So, this summer Pete and I picked up a new hobby. This new hobby took lots of patience and know-how. None of which I had (or have, still.) This hobby is AUCTIONING!

About a month and a half ago, Pete woke me up on a Saturday and said he had passed a barn auction down the street while he was on a bike ride. I had no idea what the protocol was for going to an auction. Were we late? Did you have to be invited? Did they accept debit cards? Who knew. We were going mostly because I was nosey and wanted to see this barn and farm house. The one rule that I made before we left was that I was not to be put in a position where I would have to bid on something…Pete was to do all of that, if there were even things we wanted from there.

Well, let me tell you. There were things upon things upon things trimmed with things STANDING on things that I wanted. Only problem was, these people weren’t new to this game like we were. We were the newbies and no one was going to let us win anything…not even an old bucket. Honestly.

At first we were just watching how everything unfolds at an auction. I poked around the barn and the house, which is still my favorite thing to do. We were talking to this man who was bidding on a pile of old books. He obviously knew what he was doing because when he won, and we congratulated him on his win, he said that there was a first edition Tom Sawyer in there. That was the know-how we didn’t know.

Luckily for us, we had no plans that day. We stayed all day and bid on everything, because no one was going to let us win. Then the tides turned. The oldies started to get tired and hot in the heat. Their trucks were full. We had iced coffee, donuts, and an empty truck. Suddenly, we had the upper hand! That’s when things changed. We started winning all this stuff! Even I was bidding! It was the most exciting thing. Basically everything we won was for a dollar, the most expensive thing we won was for $12.00. We took home a driveway of stuff for $34.00.

What’s old is new is all about not always having to purchase something new and wildly expensive for your home. Before the auction, I was looking for a table for this one wall in my house. All the ones I liked were starting at $200. At the auction, I found the most perfect piece for the wall. It was an old singer table with the built in sewing machine. We paid $12.00 for it. I can’t imagine having a different table there. That table carries the story of our first auction. Some of the pieces we bought has the opportunity to be something other than it was. The sewing machine that was turned into a table, old farmhouse windows that will be turned into a headboard, and mason jars what will be turned into a chandelier. Sometimes, you have to think outside the box. You definitely don’t have to break the bank to make your house beautiful.

To look for auctions near you, try auctionzip.com!