By Barbara Tobias NABBW’s Thifting Associate What do Barb Tobias (The “Thrift Talk” Diva), Tori Spelling and Carol Burnett have in common? We all have yard sales! Yes, it is true. Six degrees of separation be damned! I’m in good stead. I was stunned to learn, after reading numerous reports on People.com, Omg.com, and Thefrisky.com, […]
The Frustrations of Our Long, Cold, Winter Can\’t Hold Out Much Longer: Not When Our Thrifty Diva Cheerily Reminds Us That “Garage Sale Season is Coming…” By Barb Tobias NABBW’s Thrifting Associate My favorite time of year is just around the corner. Yes, that\’s right, Garage Sale Season! Do you know that that means? It\’s […]
The Art of Garage-Sale “Barbgaining” By Barb Tobias NABBW’s Thrifting Expert People repeatedly ask where I shop to find such fabulous finds. The answer is … everywhere. Smart shopping is not whether you can find extraordinary things at local garage sales; rather it is a question of how and when you buy. So, let\’s […]
A Vendor\’s Take On The Mile High Flea Market By Barb Tobias NABBW’s Thrifting Expert Enthralled by the grandeur of the Mile High Flea Market, I took the four-day challenge. As a shopper and as a vendor, I visited this sprawling bazaar, farmers market and antiques fair northeast of Denver on a consecutive Thursday, Friday, […]
The Thrift-Mobile By Barb Tobias NABBW’s Thrifting Expert Years ago, I thrift shopped with complete abandon. Little thought was given to equipment, packing material or how I would get my new-to-me treasures home. Today, as garage sale season approaches, I plan, and turn my vehicle into a well-stocked machine…the “thrift-mobile.” The extra coat, the bags […]
Thrifting For Savvy Shoppers By Barb Tobias NABBW’s Thrifting Expert Most of us have less cash to burn these days, so buying other folks castoffs is a great way to save a buck … particularly when searching for short-term items. The Internet, specialty shops, bookstores, and going out of business sales carry drastically reduced items […]
The Bustling Thrift Scene … from Dicey to Divine By Barb Tobias NABBW’s Thrifting Expert As the economy spiraled downward, Americans tightened their belts and secondhand shops made their move onto Main Street. Spencer James, lead writer of the Brigham Young University Study, states that thrift shopping increases when the economy slows, and that middle […]
How I Became A Garage Sale Junkie By Barb Tobias NABBW’s Thrifting Expert It wasn\’t a planned event. I was simply curious after spotting a lopsided Garage Sale sign dangling from a post on the side of a road. At the time I was a single mom struggling to eke out a living for my […]
The Dress By Barb Tobias NABBW’s Thrifting Expert I\’m all grown up. And, I think I have a pretty good handle on who I am. After all, I\’ve spent years assessing and reassessing my actions … my directions … my choices. Along the way, I\’ve thrown out the bad and kept the good. At least […]
A Holiday Note from “The Diva” By Barb Tobias NABBW’s Thrifting Expert I become reflective with the turning of the leaves and the fast approach of the holidays. During this time I am reminded of the days and things and people that colored my 2011 canvas. It was an amazing, pigheaded and magical year. As […]
