I found so much stuff on Monday and Tuesday that I was almost relieved to come up empty the rest of the week. I knew this summer was going to be busy, but I’m just realizing now that it’s going to be busier than ever before. This is mainly due to the fact that I’m a much better trash picker now, and I anticipate finding a lot more stuff.
This realization is part exciting, part terrifying. I look forward to finding more cool things, but I’m also worried that I’ll end up working way more than I like. I haven’t tracked how much I work exactly, but I estimate I already put in around 50-60 hours a week. Each blog post alone takes about 25 hours to produce after all the work that goes into it. I won’t lie, when I feel most burnt out I fantasize about the fairly normal – even lax – work week I’d have if not for writing this blog. For the record, the blog is a mostly not-for-profit affair to spread awareness and act as a record of what I’ve found. Tips are gratefully accepted and help pay for the maintenance of the site.
Regardless of whether I make money from the blog, I enjoy writing it too much to stop. I’ll just have to figure out another way to reduce my workload. Should I buy a new, more expensive camera in the hopes that it’ll reduce the amount of time I spend on photo editing? Should I change the way I write the blog, perhaps including fewer finds or focusing more on the best? Should I take more photos outside, so that I don’t have to bring everything upstairs for a more “perfect” shot? Or maybe I should just take home less stuff?
I’ll consider my options in the coming days. I’d appreciate any input you might have as well – let me know what you think in the comments!
The week began at my spot in NDG. It’s been producing for quite some time now.
Inside one of the bags was a shoebox full of objects, most of which looked to be related to new age spirituality and different ancient mythologies.
Many were inside little cloth pouches. The cylinder in the center looks like it’s meant to hold a scroll. It seems like it’s silver plate.
Some items that stuck out to me were the box of different shaped crystals (top left), a sterling silver cross pendant (marked “United Colors of Benetton” – top right), three powerful magnets (bottom left) …
… a loonie in a bag with flecks of some kind of stone, perhaps mica (top right), a mysterious gold color rock (bottom left, about an inch long for reference), and a small pyramid figurine (below). I’m not sure what a lot of the rest is – if you do, let us know in the comments!
I also made some great finds in the recycling bin.
It was a nice stack of records! There were around 60 in all. Most are in great to decent shape. My favourites are the old rock and jazz, some of which I’ve featured below. I’ll definitely add a few of these to my small collection. I already sold three (including the Fugs record below) for 8$.
This Charlie Parker 10″ might be the most valuable. One just like it recently sold at auction for over 100$. I’d love to keep it, but I also can’t turn down the money.
I then made my way to Hampstead. Not long later it starting pouring a very cold rain. I wasn’t really prepared for it, so that wasn’t a lot of fun. I had to sort through bags on the passenger seat of the car to avoid being soaked. I came across these bags in front of a house that produced a few things for me back in December, but nothing since.
A look inside one bag reminded me of times past.
One of my first eBay sales – long before I even considered blogging – was a steering wheel and instrument display for a vintage BMW 2002 (a model from the 1970s) that I found in Outremont. I remember my room-mates thinking I was crazy for bringing them home, figuring they were junk. I showed them! I cleaned them up and sold each for 80$, which at the time felt pretty sweet. I’m not sure how I figured out they might be worth money (I was a total eBay novice at the time), but I did.
This steering wheel was made for a 1989 Jaguar XJS (it took a while to figure this out), but it will apparently fit a few different models made between 1974 and 1989. One just like it recently sold for over 200$ + shipping.
At the bottom of a different bag were two bags full of glasses.
Most are yard sale material, but some might be fairly valuable. The two at the top and one at bottom left are all “Porsche Design” sunglasses by Carrera. They can go for big bucks, like this pair (most similar to the bottom left) that sold for over 350$ (despite some pretty poor quality photos). That seems to be the upper end of their value, but I wouldn’t be surprised to make 600$ or more from the trio. The sunglasses at the bottom right are by Metzler, and a similar pair recently sold for 50$.
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I also saved a big heavy vintage chrome shower head (a Spearman Anystream) …
two license plates from 1976 (the year of the Montreal Olympics) …
and a giant Bols gin bottle. This measured around two feet tall! A friend of a friend saw this bottle and fell in love with it and bought it off me for 20$. I’m always happy when I make a quick sale.
Tuesday night brought me to Mount Royal. I came across this large pile while driving down a road I cover less regularly than most. It looked to be moving-related trash.
A few binders were sitting on top of the pile.
They were full of 90s sports cards …
many of which featured local legends. They’re not worth much, but they’re a fun thing to have at yard sales.
I also saved a globe (which is written out in Hebrew) …
and a few different potted plants. Most were healthy enough, but the majority desperately need larger pots. We’ve been wanting more plants at home for a while, and these fit the bill just fine!
This spot produced some of the most notable finds of the week.
I saw a machine of some kind in a box at the top of the pile. I didn’t really look at it much, but I put it in the car because it was super heavy and I figured it might be valuable.
It ended up being an espresso maker. A solid one at that! It works totally fine, and doesn’t seem like it was used much at all. It’s an Angeli Mini-Pro, which is apparently a re-branded Brasilia Lady. From what I can tell this machine costs at least 200$, and often goes for more. Everyone at my house loves a good cup of coffee, so I think we’ll keep it around for our own use.
There was another espresso machine (a Saeco Magic) in the pile, but it’s missing the part that holds the coffee. I haven’t tested it yet either.
There was some art in the recycling bin, including a few nice watercolours by someone named Camille Nadeau …
a cute picture of a house (I can’t make out the name of the artist, though) …
and a print (titled “L’indiscret” – or “The Indiscreet” in English) likely made in the early half of the 20th century.
However, I’d say that this huge computer box held the most surprising finds.
Inside was a massive collection of old photographs, and a few other things. I think it’s the largest collection I’ve ever found in my trash picking career.
The recycling bin contained even more photos, including this (much smaller) box …
and a few different photo albums, including this one from the 1930s. It’s like someone tossed out their entire family history.
This is the kind of find that’s most difficult for me to process. First of all, where do I put this massive box? (I stuck it in a corner of the house, which should work for now). Most difficult though might be cherry picking the best things to show you. There’s just so much to choose from, and I can’t even say I’ve looked through it all yet.
I narrowed the collection down to nine things. In the large box were a few large sketch portraits.
I think these were most popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s. My grandma has two of a similar style featuring my great grandparents. One (of my great grandfather) was made anywhere between 1897 and 1902 while the other (of my great grandmother) is from 1927.
This one’s marked R. Riel, 1902. All of these are quite large, in the 2′ x 1.5′ range.
There was a very cute painting, signed V. Turcotte 1927 (which measures around 1.5′ by .75′) …
a large photo print of Expo 67 (around 1′ wide) …
a little box marked “première communion” (first communion) with four little figurines inside …
and an engraving titled “The Parrot”. I found a similar one listed on an auction site, with an expected sale price of 300-500$. This one has a few bends, but nothing anyone would notice if put in a nice round frame. I haven’t had time to do much more research on it, but it seems like it could be worth a bit of money. The engraving itself is a bit smaller than the other pieces, at around 8″ wide.
As for actual photographs, I narrowed it down to this collection of old cardboard-backed prints (there are many more, however) …
an old tin type (I think the only the third of this type that I’ve found) …
and this shot, which is my favourite of the ones I’ve seen thus far. I’d imagine it was shot in the 1910s or 1920s. The house is classic Montreal. The pose of the family is awesome, and the child playing in the background (on the left) is a nice touch.
However, my favourite part of the photo might be the cow!
On the back is written “Maison rue Henri Julien.” Henri Julien is a road (named after the Quebec artist and cartoonist who died in 1908) that begins in the Plateau and travels all the way up through Rosemont and Villeray before ending in Ahuntsic. It’s hard to imagine a cow being in any of these places, particularly in the Plateau, in this day and age.
My mom was in town for the weekend, and I figured that finding this house would be a cool mission. My mom, Sarah and I walked the length of Henri Julien – from Square St Louis in the Plateau to Rue Legendre in Ahunstic – and back again (7km each way), hoping to find the house and take a cool before and after photo.
Alas, it was not to be. We never did find the house. Maybe it was demolished, burned in a fire, or has been renovated beyond recognition. We saw houses that were very similar but nothing that totally matched. It’s a shame, as it would have been a terrific photo. Who knows, maybe we just plain missed it. Regardless, it’s an amazing shot, and one that I hope to scan (for a better quality image) and share.
I talked a bit with Sarah about what to do with all these photos. She thinks that they would ideally be scanned and put on genealogy websites, echoing what others have commented here. (One great thing about this collection of photos is that whoever originally collected them was very diligent about writing the names on the back!).
None of us really has the time to do that, so she proposed trying a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to pay someone else to do it. Even if we just raised a few hundred dollars that would be enough to upload a couple hundred photos. It’s a great idea, but who knows when I’ll have the time to work on something like that! Do you think it could work?
Last week’s garbage sales (April 13 – April 19)
1. Bols bottle: to a friend for 20$. Found in Hampstead.
2. Records: to friends for 8$. Found in NDG.
3. Avon sterling silver spoon ring: On Etsy for 35$. I’ve found two of these rings and sold them both. I forget where this one came from, though.
4. 1950s Shell key finder: On eBay for 22$. (Bottom left). Found late February in Verdun.
5. Vintage Martin Wells frames: On eBay for 60$. Found in NDG a little over a month ago.
Total: 145$, 15309.75$ since May 18 2014 and 5627.75$ since the new year began. This was my slowest week for sales in a while, but the week before more than made up for it.
I refunded the buyer of the perfume bottles 15$ (as discussed last week), which I’ve taken off the total. It wasn’t really my fault (she didn’t read the listing), but I’m not going to get into an argument and risk getting negative feedback for 15$. It’s a negligible amount in the grand scheme of things.
Email and links
If you have a question, see anything that you’re interesting in buying, or to just want to say hello feel free to email me at thingsifindinthegarbage@gmail.com. I also enjoy reading your comments! I frequently get behind on emails, so I apologize in advance if I take a few days or weeks to get back to you.
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My 114 eBay listings
My Etsy store
wonderful finds..
once more….PLEASE consider posting a link here to any names you find in connection with photos/letters. That surely would generate interest in purchasing them, and might be a tad less work / time intensive than scanning etc.. Please…
Maybe someday, but I don’t think it’s in my interest to post names to the blog in any quick fashion. It’s a touchy issue that invoked privacy concerns, but I think the touchiness decreases in time (say, in one year) when one might realize there were no negative consequences to someone looking at their trash. A lot of people worry about identity theft and all that, and might generally be worried if they somehow found their name on a blog.
It’s also not a great idea because it can make it easy for someone to find my “spots,” which I’d prefer to avoid at least until they inevitably dry up.
I’d work better for me if you emailed me your name, or names to look for and I could tell you at some point if any names I find correspond.
Before you sell these photos,scan them and put them online.Back-up is a great idea since you took so much trouble to save them.These are priceless.Super job from you.my man.
Are you at all worried that the “spiritual stuff” might be cursed?? I would be…
I don’t really believe in curses, and also didn’t get any bad vibes of any kind from these items.
That was one heck of a Monday and Tuesday for you! Such a lot of excellent stuff!
Re: your blog posts … is it the photo work or the writing that takes the most time? I love how you “flesh” out the finds with your writing, and love the quality pics that I can study. What a conundrum. I hope some readers can offer some useful ideas.
Arcane bibs and bobs, vinyl records, a Jaguar steering wheel, sunglasses, miscellaneous odds and ends, paintings and prints, and old photographs … golly, what’s not to get excited about! Those sketch portraits are wonderful.
Re: the houseplants … the schefflera and marble queen can be pruned right back. I don’t think any of them need larger pots. Tip them out and check the roots before potting up. If the roots don’t fill the pot, don’t repot, just change the soil.
I enjoyed the search for the maison on rue Henri Julien! I sure wish I’d got to your place to see some of these finds up close and personal.
Keep track of the address where these pics were found and the date you found them. The address will be associated with a name/family in the city property tax records, which will be useful for genealogy research down the road. Are there any names on the backs of the photos? (Sarah’s idea for a Kickstarter campaign sounds like a good way to start. It might raise enough to make a summer job for a student who would work in close association with you. You’d be the overseer, as t’were.)
The McCord Museum actively enriches its collections through donations of objects, photographs and documents, illustrating life in Montreal.
The Jewish Public Library also takes donations http://www.jewishpubliclibrary.org/modules/archives/edonations.html
http://www.jewishpubliclibrary.org/en/archives/jewish+montreal/?jdfwkey=wynii1
Taking photos takes a lot of time. Writing probably takes a bit more time. I’ve become very devoted to making sure my writing reads as well as possible. This week, I’m trying to take more photos outside, which should reduce the effort expended a bit.
Thanks for the info, and links!
Oh my, what a fantastic haul! I’ve been wondering though, do you ever worry about your cameras flash giving away what you are doing (either to the home owners or the local security?) I’m still pretty shy about getting out and picking, I try and be pretty discrete which is why I almost never have any curbside pictures. I’m always worried about confrontation with home owners.
I try to make sure no one’s watching before taking a photo. Unless someone’s looking out a window that exact moment, you’re good. I also sometimes take the photos using no flash, though this is harder (especially to get a clear shot) and I haven’t done it as much recently.
As usual, thanks for ALL the information and your time to make this happen!…Thumbs up always!
I think that bell has to be Tibetan, complete with the dorje in the box. Different pattern from mine, I hadn’t realized they’d not all be the same.
I don’t recognize any of the other bits, but that might be a hint for the things found with it.
And the license is from before the logo changed, I can’t remember if it changed right after the PQ were elected in late 1977, or if it took some time.
One thing about old data, people worry about “identity theft”. Family trees get vaguer the closer to now, when I found my family tree on the web, the work of some distant cousin, after my great grandparents dates were missing. So there seems to be a collective effort to be careful. So just randomly putting things on the web may not be the way to go, especially since it was found in the garbage. Finding a historical or genealogy society, or a museum, seems the best place for such finds. They are more familiar with what to do with such things, and while having to visit makes the work harder, it tends to keep it within the hands of those who want it for legit reasons.
Michael
Agreed about the need to be careful. I’m still considering what to do with the photos, but I doubt it’s in anyone’s interest for me to rush to put names out there.
I would consider donating the photos to a genealogical society in your area. The LDS are big on genealogy and have research centers in most of their churches. I don’t think its something you need to take the responsibility for, just put them in the hands of the right people and they will get them archived.
I pulled some stuff out of the trash this week, the best find was probably a Vera Bradley diaper bag which was in great condition. I also found a 100% aramid jacket and 3 flight suits made of the same fire resistant material. If it weren’t for this blog I would have not stopped at those trash piles. So thank you!
I’ll consider that. I’m glad I inspired you to pick some trash!
I know how long it takes to do a blog post and yours are exceptionally detailed, so no wonder you are spending 50-60 hours on picking including writing the blog. One thing you might consider is that by blogging you’re already doing your photos for eBay (in most instances I would think) so you’re multi-tasking!
I can’t tell on my iPhone if you’re allowing advertisements on your site. Many bloggers are making money doing that and would help pay for your time. I admit I know nothing about it but it might be worth looking into.
I certainly can’t advise that you cut anything out of your blog posts to reduce the time spent as I enjoy every aspect of your blog! And last but not least, blogging is a powerful form of self-expression which is a huge benefit to one’s psyche. So it’s all good!
Whatever you decide, it’s got to be more freeing than sitting at a desk in an office for 50-60 hours a week! Best of luck in your decision.
I don’t advertise on the blog – anything you see is put there by WordPress. I’ve considered paying the 50$/year to remove them, if only just for cosmetic purposes. I’d only do advertising if it was cosmetically attractive, and supported something I thought was cool.
This week I’m trying to take more photos outside. This saves me the time it takes to bring them upstairs and display them in a more “pristine” fashion. It should cut down the time somewhat. I also have a new storage space, which makes the organizational part of my life (ie: storing things in an orderly way, and not making my room a complete disaster) a lot easier! Hopefully that will help things a bit. I don’t mind working hard, but I’d like things to be a bit less chaotic.
The wooden box with the different sized crystals looks like D&D dice sets XD These are the same shape as all the multisided dice…
Great finds once again. If there isn’t much of a market for the photos, I think donating them to a local (Montreal) museum or genealogy society is a good option. I’m always so sad when I see those thrown away (and super happy that you saved them!).
Hey can I check out some of these new age doodads? We can work out maybe a price for a few little things? Have been buying stuff but would always prefer to support you above any other.
Sure, it might be easier if you come to by next yard sale, which I should announce shortly.
I guess it’s that time for old photos I’ve been researching the albums I found last week… great idea about the kickstarter… Love your finds…
If you decide to sell the globe will you let me know? I’m in the US so shipping might be prohibitive but I love it. Thank you for all the hard work you do here, you’re an inspiration!
It would probably cost around 20$ to ship, depending on where exactly you are. I’d also have to add a bit for myself. Unfortunately, these things would be a lot cheaper if you could pick it up locally! Regardless, fire me an email if you’re still interested. Otherwise, it’ll likely sell at a yard sale (probably this weekend).
I too was coming on to comment regarding the Tibetan Bell and Thunder Bolt. Either from Nepal or Tibet.
I LOVE your blog – please don’t quit it 🙂 It’s beautifully presented and very interesting.
Great finds as usual. Most those new age doodads are from various religions to ward off evil, bring good luck or inner peace. Some are just things that we westerners think mean something too…pyramid is Mexican, def a prayer wheel, Hind hand with eye, egyptian cartoush etc. lots of repro’d Victorian symbolism too. The ones with the geometric patterns are interesting…some society??? The pendant with the circles could be something interesting.
Regarding photos. Either sell them or hand them over to some society. If you feel the super need to get them back into circulation, I like Beach Thrifters suggestions.
As to time for blog…wish I knew. I enjoy your adventures, but there’s got to be a way to reduce the time.
Thanks for the help!
I love your blog and do not donate too much to charities ,except the occasional clothes to Salvation Army.I give my unwanted stuff to people via the Free section of Craigslist and Kijiji.Read this insightful article on the Salvation Army that I just finished perusing.I want to share this article with you and your readers.
Think Twice Before Giving Donations to the Salvation Army
By David J. Stewart
According to Forbes the Salvation Army’s top dog, Todd Bassett, took home $175,050 from the “CHARITABLE” organization’s donations for the fiscal year ending in 2004. $175,050? That’s ridiculous! I wonder how many Santa Claus buckets need to be filled to pay Mr. Bassett’s extravagant salary? I wouldn’t give a dime to the Salvation Army.
The top CEO at Red Cross pulled down a $651,957 salary in 2003! According to Forbes, United Way’s top executive made $629,950 in 2004! Still, the Salvation Army pays their CEO and his wife far more than what the average American survives on. No one working for a charity ought to get paid that kind of money. That’s just my humble opinion. They’re supposed to be helping the poor, not spoiling themselves with extravagant salaries. Just because other charities pay their CEO’s high salaries doesn’t justify them doing it. It’s ironic that out of all the careers a person can pursue, administrating a charity pays some of the biggest salaries. That’s messed up. Think about that. Why would an organization that’s dedicated to helping the poor paying their top leaders over $100,000 a year?
People are so naive and gullible nowadays. The Apostle’s didn’t go out on a spending-spree with the money given to them, buying steak dinners, purchasing fancy clothes and vacationing in Hawaii. No, they distributed the money to the THE NEEDY AND AFFLICTED… “And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man ACCORDING AS HE HAD NEED” (Acts 4:35). God deliver us from selfish and covetous pastors who want every penny you have in the bank.
Granted, the Salvation Army fairs better than many other so-called Charitable organizations, spending 90 cents of every dollar to help the needy; however, if they can afford to pay someone $175,050 a year salary, I have a serious problem with that. No one serving in a charitable organization should make that amount of extravagant pay.
I have a right to my opinion and I’m sick of “non-profit” organizations paying 6-digit salaries to their administrators. It just makes me sick how such organizations advertise that “every dime donated counts,” while hypocritically paying exorbitant salaries to their top officials. I would NEVER donate money (or tithe) to any organization or ministry where the top officials are paid 6-digit salaries.
Another example is Feed The Children based in Oklahoma. I did my homework and found that the head of the organization pays himself $125,000 a year. I wonder how much his wife gets paid? I realize that the organization takes in hundreds-of-millions of dollars and he could easily pay himself much more; however, he could also live just fine in Oklahoma on $50,000 a year (which would free up an extra $75,000 to feed the “starving” children they so much advertise TV!). Less than 3% of all Americans make anywhere near the $125,000 he makes.
So why should we financially support an organization which can pay someone that kind of money? Are there not children starving? They’re the one’s who continually tell us that every dollar matters; but then they hypocritically squander that money on themselves. How many meals and medical supplies could $75,000 buy? It makes me sick! I feel it is highly hypocritical for a man who makes $125,000 a year to expect working Americans (who are lucky enough to make $30,000 a year), to support his CHARITABLE organization. I feel it is highly hypocritical for Todd Bassett of the Salvation Army to expect working class Americans (who are struggling financially in a recession), to give donations to some bogus heathen Santa Claus, while Mr. Bassett is secure in his $175,050 a year job. Ninety-five percent of Americans DON’T make over $30,000 a year. 1.3 million Americans lost their homes in 2007. Sadly, another 1.9 million Americans lost their jobs in 2008. I say Mr. Bassett ought to have a serious pay cut of at least $125,000. That leaves Todd $50,000 a year to live on, which is far better than what most Americans are surviving on.
