pay when we pick the items up. The auction is tomorrow when we are at work.
One small modern corner shelf that I, or who ever wins the bidding, could paint.
I like the little chair that I would use with my dressing table, it's Edwardian and very cute. I didn't leave a bid.
I loved the kitchen chairs. My cottage would look great with odd and unmatched chairs with a pine table............preferably a bit scruffy.
I also liked the old laundry baskets but didn't leave a bid as I don't need them! I have to remind myself and anyone else that it's not cheap if you don't need it.
I really love auctions, car boot sales, jumble sales and charity shops. Very little of what I own is ever bought new. I think it's a great way to help the planet and it's obviously a great way to furnish a home on a very small budget. I've also 'rescued' some home magazines from the newspaper recycling centre in the car park. I've been cutting out photographs and scrap booking to create ideas for the way I would like my little home to look. There's always a way to do it cheaper!
Over to you Dear Reader, who else loves auctions and has furnished their home second hand. What about the op shops and thrift stores around the world? Who has bought home furnishings from those?
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxx