Be Brave When Thrifting.

 If you are looking to find great deals, and hidden treasures there is one rule that holds true.

BE A BRAVE ADVENTURER.

I have lived in Orlando my whole life [aka YEARSSSSS]. I know Orlando like the back of my hand, and  I still often find myself driving around down streets I have never been, and revisiting other roads I just haven't touched in awhile. Sometimes, as I explore the city, I stumble upon hidden gems like this no air-conditioned thrift/resale store that is located out of an abandoned k-mart building.

If one thing has ever held the most true when it comes to thrifting and rummaging it is this:

THE SKETCHIER THE PLACE, THE BETTER THE FINDS.

It is just true. You are going to find better quality items, for an extreme bargain. Maybe they don't know what they really have, or maybe they just get so much stuff in they just want to get rid of it and are in a constant state of turn over. But their trash is your treasure! Reap the rewards!

You just have to be brave, but don't be dumb. Obviously, please don't put yourself in danger in any way. Always trust your gut and intuition when it comes to safety, but don't always limit yourself to the comfort of a Goodwill. Often times when I go to a new city,  of course the Goodwills will always pop up on my google maps, but the gems of all thrift stores are usually ones you have never heard of and that only locals know about. Ask around! Be friendly! Explore!

Emil F. Schulte

The other day I went to work, and my coworker was sitting outside, legs crossed, focused deep into these old hardback books, one in her hand, the other to her side. She immediately looked up at me excited to tell me all about what she had just discovered.

Earlier that morning, she went to an estate sale in Winter Park, and came across these old journals from World War II. She bought them for $1.00 a piece. ONE DOLLAR!

His name was Emil F. Schulte. These hand-written hardback journals were letters written to be sent back to his wife (we presume wife, though we are not sure) in whole book form. So she would get a whole book to read before the next arrived.

He begins each entry with "Dear Girl," and goes into much detail about his day, everything he feels and observes,  and how much he misses her and their kids.

Its amazing the treasures you can find buried away in a house, and that someone would sell for ONE DOLLAR! As I stood there with my coworkers, reading these journals aloud, we all felt so inspired to start writing our own journals, so that one day our kids can read them, or maybe even just three random young adults can stumble upon them to get inspired as well.

It reminds you to get back in touch with your thoughts, and not just think in status updates, and see things with Instagram eyes.