We see TV commercials featuring starving children, pulling on our heart strings, and we are told that one child can be properly cared for each day for pennies on a dollar. If the top management employee of Feed The Children and the Salvation Army can afford to pay exorbitant salaries of $125,000 and $175,000 a year, respectively, then they shouldn’t get our money. Why should struggling Americans give until it hurts, when those greedy buzzards live high-on-the-hog without sacrificing?
I did not write this article to be unkind, nor to attack anyone; I simply feel that charitable organizations ought to be extremely careful and diligent about how donations are spent. I’m sure the Salvation Army has plenty of excuses as to why they pay Mr. Bassett so much money. No doubt they’d say he’s an invaluable asset to their organization. Howbeit, I’m not going to give a dime to any charitable, non-profit, organization that compensates anyone with a 6-digit salary.
A False Gospel?
Furthermore, the Salvation Army teaches the damnable heresy of Lordship Salvation. If, as the Salvation Army teaches, a believer’s salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ,1 then salvation is conditional upon human effort and self-righteousness. It is a false gospel. Shame on the Salvation Army for teaching heresy. Sadly, their organization has become more army than salvation.
A believer’s salvation is unconditionally based upon the precious, literal, blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ (1st Peter 1:18,19; Hebrews 9:12). Once a lost sinner acknowledges their guilt of sin (Romans 3:19) and deserved punishment in hellfire (Romans 6:23; Revelation 21:8) and believes upon the Lord Jesus as the Christ to forgive their sins (Acts 10:43), they will be eternally saved (Romans 10:13).
The very notion that a believer can lose salvation if they fail to continue in obedient faith to Christ is self-righteous hypocrisy. The truth is that if salvation could be lost, we all would have lost it a long time ago. How dare anyone claim they are self-righteousness enough to please God, as to not lose their salvation. If salvation could be lost, we’d all lose it permanently. Listen buddy, your salvation and mine is based on HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, i.e., Jesus’ righteousness, and not our own worthless self-righteousness. Anyone who teaches that salvation can be lost is a liar and a self-righteous hypocrite, because NO ONE is self-righteous enough to keep their salvation. We are kept safe by God’s grace and mercy in spite of our sins. This is the gift of God, paid for by the sacrifice of His dear only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
Lest you think it is just a matter of semantics amongst different Christian groups, please consider that there is only ONE Gospel, not two or three. Salvation is receiving, not giving. Eternal life is the gift of God (Romans 6:23). One’s salvation is NOT dependent upon continued obedient faith in Christ. A person who claims they “used to be a Christian” is a liar. They may have once had the philosophy of Christianity, or the organization of some religion; but they were never born-again. The second birth is as irreversible as the physical birth.
There are all sorts of charitable organizations, most of which shine during the holidays as people all of a sudden feel compassion for the poor; but it’s all done in vain if the gospel of Jesus Christ is not preached to the lost. The Salvation Army has deteriorated over the past century, being more army than salvation these days. They teach a perverted Calvinistic view of the gospel (which requires a person to continue in good works and faith to remain saved). This is called the doctrine of the ‘perseverance of the Saints.’
This is very similar to the damnable heresy of Lordship Salvation (which requires a person to surrender all to Christ and to forsake their sinful bad habits to be saved).
Such false doctrines attempt to force a sinner to change in order to be saved; instead of allowing God to do the changing in a sinner’s heart who comes to Christ by faith to be forgiven and saved. In Calvinism’s ‘Perseverance of the Saints’ and in ‘Lordship Salvation,’ both false gospels place the BURDEN OF CHANGE UPON THE SINNER. However, in Biblical salvation, God saves the person who acknowledges their sinnership and believes on Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, to be forgiven and saved (John 20:31). The BURDEN RESTS UPON CHRIST, Who took our sins upon Himself at Calvary.
God the Father gave up His only begotten Son so that we wouldn’t have to give up anything to be saved. Eternal life is a free gift (Romans 5:15; 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9). And a good thing, for we have nothing to offer God; “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isaiah 64:6). Thank God the Father for the gift of salvation in Christ Jesus! Jesus is precious!
