Bagging a bargain at a garage or car boot sale can save you tons of money, but not if you can’t find a use for what you bring home.
Here are a few simple ways to use your garage sale bargains creatively:
Framed Mirror An old, scratched-up, framed mirror is great for use as a drinks or dessert tray—just add a couple of old handles you’re sure to find as well. Be sure that the back is in good repair—you don’t want it to collapse when you use the new ‘tray’.
Garden Gnomes No longer just for the garden--use those little gnomes to make handsome bookends in your library.
Ladders Lean that old wooden ladder up against a wall in the bathroom to hold towels and magazines or hang it over the kitchen island to stow pots and pans close by.
Buckets Painted buckets can hold a potted plant or utensils in the kitchen or tools in the workshop. Why not fill them with ice to hold bottled drinks at your next al fresco meal?
Metal or Wooden Dish Drainers Transform these into instant office organizers for file folders and stationary supplies in your home office.
Metal Baskets Wire metal baskets are perfect containers for holding out-of-season mittens, scarves, and boots in the vestibule.
Ironstone or Ceramic Pitchers Even if slightly cracked, those old pitchers will make great flower vases—just place a glass jar inside to hold flowers in water.
Cigar Boxes Wooden cigar boxes with their wonderful graphics make handy containers for remote controls, button collections, old photos, or whatever.
Copper Roasting Pans Worn-out copper roasting pans are useful containers for corraling your oils and vinegars in the kitchen.
Toy Trucks Old wooden or metal toy trucks never lose their charm. Even with some rust or fading paint, these make charming planters for a pot or two of your favourite plants.
Kitchen Utensils Frame them to decorate your kitchen in old frames (bought at a garage sale, of course). Old forks can be transformed into easels for holding postcards or family photos by simply bending a few of the prongs so that the fork remains upright.
Vinatage Luggage or Picnic Baskets Tuck that old basket or luggage under the TV to hide your DVDs and CDs.
Wood Doors If you're handy with tools, transform that old wooden door into a nifty headboard or tabletop.
Don’t turn up your nose at small, inexpensive items like matchbooks, baseballs, campaign buttons. These also have great decorating potential:
Vintage Swizzle Sticks These will make an unusual bouquet with a twist when placed in a neat bud vase.
Old Baseballs Toss a few of these balls into an old wire basket and you’ve got a winner.
Toast Racks Use vintage or antique toast racks for your morning toast or upcycle them display cards, invitations, or letters.
License Plates Spiff up an ordinary wooden box with an old license plate; just add a few bolts to secure it.
As you can see the possibilities are endless—you can make your purchases guilt-free knowing that you’ve got a use for everything you’ve bagged. You even have a good excuse for more bargain hunting at your next garage or car boot sale.
