CONFESSIONS OF A THRIFT STORE JUNKIE

I SUSPECT ONE BOX IS MISSING BUT I'M HAPPY WITH THE SET

I confess I have an affection for "shabby shopping", as my daughter and I call thrift store excursions. I love browsing and seeing what treasures others have discarded, but most recently I had sworn off shabby shopping for a number of reasons:

1) We may be moving within the next few months and the fewer things to pack, the better.

2) I really haven't any more space in which to store found treasures.

3) I don't actually need anything, which is probably the best reason of all.

For the last few weeks I haven't been tempted to even go near a thrift store. In fact, I've been purging storage boxes and giving away things we no longer use. Yesterday, my streak of willpower ended. I was down in town and as I neared the local thrift store, that old urge re-surfaced and I became convinced there was something inside that store I needed to see.

I had a few pangs of guilt as I walked into the thrift shop but browsed the shelves full of books without opening a single volume. The kitchenware area was filled with dishes, storage containers, and glassware, but I saw nothing I needed or wanted. As I walked down the aisle where decorative household items were displayed, I spied an oval box and stopped to inspect it. The bottom of the box indicated it was made for the Lang company. When I opened it, I found another box inside it, and another inside that one. I'd seen similar ones in retail stores but to be honest, I'd not wanted them badly enough to pay the prices asked. There in front of me was a new-looking set of 3 oval storage boxes for $1.99 and I knew I would use them.

I'll probably store sewing notions and unfinished projects in the boxes. What I really love about this stackable set is the vintage look and the fact it will be decorative as well as useful. Sometimes we just have to follow our instincts.