Ye Must Be Born Again! | You Need HIS Righteousness!
I don’t think 125k or 175k is that much money (that’s lower upper class here in Canada), The 600k+ figures might be a bit much though (the Prime Minister makes only 300k a year). Assuming they work hard for their organization, I think 125k or 175k is fair, especially considering the bloated salaries that CEOs of major private companies receive. Still, I agree that there’s a lot of greed in the world.
Do people ever see on your blog stuff they threw out and try to get it back?
That hasn’t happened yet! I figure the people throwing great stuff out aren’t the ones who regularly visit the blog
I love reading your blog and I moved to Montreal from Windsor,Ontario 5 years ago.I have rescued paintings and commodes from the trash for personal use here.I live near marche Jean Talon.I would want you to look into the trash bins /recycling bins of senior residences,senior apartment buildings,charities and churches.and report on this on a long-term basis.Some churches throw out a lot of stuff after holding community sales.Senior residences?
I haven’t had much luck at senior’s residences, but I’ll keep an eye out. Church sale / thrift store trash is good if you’re looking for household stuff (mugs, plates, and etc) but it’s not really what I’m out there hoping to find. The best stuff is presumably already sorted out, so the upside isn’t very high.
Your blog is really fascinating and one I always look forward to!
Could identify a few things for you-
The bell is definitely Tibetan.
The bottom left image (in your third-from- top photograph) is that of the Balaji (Vishnu) idol at the temple of Balaji at Tirupati, India. The writing is in Tamil language. This is the only Indian artefact in the whole collection as far as I could judge
Just to the right of that is the image of Horus, the hawk-headed god of the Egyptian pantheon. Many other things also appear Egyptian-ish.
My guess is that the erst-while owner of these was deeply into esoteric studies; perhaps the present owner was not and threw the whole lot out.
The photographs are classic and really did not deserve to be thrown out unceremoniously!
Wish you the best!
Thanks for the info!
So happy to hear things are going so well with picking and sales! I’m envious that you’re able to do it full-time! My home business picked up (daycare) which is great but very little time to explore for new stuff or unload the stuff I’ve accumulated for extra cash. I’m getting a bit stir crazy about not being to find new stuff as it’s so addictive.
People tell me all the time I need to do a garage sale to declutter but as a shy person I find it hard to get motivated to do that. You mentioned before you have a bit of social anxiety so wondering how you got past that to do your yard sales?
I find it helps to have a friend or two around for most of the day, especially for set up and close. I might convince them to help me with offers of free stuff, beer, and an easy going afternoon.
Otherwise, I charge fair (perhaps low) prices to the customers. I don’t like having too much stuff (there’s always more stuff, as I like to say!), or having things sit around for too long. The low prices help move things out the door and also reduced the amount I have to barter, which is a side effect that is nice from an anxiety perspective.
Ah nice to have friends to do beer runs for you haha! I guess that helps with having an easygoing afternoon too.
Totally agree with you on the pricing to move stuff out. You’re right it’s just stuff after all. I go to yard sales to buy and often come across overpricing and refusing to haggle. It’s ridiculous but guess they don’t mind hauling all their stuff back inside bc it didn’t sell. Once overheard a seller justifying that since their item would fetch $100 on ebay, they won’t sell it for any less. So I’m thinking why not just put it on ebay…
On the flipside I see ridiculous buyers haggling down something that’s a $1 down to 25 cents lol. I’m sure you come across those types too, I just don’t know if I could handle that type of frustration!
Haha. I guess I think of it a different way. Selling something for 100$ on eBay means I have to take nice photos, list it on eBay, hope it sells (to someone who’s not an idiot), pack it, ship it, and pay fees (around 10%). At yard sales I offer a lower price based on the fact that they’re saving me time (maybe an hour, all told), effort / stress, and the fees. For a 100$ item, I’d ask a buyer at a yard sale to pay 75-80$ (though I rarely bring anything especially valuable to my sales). I make a quick sale, save myself a little work… everyone’s happy.
At some point you might just have to say no. I’m personally not that good at saying no, but I have so much stuff that I don’t mind letting a few things go for cheap. It’s a minority of people that are really intense hagglers.
The crystals in the box are dice for the dungeons and dragons game.
The crystals in the box are actually chakra balancing crystals used in healing. They are shaped to conform with ancient sacred geometry.