Baby Boomers

7 Reasons Why I Love Consignment Shops and not just for saving money

by Deb C February 28, 2023

Why I love consignment shops

There are so many reasons to love consignment shops and shopping, but here I am narrowing them down.

Shopping at consignment stores is more than about saving money. It’s also a fun and entertaining hobby. Each consignment shop has its own personality, partly from the owners, the policies and pricing, the ambience, the consignors, and the shoppers. Shopping at consignment shops is a hobby for people of all ages, incomes, and lifestyles.

I’ve listed the reasons I love shopping at consignment shops. They are in no particular order.

Reason 1 why I love consignment shops: Free entertainment

Not only do consignment shops save you money, but they also offer free and fun entertainment. I may not buy anything during a visit, but I am usually entertained, one way or another.

Most of the shops I go to have a great play list of background music, which, for me, is mostly classic rock music.

Sometimes the people, either in front or behind the counter, are the entertainment. As you are browsing, you may hear the most intriguing stories, or gossip. Then there are times I feel sorry for the owner or employee. They get trapped by a customer who pours out their health, marital, or other woes.

Once at my favorite shop, Classic Consignments, a long-time fixture in Sudbury, Mass. I overheard a a particularly annoying browser. She let everyone within hearing know, that she had been living in Asia for years. She kept insisting that the hand-painted Japanese china was priced too low for the work that was put into it, not knowing the going rate. She treated the employees as if they were volunteers in a charity thrift shop who didn’t know what they were doing. She was the ignorant one.

Sometimes I meet someone I haven’t seen in years. A few times I discovered someone who remembers the same shops I used to go to when I was growing up. We have several pleasant moments mentally traveling down memory lane.

Then there’s the times when there are items that stun you, amuse you, or educate you. You may not want to take them home, but they make for an interesting visit.

Reason 2 why I love consignment shops: Education

This relates to Reason #1: Consignment shops can be educational, as your world is expanded by the eclectic nature of the items on display. You may get glimpses into high end tastes and designs you might never otherwise experience. The closest I chose to get to new high-end merchandise is through the windows in the mall. At some consignment shops I can handle lots of items up close.

The sheer variety of items I never knew existed and can study up close is incredible. Some shops which lean towards antiques and collectibles, can resemble mini-museums.

Reason 3 why I love consignment shops: Adding to your collection at reasonable prices

At some shops, you have a chance to add to your collection at a significant savings, rather than buying at an antique mall or shop, or on eBay. The owner of the consignment shop doesn’t wait for the top dollar and most shops have an automatic markdown system, so you may find some great items at reasonable prices. I buy vintage photos and ephemera and many times I have picked they up after their final markdown.

Reason 4 why I love consignment shops: Finding old favorites and repurposing

If a shop has a blend of eras, you may find items of character and design that are better made of better materials that suit your taste and living space. And, you can find items to repaint, refinish, and repurpose. You might also find a replacement for something that you loved and wore out. I am searching for some kitchenware that were my favorites. I don’t like the design or feel of some of the utensils available today.

Reason 5 why I love consignment shops: Better goods at lower prices

I touched on this before, but it’s not just saving money, it’s also having opportunities to buy higher quality gently used items for the same or less than those of much lower quality. We recently bought a piece of furniture at a well-known online retailer as a requested gift. We assembled it in the recipient’s home. Some components didn’t line up as well as they should have. And it was smaller than expected. It was definitely not designed for long term use. I would have rather put the money into a slightly used solid wood, better constructed item with some character.

I pick up charming English porcelain plates and pressed and lead glass dishes and serving ware for use when we have company. I also use vintage damask cloth napkins and tablecloths when entertaining.

Reason 6 why I love consignment shops: Learning the value of heirlooms

Consignment shops can also give you an idea of the value, or not, of your family heirlooms, or your household goods. You might think, or hear “Oh, my grandmother had one of these!”

But, as a sign that I have seen in some vintage and collectible shops says: “The only one who’s interested in what your grandmother had, was your grandfather.”

While a lot of “yesterdays” items are interesting or durable, or usable, like old Federal bureaus, only a fraction have any significant value. I owned an antique and collectibles consignment shop for 12 years. A memorable consignor insisted on discussing each item he consigned often saying “Now, this is really old,” expecting a high price just because it was old.

Well, it is true that sadirons like the one he had are old. But, unless the example is unusual in some way, and even then, they are common and not particularly sought-after.

Every winter I see vintage wooden sleds like Flexible Flyers, at consignment shops like Classic Consignments, but I also notice that they either don’t sell, or are coming to the end of their consignment period without any takers. They just give the shop a seasonal ambience.

So, either I see something my mother or grandmother had, and get a sense of the going prices, or if I try to sell something they owned, the market tells me what is valuable, and what isn’t.

Reason 7 why I love consignment shops: Make money

While it may not be, buy low, sell high somewhere else, sometimes I have made money doing just that. Either I bought an item at a consignment shop and sold it at another place, or online on eBay or Etsy, or bought an item at a yard sale and sold it on consignment.

Sometimes, it’s just easier to have someone else do the pricing and selling for you. I bought a group of vintage Easter postcards at a thrift shop. I scanned them and created a digital product and sell the images for download on Etsy. I also created a book for scrapbooking, junk journaling, and crafting that you can buy here on Amazon. Then, I consigned them in groups four to eight and most of them sold. I made back my investment and more just from consigning them. However, I do have a lot of sweat equity invested in the scanning, layout, and design of the digital and physical products sold on Etsy and Amazon.

Above are the main reasons I love consignment shops. They offer so much, as far as entertainment and education and they don’t cost you anything until you buy something.

Why do you love consignment shops? Leave your comments below.

Also visit my other blog posts about collectibles and consignment shops:

Clear your clutter and cash in with consignment shops

The British Royal Family: Memorabilia feeds collectibles mania

I talk about other ways to save money on my blog. Here is a post about it.

Want to learn how to start a blog?

Here’s some courses to get you started: Start A Travel Blog

or Start A Blogging Business.

February 28, 2023 0 comment

Nostalgia U.S. History

A Baby Boomer’s Christmas Memories

by Deb C December 30, 2020

For this blog post, I am traveling down a Memory Lane. A Baby Boomer’s Christmas Memories are of simpler versions of how Christmas is celebrated today. There were more homemade decorations and gifts, less lights, and lower priced and less gifts in the stockings and under the tree, but the underlying love and giving spirit are comparable to today.

Christmas Traditions of Baby Boomer Days

TV Specials are a big part of a Baby Boomer’s Christmas Memories

Some of today’s traditions, such as A Charlie Brown’s Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Frosty the Snowman TV Classics, first aired when Baby Boomers believed in Santa. According to one source, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is the longest continuously running Christmas TV special. For me, it was great to be able to sit down and watch my childhood favorites with our kids. “Holly Jolly Christmas” sung by Burl Ives became a favorite song for one of them.

The songs, “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman” were both big 1950’s song hits for Gene Autry, “The Singing Cowboy.” Yes, we Baby Boomers heard them first, as well as “‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and other Christmas pop/rock recordings still popular today. Debuting in 1949, Gene Autry’s version of “Rudolph” has sold over 25 million copies worldwide.

When I was sorting through my record stash, I actually found a 78 rpm record of “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by Gene Autry and The Pinafores with Orchestral Acc. I have no recollection about why or how I have it. I don’t think it was from my parents. I do remember that they let me make crafts out of some of their 78’s. Like making a rippled bowl out of them by placing them over a can and heating them in the oven.

Sometime in the 1960’s my Mother picked up some flannel elves and reindeer figures that I’m sure were inspired by the Rudolph film. When we cleaned out her house, we divided up some of the Christmas decorations. My sister provided these photos of the elves and reindeer. The Santa is from a dollar store.

Santa with vintage elves and reindeer on 50plusses.com

photos by Sandi Regan

There are a lot of collectibles made over the years that are based on Christmas TV specials. I picked up a Rudolph ornament and one of the dog from the Grinch show. They run the gamut and you can look for your favorite characters on websites such as eBay and Etsy. I picked up a like-new “Yukon Cornelius” stocking with tags on it at a thrift store.

Original Rudolph figure makes history, again

I recently heard that the original Santa and Rudolph figures used in the Rudolph Rankin/Bass Productions TV special still exist. My Internet searches led me to learning the back story about the original story, the making of the TV classic, and what happened to the figures.

The original story was written in 1939 as a seasonal children’s book giveaway of the Montgomery Ward Department Store, a Sears rival. The brother-in-law of the author later wrote the song which became Gene Autry’s huge hit.

Image of Rudolph figure released by Profiles in History

The TV Rudolph’s nose still glows and Santa’s beard, of Yak hair, is still a snowy white. The Japanese puppets made for Rankin/Bass Productions were given to Arthur Rankin Jr.’s secretary and kept in the family until about 15 years ago. Then, after they were appraised on Antiques Roadshow for a pre-auction estimate of $8,000 – $10,000, they were sold on eBay. The buyer, the owner of the collectibles toy shop, Time and Space Toys, had them restored. They had been played with and stored in a hot attic in between family Christmases and needed some TLC. You can see some before and after images on Youtube. Unfortunately, other figures from the film deteriorated and melted due to attic conditions.

After restoring the puppets and getting publicity for saving some of the World’s most famous Christmas icons, Time and Space Toys sold them to a huge fan of the movie for over $30,000. In November, 2020, “the most famous reindeer of all” made history again as the Rudolph and Santa puppets sold for a whopping $365,000, way over their $150,000 – $200,000 estimate. That makes them amongst the most valuable items of TV memorabilia ever sold at auction. (What they mean to children of all ages is priceless.)

Profiles in History catalog – Santa and Rudolph

Profiles in History, a major auction house that specializes in Hollywood memorabilia, auctioned off Santa and Rudolph. They created a catalog just for the Rudolf auction and you can see it here. You can read their press release for the auction here.

Decorating the Live Tree

One of my first Christmas memories is of my Mother making ornaments from walnut shells. Now, you can find all kinds of ideas for crafting with walnut shells on Pinterest. Tree ornaments were made by carefully prying open the shell, gluing a toothpick inside to hold a string or ribbon, gluing the halves back together, and painting them.

Those ornaments my Mother made survived several moves, and were used for decades. I wasn’t sure what happened to them. I thought that they had gone into the dumpster when my Mother went into Assisted Living a couple of years ago. A few weeks ago I decided to pull out the one box of ornaments that I brought home from my Mother’s house. It’s a small suitcase sized clothing or suit box from Sears, with a foldover cover, perfect for storage. After poking around among the graying tissue paper wrapped ornaments, I found four of them in a small plastic bag tucked into one corner. The halves of one of them had separated. I noticed that my Mother had numbered the halves, “15” and “15.” This must have been so that she knew which ones went with which when regluing after placing the toothpick and string inside and painting them. So now I know that she made at least 15. Whatever glue, string, and paint she used has held up over 50 years. There’s no paint on the string so it’s doubtful that she repainted them.

Armed with a thimble, needle and thread and bowls of popcorn, or cranberries, my Mother and I would work on stringing them while watching movies like White Christmas or holiday specials with singers like Bing Crosby and later Andy Williams. My Mother was big on silver for the tree. She worked at making everything balance with an equal portion of the tinsel. She also carefully removed and re-packaged it for use year after year. The newer plastic tinsel that became available had no appeal in our house.

As far as ornaments, we had a couple of precious boxes of fragile glass ornaments generally made in Europe. There were a few plastic ones and a few felt ones like Rudolph and elves Made in Japan. And there were some that we kids made in school or with craft kits. One year I made plaster ones that were from a kit. You mixed up the plaster and poured it into molds. When the plaster was dry, you popped the ornaments out and painted them.

Christmas Treats

Stockings, Stocking Stuffers and Such

For many of us, there weren’t special stockings. We just picked our largest sock. Then in the 1960’s, we started to get store bought flannel stockings. Sometimes someone at the store or we would use a special paint tube to write our name on it.

It never failed that there would be ribbon candy…and that it would break into splinter like pieces. Good thing we four kids really didn’t like it. Candy canes were welcome, but we really liked anything chocolate. Mom/Santa would buy bags or boxes of M and M’s, gumdrops, foil wrapped bells, chocolate covered mints and maybe candy bars. Then she would divide up the candy, repackage it, and fill our stockings with it and small gifts like transparent tape and scissors (as we kept borrowing hers), and small games like jacks or some marbles. Sometimes there was a package of Lifesavers candy that came in a hinged type gift box that opened up to reveal rolls of candy on either side. Speaking of gifts, gift bags weren’t used. Everything was wrapped, sometimes in the Sunday Funnies newspaper, if budgets were tight. Also, my Mother cautioned us to open the presents carefully so as not to rip the paper. We saved and used it from year to year. Some patterns were very pretty and I enjoyed using them over and over again.

Fruitcake

I’ve never understood the jokes about fruitcake, because I always loved it. Sometimes we would make one, and once in a while receive one as a gift. My best “fruitcake memory” is of watching the TV special Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory” which first aired in 1966. The story is from Capote’s 1930’s childhood when his parents left him with relatives. It centers around a Christmas-time ritual of making fruitcakes from scratch with his elderly cousin who is also his best friend. They used pecans poached from a neighbor’s pecan grove and bootleg whiskey . You can find the story on You Tube.

Gingerbread Houses

Now you can buy kits with premade gingerbread, frosting, and candy. Boomers would make their own gingerbread, or use graham crackers. Homemade frosting, peppermints, M and M’s, and gumdrops were mostly used for cementing the parts of the “house” and decorating.

