Life Cycle of Junk

I went looking for a kitchen today. Just a simple, little kitchen that someone out there doesn't want anymore. People get rid of these things and some on a fairly regular basis - they get rid of the old, the out-dated and/or the crapped out. From items as small as a can opener that make opening a can difficult to a kitchen which has been replaced by the new look of the day in kitchens - people get rid stuff.
And people like me go in search for this stuff. I wouldn't call myself a hoarder, I've got a few things lying around the house that were bought to be used and never have been, but on a fairly regular basis I also dump things. So it all happens in a bit of a cycle I guess - new stuff comes in and old stuff goes out.
I decided to check out Habitat for Humanity in Devon St, Frankton this week. It has been a long time since I've visited Habitat and I thought I better get in before the V8 races make it impossible to shop there.
Habitat for Humanity provides housing for low income families. The type of houses that the recipient, volunteers and sometimes celebrities help build.
It's housed in a large building in the industrial area of Frankton, parking is good and it's not over-crowded by junk as other op shops. This means that there is plenty of room to move around and it's well set out with areas for crockery, furniture, clothing, shoes and other junk.
When I hosted a cocktail party a few years ago Habitat was an invaluable source for cheap retro glasses.
There is always an abundance of furniture and I would recommend the place to anyone trying to set up a flat on a budget.
Sadly there were no kitchens but I stumbled across matching bedside drawers (solid pine), a funky green skirt and a bread basket (every house needs one). The bedside tables were $30 and the skirt and basket totalled $5.
The bedside drawers will eventually make their way to our bach in Colville which is where the kitchen that I'm hunting for is destined.
So as you see, even junk has a life cycle - sometimes it just goes into a landfill, other times it begins a new life with a new home.

The Bach that Trademe Built

I think that the best place in the world is Colville. It's a sleepy little village on the west coast of the Coromandel. If you come looking for golden, sandy beaches you will leave disappointed.
For my whanau it's Heartland NZ. Our children's whenua are buried there with native trees planted atop. And our baby daughter is buried there near a grand old puriri tree.
I've been going to Colville for around 15 years, my partner for all his life and my children for all their lives. It's the kind of place that progress has left behind and we like it like that.
Many people will know Colville by the general store which is one of the last of its kind in NZ. The store stocks just about anything; the prices are inflated but it is the last place north of Coromandel town where you can stock up and refuel. It's also the hub of the Colville community, where locals shoot the breeze and an assortment of allsorts turn out to catch up on local gossip.
Our bach is situated in Colville Bay. The bay is tidal and our little beach is only swimmable an hour either side of high tide. There's pipis out there at low tide and a bevy of other seafood to be had.
The flounder trap in the bay is pre-European and it is fondly referred to as the flounder pond. As soon as the flounder pond is up the kids are off to spear themselves a flounder trapped on the outgoing tide. The partner has recently caught a John Dory in the flounder pond but there are stories from the past of all sorts of fish becoming victims to the pond.
Summer 2007 has been a momentous time in our history of Colville as we demolished our old bach over Labour weekend and started putting up the new one.
The old bach had a life of its own having been swept across the road in one of the Coromandel's notorious floods. It was rescued by the father-in-law and some of his linesman mates in good old kiwi style many decades ago. The bach had grown over the years as a lean-to was added, the mother-in-law would decide it needed walls and then a floor would be thrown down. Not good building practise but the old placed surivied only to succumb to a Council cock-up which saw the little leaks become larger leaks. I knew it was time for the old bach to go when the partner sent me a text saying "it's manky even by my standards".
So Labour weekend was the time set for the demolition and nearly every weekend since has been spent growing the new bach.
Don't let the title of this blog lead you into believing that the bach materials are all Trademe finds. Some materials just had to be purchased new and logistically that meant going to the local sawmill or getting Coromandel ITM to deliver, which they did for free I might add.
When it came to windows we didn't even consider buying new as it would most certainly have blown our budget. Even the demolition traders secondhand windows were over-priced. So that left us in the hands of Trademe and most of the windows were found this way.
My love affair with Trademe has faltered over the years however there have been times when the old flame has been rekindled. Thank you Trademe, the view from the windows of Colville Bay are awesome.

