A snippet from Tossed & Found . . .A frugal journey
My lust for tarnished treasures, coupled with the sheer thrill of the hunt, became an obsession that held me tight within its steely grip. I was fascinated with Bargain America and succumbed to its relentless, beckoning finger, its promise of secondhand booty … and a better life.
Over time, and despite the occasional rip-off or bargain blooper, my homes became living testimonies to the fabulous riches I uncovered. The enterprising thrift venues and motley garages that hawked their sordid wares enthralled me, capturing my attention and every spare moment.
The many resourceful, veteran thrifters who shared their secrets also taught me the art of uncovering the unusual. These resourceful warriors became my teachers and steadfast comrades; wise and frugal sages who cheerfully sloughed off the stigma of hunting for used goods in exchange for the triumphs of discovering once-in-a-lifetime finds.
On the other side of the street, my conventional friends not only tolerated my thrift-a-holic tendencies, but observed with voyeuristic glee the transformation of my humble abodes to richly appointed dwellings. With loving aplomb, they relentlessly dogged me to turn my love affair with thrift into the book … Tossed & Found; an addictive, inspiring and often playful journey that walks the reader through my personal hardships and triumphant successes.
Each chapter begins with a pictorial memory; a glimpse of my transformation from farm girl—to fashion model—to self-proclaimed thrift Diva.
My passage was not easy. Each step I took along my life’s path was fraught with indecision, and I reacted to each experience like a gate swinging in a storm; vacillating between inspiration and rejection, shrinking and blossoming.
Tossed & Found is more than a thrifting adventure or a “how-to” outlining the rescue of rejects tossed aside by uncaring hands. Each page I wrote served as a cathartic release; a reflection of the many times I felt tossed around by the relentless waves that crashed against the shores of my life.
Stroll with me, and my self-appointed Divaness, as we explore a newly frugal nation, and I share the tricks of selling, the art of bartering and the thrill of buying other people’s junk.
