The Medicine Cabinet

A few words of advice for garage sale shopping are number one: never leave your house, without cash in your wallet and number two: only buy what you absolutely love, love, love, even if at the time, it doesn't make sense. Number one, I learned the hard way as I had to leave a few good things behind as I realized I left my money at home and plastic was not going to help me buy that vintage cast iron skillet, great brightly flowered apron and good book. Just a few Mr. Washingtons would have gotten me by. It was an impromptu garage sale stop and home was a bit away, so lesson learned. As far as buying only what you love, I think it's important to fill your home with what makes you happy. But besides that, sometimes what you are buying (that you love) doesn't make sense at all and that's ok. As long as you have a temporary solution for it, the long term answer will come. I've seen this happen so many times with my garage sale finds. I just found a new use or place for it and fell in love with it all over again. The best example of this was this medicine cabinet. I fell in love instantaneously. At the time, I didn't need a medicine cabinet living in an apartment, the cabinets were already there and to be honest, I didn't even think of it as one. I propped it open on the dresser in the bedroom and put my rock collection in there. The right door would pry itself open, no matter how many times or how hard, I would try to close it. It needed fixing and painting on top of that. But nevertheless, I absoutely loved it. Fast forward a few years later, as I looked at the bare wall across from the mirror in the bathroom, right away I knew what belonged there. So with garage sales, don't forget the cash and with it, buy only what you love, even if you have no idea what you are going to do with it, one day you will.