My Secret Addiction!

Those of you who know me well will know that I have a secret addiction. I totally LOVE car boot sales. On Sunday mornings, during the summer months, I get up at 6.30am when most normal, sane human beings are still snoozing in their nice comfy beds and I drive to a field near Looe in Cornwall to go to my favourite car boot sale. Every year I wait with baited breath for a few fine days at the start of July so the farmer who owns the field can harvest the silage crop and the email that pings into my inbox to tell me the car boot sales are about to begin.  My bargains over the years have been considerable. A spectacular stone statue of Poseidon for £35 (haggled down from £70 which, considering I never haggle, was quite an achievement), a fabulous brand new leather handbag with a RRP of £85 for £3, and a John Rocha top bought for £1 which I then managed to sell on Ebay for £15 to mention but a few. This morning though, as I switched my alarm off and made the all-important call to the car boot sale hotline to check if it was on or not, I began to wonder whether or not I should be worried about the fact that I look forward to rootling through other peoples junk. Having thought about this long and hard I have come to the conclusion that car boot sales are basically upcycling at it's very best. Things which no-one wants any more get a nice new home and a few quid can be made at the same time to help in this economic mess that our country is in. I think this is one of the primary reasons I don't haggle. I have always assumed that people who sell at car boot sales do so in order to raise a bit of spare cash. It seems wrong somehow to haggle them down from what they must have considered a fair price just so I can save 50p. I also never go to car boot sales to sell things. Although I have done in the past, it was a thoroughly depressing experience and one I'm not keen to repeat. People go to car boot sales for a bargain and realistic pricing is not an option because things just don't sell. I find I can get more for them by selling them on Ebay or giving them to my local vintage shop  to sell for me in return for a small percentage of the price. When I go to a car boot sale I have a strategy. Firstly ...... and most importantly ...... I have a bacon buttie. The smell of sizzling bacon wafting from the catering truck is too much to resist and I find a good breakfast is essential for maintaining the energy levels vital for mounting a successful car boot sale forage.  Secondly, I have a quick whizz round looking for things that instantly catch my eye and I weigh up whether or not I want them, either for myself or to sell on Ebay. Lastly, I have a slow walk around the tables looking in greater detail and looking not only on the tables but under, around and to the side because for some reason, car boot sellers have a habit of just dumping stuff all over the place and it's very easy to miss a fabulous bargain if you don't have a good rummage around. When I spot something that I like, I ask the price. I have to say that, out of necessity, I'm very strict when it comes to buying things. If they are too expensive I walk away and as I said, I never haggle. Except on one notable occasion. My statue of Poseidon. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it but the seller wanted £70 for it. Rule Number 1 for car boot sales ....... never take more money with you than you want to spend. I never take more than £20. That way I know that's all I can spend. That week, however, I had just finished a shift at the camp site where I used to work and I had my pay packet in my bag. It was fate! Knowing that £70 was way more than I would be willing to pay I thanked him and started to walk away. The owner then started haggling with me! He kept lowering the price until he finally said £35 and I will help you take it to your car! Well how could I resist. It took two of us to wedge it into the foot well of my car and a wheelbarrow and an awful lot of sweat and swearing for me to take it out and put it on my patio when I got back home. It looks fabulous just in front of my gate guarding the house and it is still my favourite car boot sale find. 

So now you know ..... My Name Is Kay and I am A Car Bootaholic! :-)

Some of my many Car Boot Sale Bargains

My Wonderful Poseidon Statue

Gorgeous Hurricane Lanterns £1 for the pair.

Fabulous Puffin Print 20p

Bamboo Magazine Rack £1.50

Fantastic Tweed Bag £1

Porcelain Soup Tureen (for my collection|) £2

Awesome Girly Spirit Level 20p