Enjoying Consignment Shops & Outdoor Marketplaces Without Accumulating Clutter

With summer approaching, the warm weather is bringing everyone out into the sunshine. Homeowners are airing out their homes and setting up yard sales, storefronts are spilling onto the streets, and the flea market & festival seasons is beginning to gear up.

These are all fantastic opportunities for recently relocated travel nurses to get outside and into a social environment, to become acquainted with the area, and to meld with the local culture.

Unfortunately, most of these activities are consumer-centered, and if there’s one thing that a traveler does not need, it’s more things to carry with them. But with a little forethought, there are some great things you can pick up that will enhance your life without adding to your burden.

Great Finds For Travel Nurses In The Marketplace

Antique Post Cards

These little pieces of local history can be found in antique shops, consignment stores, and flea markets everywhere. While antique, they’re surprisingly inexpensive – as little as a dollar apiece – and cost much less than your typical Hallmark card. Antique post cards are fully mailable, often hand-painted, available in many different styles, and are always a hit with the people who receive them. It’s something a little extra-special to send along to someone you care about!

Usable & Edible Goods

Outdoor marketplaces are popular places to find fruit preserves, smoked meats, breads, homemade cheeses, garden-fresh vegetables and fruit, maple syrup, farm-fresh eggs, oils, herbs, spices, confectionery, and more.

Along with that, they’re havens for beautifully made candles as well as handmade soaps, potpourri, lotions, reed diffusers, and even shampoos.

Use what you buy often, and never purchase more than you need, and you’ll find that you’ve added nothing to your burden as you move to your next assignment. As you use them, they serve as pleasant reminders of a day spent in relaxing activity.

Unique Flower Pots

If you’re traveling alone, having a few plants in your home can provide feelings of freshness and life to your home, as well as a splash of color for added ambiance. However, most potted plants come in a small, confining pots that are sorely lacking in appeal.

With a little creativity, you can repurpose a quality secondhand item from a yard sale, flea market, or consignment store into something truly unique.

Use your imagination – this can be a lot of fun! Don’t have a way to take the plants with you? Give them away when you leave, or buy flowering plants that will pass in a few weeks, and donate your “flower pot” back to the store to sell again.

Examples:

Decorative Plates, Bowls, & Casserole Dishes

Yard sales and flea markets are great places to buy beautiful but inexpensive plates and kitchen items – they rarely cost more than a couple dollars apiece. These are wonderful when giving away cookies or other baked goods to coworkers or new acquaintances, and also when bringing food to a dinner party.

This is particularly true for secondhand plates. Yard sale plates, when in good condition, are nicer than paper plates but not as precious as pieces from your normal set of matching dinnerware. You can give them away freely, never having to worry about getting them back – and if they like the plate, tell them it’s theirs! Like the flower pots, when it’s time to leave, any that you have remaining can simply be brought to a local consignment store for resale.

A Fast, Easy Recipe…

Looking for a unique, crowd-pleasing recipe that’s easy to make? A plate of brickle never fails! You can find a great recipe for it here. Personally, I like to use graham crackers instead of Saltines, and I use parchment paper instead of aluminum foil (it’s hard to peel the foil off without leaving little pieces behind). My family craves this on the holidays!

Where Is Your Next Assignment?

At Onward Healthcare, our experts are standing by to position you in the best travel nursing jobs across the nation.  We’ll take care of all the details, so you can focus on nursing and maximizing your enjoyment of each new area where you work.  To get started with us on your next travel nursing assignment, apply online, or call us today at (800) 278-0332!

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