Christmas Cookies

What’s Christmas without Christmas cookies? Especially those decorated with frosting and sugar sprinkles. Everything was made from scratch. There weren’t any pre-made waiting in the refrigerated food section of the grocery store. Dough was rolled out and aluminum cookie cutters used for stars, bells, trees, gingerbread men and Santa shaped cookies. Frosting was also made from scratch and either applied with a knife or with an aluminum cake decorating tool. Nonpareils or colored sugar sprinkles were a final touch. You can find such vintage cookie cutters and aluminum cake decoration tools on eBay and Etsy.

My first memory of Christmas cookies must have been a cookie swap. In the mid-1950’s we lived in Alexandria, Virginia as my Father was stationed there while in the Navy. We lived in an apartment complex with a large basement with laundry facilities. I remember long benches set up full of cookies and being able to choose some cookies with sprinkles. This was a huge deal for a not yet three year old.

A Boston Area Baby Boomer’s Special Christmas Memories

There were some things for Boston area Baby Boomers that were just a must-do at some point, and some of them are still available today.

Even today, local kid’s parents, or grandparents make sure that they see a Boston performance of The Nutcracker ballet.

Another Boston must was to visit Santa and “The Enchanted Village” of mechanical figures in old-fashioned dress and scenes which took up an entire floor in Downtown Boston’s Jordan Marsh store. My recollection is of holding my Mother’s hand tightly as we walked along winding ramps and being a bit overwhelmed by all the figures and decorations. After Jordan Marsh was folded into Macy’s, the village was taken on and displayed by the City of Boston at City Hall Plaza and the Hynes Convention Center. The “Village” was bought at auction by Jordan’s Furniture ( no connection to Jordan Marsh), refurbished, and since 2010 is on display at Jordan’s Avon, Mass. location during the holiday season.

If you lived in or near Framingham, Mass., the “old” Shoppers World was the place to visit at Christmas. The original mall had a large open courtyard in the middle. Twenty-four 12 foot tall wooden toy soldiers stood at attention around the courtyard, with a 24 foot tall “General” rotating on platform in the center promenade of the courtyard. Santa’s live reindeer visiting from the North Pole stayed in a pen at one end. And there were bright colored lights and Christmas trees as well as Santa himself.

There’s a Facebook group, The Old Shoppers World was better, where you can see photos and learn more about it.

While the original Shoppers World was razed and there’s a modern replacement, the toy soldiers survived. They are now placed around the city of Framingham during the Christmas season. The DPW even made additional soldiers using an original one as a pattern. The “new recruits” help spread holiday cheer even further.

Yesterday’s Christmases live on in Today’s

So, for this Baby Boomer, a trip down Christmas “Memory Lane” doesn’t have to travel far, as many things from my childhood are still part of today’s decorations and activities. You can find a lot of nostalgic and traditional holiday items on Etsy and eBay. Some things have new twists, or materials. More things are store bought, rather than handmade, and now there are sequels to some of the original Christmas TV specials, but the basic characters and premises are the same. So too is the spirit of giving.

Want to learn how to start a blog?

Here’s some courses to get you started: Start A Travel Blog

or Start A Blogging Business.

December 30, 2020 1 comment

50+ Guide and Tips

The Plusses of being 50+

by Deb C August 19, 2019

Plusses of Being 50+

While turning 50 may include some jokes about growing old and being “over the hill,” the reality can be far different. All of a sudden you may be eligible for certain perks and discounts. There are products, programs, travel, equipment, and facilities geared to older adults like never before. There are athletic venues and sports and championships that are specifically for the more mature adult. In many cases, the physical or technological hurdles you may have had when younger have been smoothed out, or done away with. You also have a bank of knowledge and life experiences that younger generations envy and will never have. (Think seeing the Beatles in person or on TV, The Moon Landing, and Woodstock.)

While I didn’t get to Woodstock, a fellow camp counselor did and came back and regaled us with her stories. I did see The Beatles when they first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. I won tickets from a Boston area radio station and went to see them at Suffolk Downs. I saw the Moon Landing as it was being broadcast live and sadly grieved with our nation when John F. Kennedy was shot.

If you watch Jeopardy, you have followed the graying of Alex Trebek and the transition from mustache to none. You also probably have an edge on others due to your traditional education and life experiences. That, and having heard the “answers” before, only perhaps asked in a slightly different way or in a different category. You may have: grown up with listening to the music or traveled to the places mentioned or watched the Television programs referenced.

Who are considered Baby Boomers?

