Looking around the house over the last few weeks it's clear that Martin and I snuffle an average of one item a day. If you take into account the numerous items discovered during car boot sales and charity shops it's quite staggering what the pair of us bring into the house during a normal week. A couple of days ago I went through my plans for overhauling my health with Martin, including starting some form of cardio exercise which doesn't involve schlepping round the village in sandals and sunglasses munching on aero bars from the shop. Lo and behold, Martin brings in a brand new exercise walking machine. One of his friends had it sat in his garage, unopened for the last few years and wanted the space. Bless his heart hubbie went straight away after work to the guy's home and picked it up. Cost to us - nothing.
Then a couple of weeks ago we were casually discussing adding a water feature when we overhaul one of the stone beds into a rock garden. Yesterday he walks in from work with a plastic pond mold under his arm. A couple on his delivery round are emigrating and getting their house into saleable condition, which involved dragging out the pond in the back garden. One excellent skip snuffle later and the pond liners will get a second lease of life in our garden.
Now, I'm a great one for ruffling through skips and junk piles and Martin has picked up the habit from me. I have developed a very thick skin with which to weather the scornful gazes and general piss-taking that other people heap on me for what they perceive as 'bin-raiding'. I'm afraid it goes deep with me, right through to early childhood and being taken to jumble sales, markets and fetes with parents and grandparents. Experience has taught me that most people buy expensive new things that depreciate with age and are not worth the money. If there is something I want, I only have to wait a few months and sure enough someone will be trying to get rid of it, usually brand new, boxed and at a bargain price.
But overall there is a method to my madness, an end goal which is now in sight. My love of cheap/free vintage hunting means I spend my money on important things like paying off the mortgage in 10 years time instead of 20 and investing so I can retire in my mid-forties. What I save on not buying new I plough back into doing up my house to increase it's value. I pass by the shop with that gorgeous retro print wrap dress for £60 and keep an eye out on ebay for the same dress that's going for peanuts because someone bought it on impulse and never wore it.
And that is priceless.
Walking machine eh? Very cool. Is that going in the Sanctuary? :-)
Posted by: Charlotte | May 17, 2007 at 10:23 PM