I try to shop locally as much as possible.
This is especially important when it comes to food.
If we want the farms to survive as acreages
and the local farmers to stay in business we need to give them our business.
I opt to shop in smaller stores where I know the owners...
the big box stores do not offer much in the way of service
and one generally does not engage in the same sort of conversation with the clerks while conducting business as these stores are usually noisy and crowded and the line ups long
which makes waiting to get through the till a rather tedious exercise.
Having said that, there are a few exceptions...
Like linens...
Our kitchen tea towels are all made of linen.
I love how soft the linen towels get after many washings.
After years of fighting with the iron I have come to terms with the job, and I love ironing...
standing back admiring the stack of freshly ironed tea towels each week on laundry day is a just reward!
I'm not sure why ironing was in the category of "domestic drudgery"...
it never occurred to me that all I needed to do was shift the way that I thought about the job in order to embrace and enjoy the process...
after all is said and done, it is repetitive and very meditative.
Calming...
Patricia Hines designed linen towels from Western Australia
found in a local second hand shop
as new ~ unused
$7.00 each
Each towel has a bit of red in the pattern which is why I bought the pair...
I have a red tea kettle and some other red accents in The Humble Bungalow Kitchen.
Coffee for my morning cafe creme comes from Italy
served in my favourite bowl
from
Emma Bridgewater Black Toast pottery from the UK
Since retiring I have been quite frugal...
especially with clothing.
I have kept a book where I record the clothes that I purchase and how much they cost.
It has been a great exercise and I plan to keep up the habit.
I love to shop vintage and peruse the charity shops.
This is rather like a hobby as it can take up quite a bit of time.
If one is pressed for time this is not the best way to shop.
We have quite a few good consignment shops in town which are fun to browse.
One of my favourites is Good Things on Oak Bay Avenue.
I have consigned many household things with them...
recently we took some of Mom's items to them.
I have purchased many more items from them that I could ever list!
(no book itemizing these purchases exists!)
Other shops are;
Value Village, Salvation Army, WIN thrift, St. Vincent de Paul, Super Chance and the James Bay Community Closet are located in town.
The Beacon Hospital Thrift Shop in Sidney is a 40 minute drive
but has a good selection of housewares, books, and clothing.
Like any second hand shop one needs to go with an open mind and look carefully at what is in the store.
Do you shop second hand?
Do you prefer to shop online or in person?
How was your Friday?
Mine was busy, but relaxed.
Yoga class, lunch out with a friend, and a wee bit of shopping
tried to go for a walk in the gale force winds
wrote this post while drinking a pot of tea
next up I will prepare a healthy dinner.
For those of you who may be curious about the lot next door...
and those who aren't please look away now.
This is the view from my kitchen window...
there is a huge pile of dirt waiting to be trucked away.
I wonder if we will have a weekend of peace and quiet.
Hope that you have some fun things planned for the weekend.
Hostess
XO
