My husband and I were dirt poor when we got married. We furnished our apartment from castoffs we found on the curb or bought cheaply at garage sales. But our humble beginnings set us on a path of finding an activity that we can do together.
To this day, we still drive around town bright and early on Saturday mornings. Starting in the spring and continuing through fall, we hunt for treasures for our home, to give to others or to resell. Afterward, we stop for coffee or lunch at our local farmers market, and then go home and look through all of our finds.
Now, years later . .
It has become a game to see who can find the best deal. A bouncy castle for $5. A beautiful clock for $1. We have a lot of fun meeting people and laughing over the crazy things we find.
Some items jump-start memories from our past. “See this old couch? We had the exact one when I was a kid!” Or “Remember how our first baby loved this toy?” Just this week, my husband turned to me and said, “Look what I found for you!” It was a perfect lamp for the top of my piano, only $3.
My husband recently told our kids that our best date night is actually Saturday morning. Now that’s what I call a good activity we can do together!
Take the challenge
Check the newspaper or online classifieds for a list of garage sales in your neighborhood. Consider buying a surprise gift for your spouse as you peruse sales. Ask each other these questions while on the date or shortly thereafter:
- What was your best find of the day? How does that compare to what you treasure most in life?
- What was the silliest item you found today? And what is the silliest aspect of our relationship, which makes you smile?
- What was the best part about starting our day off with an early morning date? •
