thrifting with a toddler

I'm sure by now it's very obvious that I'm a big fan of flea markets, charity shops, junk stores and the find.

The preference for buying secondhand began in my teenage years. The cash-stripped rebellion evolved into a passtime, an interest, a habit during the 20-odd years that passed since.  Even having a child did not stop my thrifty virtue. However, having had a child did change how I thrift-shop: not just the frequency of visits or what I look for, but also what I bring home.

I realised something when I was thinking about blogging during all the non-blogging months: like it or not, my point of view is of a parent, and it extends into everything I do, think, feel and write. For a while, writing about a vintage vase or some dusty old teacup seemed so irrelevant in the face of multiple food allergy- and sleep issues. By now, the tension between my new parent life and the persisting thrifting-crafting-blogging self resolved itself, and the bargainhunting habit fits nicely into our life with a kid. Writing about it feels fine too.

So a little series of posts entitled Thrifting with a toddler is on the way. It will be about how a kid changed my entire life my thrifting practice, and what do the flea markets look like with the parent goggles on.