Business & Tech
Budget Vogue: Christmas Shopping In My Storage Unit
Heeter: While it's always a great time to support those thrift shops, now, more than ever, is the time to give, to share, and to let go.
My daughter and I traveled to our storage unit the other day — it’s an anthropological expedition of unearthing boxes, determining which goods will never make it back home, which goods will live on.
If you have a storage unit, Budget Voguers, you know the angst those words imply: Storage. Unit. People speak of theirs with the same enthusiasm as stepping on scales, root canals, hemorrhoids. But, my dear Budget Voguers, Storage Units can also be a place of laughter, of letting go, of holiday shopping.
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My first suggestion of going to your storage unit is to not go alone. I like to drag my daughters as some of the stuff is theirs and some of the stuff will be theirs when I kick the bucket. It’s better to have another set of eyes on the treasures which, after some honest evaluations, are better described as trash. It’s all a process and when I found the leather shorts 1991 Susan purchased in Turkey, I was elated. Never mind that those shorts will not fit over my ankles, they sparked joy in the discovery of memories of running around Europe, the 90s me, significantly thinner with so much life ahead. That is fun, that is elation, those are the giggles I share with my children. “Yes, I DID fit into these once!”
When my youngest and I came upon a doll we referred to as “Little Johnny” we both screamed as we thought he was lost forever. I wish I’d kept it quiet when I found him amidst the pans as he would have made a GREAT present under the tree. Little Johnny traveled with us to New York City in 2012, he has a voice and lost his boot many moons ago. Little Johnny has a presence and, again, would have made a stunning gift. Storage Units provide economical shopping adventures; it’s Black Friday every day! You already own it! And that is suggestion #2 - don’t go shopping online, rather, utilize your own Storage Unit cache.
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And finding both the leather shorts and Little Johnny made me realize what I want to keep and what I want to let go - that same day allowed for a great many donations to various thrift shops: knick knacks I no longer need, art work past its prime, clothes that no longer fit save for the leather shorts. It doesn’t take much to realize what we want and what we don’t.
And suggestion #3 - be prepared to go directly to a thrift shop after EVERY visit to your Storage Unit. Why? Well, you probably have your car right there and, honestly, it’s the perfect time to LET GOOOOOO! If you haven’t thought of it or needed it for years, why hold onto it? If you have been hankering for a few things and found them, keep these treasures. If not, time to let someone else enjoy the fun of your goodies.
And while it’s always a great time to support those thrift shops that support our communities, now, more than ever is the PERFECT moment to give, to share, to let go.
Enjoy your journeys, Budget Voguers, enjoy your stuff, your lives, your memories. And enjoy the re-gifting, the donating, the joy in the finds. Share. Delight. Budget Vogue on.
Susan Dromey Heeter writes from Newmarket and often from the road where she celebrates thrift shops and delights in FREE signs on the side of the road. She writes of all things frugal and fun, second hand as opposed to Amazon deliveries. Follow Susan @BudgetVogue63 on Instagram. Dromey Heeter ADORES reader responses, stories and questions. She can also be reached at dromeyheeter@gmail.com.
This article first appeared on InDepthNH.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