Hope at the Hospice

I love my local hospice shop!
It's only 5 minutes walk away and whenever I pop in I can guarantee I'll leave with a bargain, or at least some great homemade jam.
The Urlich Rd hospice is tucked in between a diary (which I'm sure is run by Koreans) and a newsagent.
It's a dear wee shop run by lovely ladies who make a mean plum jam and tomato relish.
The very same lovely ladies are not to be messed with though and very rarely can you beat them down on their pricing.
The hospice shops around the Waikato are known to do the odd silent auction. They clearly hide away any antiques, label clothing or the like just for such moments.
During silent auction weeks the lovely hospice ladies display the Royal Doulton, jade figurines, ye olde books, jewellery of value and other heirlooms that have accumulated over a period of time in the storerooms of the shop.
The idea is that you write a price down that you are prepared to pay for an item, pop it into a box inside the shop and at the end of the week the highest bid can purchase the treasure.
I must admit here and now that I have a small problem with op shopping, perhaps you could even call it an OCD - but I stand accused of compulsive op shop purchasing. I almost start having palpitations if I leave an op shop without buying SOMETHING, ANYTHING!
This week I have been catching the bus to Wintec, great time to practice a bit of Teeline, read about another treaty issue and generally listen to Hamilton High School girls gossip. The bus stop is located conveniently outside the hospice shop and it would be a crime to pass it by, you just never know what might be lurking in its depths.
I didn’t need to look far for there in the door way the mannequin greeted me dressed in one of those safari type dresses that are fairly fashionable these days. It didn’t take me long to undress the poor headless lass – who even had lacy knickers on – and slip into the dress myself. Great fit, purchased for $6.
Funnily enough the very next day I was visiting my niece and to my surprise she was wearing a very similar dress which she bought at Jay Jays for $35. What’s funny (or maybe sad) is that she is only 15. Does that make me mutton dressed as lamb or is she lamb dressed as mutton? I think I’ll leave such important moral dilemmas to the people who care to sort out.
I hope she still likes her dress, I’ll promise not to wear mine at the same time.

Give me Salvation

My latest foray into op shopping has taken me to a favourite and well known place - The Salvation Army.

Not only does the Salvation Army offer religious guidance, addiction counselling, youth development along with their infamous tambourine banging, they also take care of the treasures you no longer want or need.

Back in the day, these religious based shops were run by retired folk who were unsure about designer labels and the Grindley pottery meant nothing to them as it was common place in their day. This is not the case anymore and the mass produced clothes are carefully weeded out from the designer garments; the retro, deco and antique items are put on display in glass cases away from The Warehouse plates.

I find this rather convenient as I can go straight to the designer rack to find a treasure that I ordinarily couldn't afford. However the catch is you pay a few more dollars than other clothing items; I guess you have to pay for the service.

Don't get me wrong the clothing is still affordable and it hasn't stopped me going there, it just took a bit of getting used to.

I've picked up some real bargains in the past and my favourite was a pair of Vans emblazoned with flying pigs bought for $2, that I then sold on Trademe for $30.

This week I picked up three t-shirts for a total of $12. Now that's a big spend for me.

One of the t-shirts is from a NZ label that I love and can never afford to buy. Scintilla is a Raglan based designer using NZ inspired motifs and great fabrics.

The Salvation Army certainly provides salvation for op shoppers like me who don't want to sell their soul for a designer wardrobe.

Crimes Against Humanity

Serial op shopping is not a crime as such but I have encountered many who find this past time to be abhorrent.
For many the thought of wearing used clothes or shoes is a crime against humanity.
I must tell you that I draw the line at purchasing used underwear but I have done socks and swim wear.
The satisfaction of getting a bargain is brilliant and through my years of op shopping there have been many.
There have also been disasters! Clothes that have made it home that are ripped and stained beyond salvation. Hint - Check very carefully before buying.
This weeks purchase was found at the Hamilton dumpshop or more formally known as Dumprats.
Dumprats is a veritable goldmine of bargains. The idea is that people dumping their rubbish can detour by Dumprats and offload the "good" stuff for a reduction in their dumping costs.
Dumprats offers a wider selection than your usual op shop - from clothes to wheelbarrows and pavers to jigsaw puzzles. It's a one stop shop catering for all the family. This is the only form of shopping that my partner will happily do with me.
Op shopping is the type of activity that needs to be done on a fairly regular basis. Like exercise you need to keep at it to achieve results. New stock is coming in daily and you gotta be there to get the bargains. I've missed out on many great bargains that I've spotted from a distance only to spot a SOLD sticker on closer inspection.
Personally I like shoes, I've got plenty in my wardrobe and like Imelda Marcos I can never get enough.
This leads me to my purchase of the week a cute pair of Andrea Biani sandals for the bargain price of $3. I'm guessing that new these might have cost $30 plus. The shoes are practically brand new with minimal wear on the soles. They'll be great for formal occasions and maybe dressed down with a pair of jeans.
My partner purchased a multi box (the type you plug in several appliances to), a door - for our garage and a piece of plywood. This brought our total purchse up to $15. We only had $12.70 in cash on us so the kind Dumprats lady told us we could owe her $2.
Its a good idea to have cash on you although many op shops now have EFTPOS a lot still operate on a cash only basis.
Op shopping is not for everyone but for me there's nothing quite like it, even Trademe pales in comparison.