People who were born between 1946 and 1964 and generally between 55 and 75 years old.
Wikipedia describes them: “As a group, baby boomers were wealthier, more active and more physically fit than any preceding generation and were the first to grow up genuinely expecting the world to improve with time.^[3] They were also the generation that reached peak levels of income in the workplace and could, therefore, enjoy the benefits of abundant food, clothing, retirement programs, and even “mild-life crisis” products.”

Sounds like a lot of plusses to be in the Baby Boomer age group.

Did you know there are two segments of Baby Boomers? Also according to Wikipedia: “In the U.S., the generation can be segmented into two broadly defined cohorts: The Leading-Edge Baby Boomers are individuals born between 1946 and 1955, those who came of age during the Vietnam era. This group represents slightly more than half of the generation. …The other half of the generation was born between 1956 and 1964. Called Late Boomers, or Trailing-Edge Boomers…”

The Age-Friendly Movement

Age-friendly’ is a concept that was developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The WHO website explains that “An age–friendly world enables people of all ages to actively participate in community activities and treats everyone with respect, regardless of their age. It is a place that makes it easy for older people to stay connected to people that are important to them.” The initiative is about making communities work well for people of all ages, and especially for older adults.

Age-friendly or livable communities have walkable streets, housing and transportation options, access to key services and opportunities for residents to participate in community activities.

The AARP Age-Friendly network encourages states, cities, towns and counties to prepare for the rapid aging of the U.S. population by paying increased attention to the environmental, economic and social factors that influence the health and well-being of older adults.

How great is that??

2008 Pontiac Solstice — Maybe a sporty convertible is in your future.

How to get started with enjoying life after 50

Sign up for an AARP Membership.
Start asking for Senior Discounts.
Check in with your local Council on Aging or Senior Center for programs and activities.
Take advantage of your local library and all the programs and services it has to offer.
Make solid plans to do things you have been meaning to do “someday.”
Try a new hair style.
Purge your closets of things you haven’t worn in a year or more.
Purge your kitchen cabinets of old food, spices, and items you no longer use.
Hire a cleaning service, if you don’t use one, to do a thorough cleaning of your home.
Hire a landscaping service to do a thorough tidying up of your yard, plants, and bushes.
Join a book or garden, or scrabble or game club, or musical group.
Volunteer at a local non-profit.
Take a course at Adult Ed or at a local college or online that will teach you a new skill.
Sign up for a day trip to some place you haven’t been to.
Test drive or rent that RV, car, motorcycle, ATV or boat that you always wanted to experience.
Review your financial status and retirement plans so you have a clear picture of where you stand and any adjustments you need to make.
Make or review your will so that you rest assured that your wishes will be carried out when you depart.
Plan ahead: Have discussions and make plans for your aging parents and for yourself in case mobility and health issues come up.

What can you add to the list?

Tips for Success in Aging Well

Have regular checkups.
Take care of your teeth.
Take care of your feet.
Exercise regularly.
Have a regular schedule.
Have a hobby.
Challenge yourself in small and larger ways physically and mentally.
Limit sitting, or move every hour or so.
Have a pet.
Have a dog that requires daily walks.
De-clutter your life and home of things you don’t have a use for anymore.
Have a clean environment.
Limit your exposure to the sun and wear sun block or SPF lotion.
Get enough sleep.
Smile more.

What are your tips?

Common Questions/FAQ About the Generations that People 50 and up fall into

Question 1 What is a Baby Boomer? And am I one?
- If you were born between 1946 and 1964, you are considered a Baby Boomer. The name comes from the sudden boom in the birthrate that started after WWII. The age range is 55 to 73.
Question 2 What about the Sandwich Generation?
- The Sandwich Generation refers to Boomer mid-life and older adults who are taking care of aging parents and raising children or grandchildren at the same time. The oldest Boomers are reaching an age where they may need assistance of their own while younger Boomers are trying to find ways to balance caring for Mom and Dad, their kids, their careers, and themselves.
Question 4 If I don’t fall into the age range of a Baby Boomer, what am I?
- If you were born 1927 or earlier, that is age 92 and above, you are a member of the “Greatest Generation.” If you were born in the period between the Greatest Generation and the Baby Boomers – 1928 – 1945, you are a member of the Silent Generation. If you were born at the end of the Baby Boomer surge – mid 1960’s to mid-1980’s, you are part of Generation X. Older GenX’er’s are in their early 50’s.

The Last Thing You Need to Know about being 50+ today

We are fortunate to have so many resources and advocates for making our lives now and going forward better than ever. Thanks to the Internet, we can find these resources and advocates more easily and share them.

Please email me and share what resources, products, and experiences enhance your life and/or what you feel would make for a more graceful and fulfilled life going forward.

August 19, 2019 0 comment