Top 5 Reasons to Thrift

Thrifting has been a huge part of my life since I was a little kid. When I was younger, I’d go with my mom (still do!) and search for hidden gems that we couldn’t find anywhere else. This instilled a great love of thrift shopping. There are so many benefits too that go beyond nostalgia, and that’s what I want to share with you today. I hope this inspires you to check out your local thrift stores (or online). I just know that you will be impressed with what you’re able to find. Let’s get into my Top 5 Reasons to Thrift.

Price

Absolutely the number one reason for thrifting is price. This may be obvious to those of you that have gone before, but I think it’s worth reiterating. Thrift stores sell things for cheaper prices than a chain or retail store. This makes sense because often the items are used. Other times, you can even find brand new things for much less than what you’d pay in the store. For example, I had been eyeing these boots at DSW since Fall of 2018. I saw them when they came out and thought they were some of the coolest boots I’d seen in a while. They were right around $100. This for me, is a bit crazy. $100 down the drain in an instant for a pair of boots which, let’s face it, probably won’t be worn as often as my trusty Birkenstocks or Doc Martens. They’d become a fun novelty item worn once in a while for fun. I knew I couldn’t spend that kind of moolah so I left them in my online shopping cart. Fast forward to April 2019. I’m at Goodwill and lo’ and behold what do I see staring back at me from the shoe racks? The boots! Even more miraculous, they are in my size! I thank the thrifting gods and look at the soles for the price tag. They look brand spankin’ new, and get this, they are only $18. What, what? Of course I bought them, and I’m wearing them as we speak. This is just one amazing example of the money you can save thrifting. There are so many more that I could probably fill a blog post, but I digress. Let this be a tiny little sample, and get out and see what you can find!

Sustainability

Sustainability has been a thrift focus for me this year due to my New Year’s Resolution of buying nothing new. Need a new can opener? Found a Kitchenaid one at the thrift store. Need gym clothes? I found three separate outfits in one day. Been looking for a cool lamp for that corner in the living room? Found it secondhand for $15. The meaning of this to me is, instead of buying mass produced items brand new, I’m re-purposing items that will more than likely end up in a landfill. (The above examples are all true, by the way). Not only do I feel great about saving money, but I feel like I am saving perfectly good items from the garbage. Our culture of consumerism is hurting our planet. Not only are our dumps and landfills piling up, but the demand for new products is increasing pollutant emissions, exploiting human workers and encouraging companies to build new factories, make more plastic and in the end create more waste. Buying secondhand items eliminates the need for new products. I get that sometimes things need to be purchased new. Overall, though, most household, clothing and other items can be purchased secondhand. There are also several documentaries out there now that show the human exploitation being carried out by many of the popular fast fashion companies. These companies are creating clothing waste at alarming rates by taking advantage of people, and children, to make a quick buck. Do a quick Google search on Fast Fashion to learn more.

Personal Style

90% of the decor and fashion in my home and closet is thrifted. This means alot to me because that means that many of the items are personal and unique to me. I’m able to cultivate my own personal style by purchasing things that I like rather than what a magazine or website tells me is trendy. Chasing trends is expensive and never-ending. Buying things second hand is a great way to build your own personal style with unique pieces that can be changed out frequently if desired for far less money. You can find era specific pieces if you’re into a particular decade. Or search the shelves for trendier pieces too. You’d be surprised what people will toss out. A good tip for building personal style is to build a Thrift Board on Pinterest. Use the board to collect images of things you like or things that inspire your personal style. You can then use this board to search for things at the thrift store that match your look. Obviously things won’t always be spot on, but I find it to be a useful tool in helping me to focus on items that will mesh well with the other items I’ve already put together in my wardrobe or in my home.

Thrill of the Hunt

This reason is not true for all people, but is one of the huge reasons I love thrifting – the Thrill of the Hunt. I love digging through the shelves and racks to find that one little nugget of gold. The excitement of a good deal can be addicting, and luckily at the thrift store it’s easier to afford. You can find name brands, brand new items, luxury items, vintage and antique pieces. The thrill of finding that one thing you’ve been searching for is pretty great too (like the boot story!). Again, not everyone may share this enthusiasm. For some people, digging through piles of old stuff is overwhelming and frustrating. If you’re one of these people, be sure to check out the online options for secondhand such as shopgoodwill.com, Poshmark or Thredup. These online secondhand retailers offer an easier way to score a deal without having to mine through all the junk.

Support a Charity (or other people like you!)

I’m putting this reason last because, unfortunately, not all thrift stores are charities (ahem, Goodwill). However, there are several other thrift stores out there like ASPCA, Weave, and church thrift stores that donate their money to their causes. Goodwill does offer employment assistance and training, however their CEO does make millions per year so it’s not exactly non-profit. Another great way to support is to check out Poshmark or Thredup. These items are often being sold by people just like you and me. (I actually have a Poshmark closet – you can check it out here.) These people might be saving up for something special, using the extra money to subsidize their incomes, and some people even sell full time. Buying items from them helps real people to achieve goals and sometimes just live life, which is totally something I can get behind. Use my username @melizamcg on the Poshmark app to get $5 off your first purchase.

These are my Top 5 Reasons to Thrift. I hope they inspire you to check out secondhand shopping as well. It’s a great way to have some fun, save some money and overall change your life! Let me know what your favorite reasons for thrifting are in the comments below!

Until next time,

MelissaRose

ThredUp Online Thrift Store

Sustainability

As I said in my last post, I LOVE thrifting – “love” may not even be appropriate as I have recently become addicted to the idea (and action) of buying everything in my life secondhand at a fraction of the amount I’d normally spend. But there’s another shopping method that shares thrifting’s spot at the top of my love list – online shopping. All of the online services such as Amazon, Prime Now, E-Cart (Raley’s) and more make it so easy to order everything your heart desires without having to get dressed or leave your house (with E-Cart you do have to pick up your order, but you don’t actually have to go into the store). I use all of these pretty often to buy everything from body wash to bluetooth speakers – seriously, I ordered a bluetooth speaker on Prime Now this weekend and had it within two hours – SO COOL. Most recently though, I found that my two loves had been combined by someone who must be one of the smartest people on the planet – allow me to introduce you to ThredUp – the Largest Online Thrift Store – otherwise known as heaven. I had not heard of them until I watched this video by Youtube vlogger thataylaa, where she shows all the items she bought and did a try-on video. What-the-what!? You can get super cute, cheap clothes online without having to put on any clothes!? I said to myself with a squeal of joy – I HAD to try it. And try it I did, and I gotta say, I’m impressed. Keep reading to see what I got, how it showed up and to get yourself $10 off on your order.

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Top 5 Items to Thrift

Sustainability

Love thrifting? I know I do! But some people are still turned off by the idea of buying items that were once used by others. I get it – you imagine someone sweating all over a shirt – it’s wet, stinky and so not okay – you couldn’t possibly wear it after all that. BUT what if that shirt was an Anthropology blouse valued at $65, and you get swoop it up for a mere $4.99, throw it in the wash and have a new-to-you top – would you reconsider? Think about this, when you stay in a hotel room – and I would think most of us have – you are sleeping on sheets that hundreds, maybe even thousands (ick!), of other people have slept in. And sleep is not all that’s happening on these sheets, people – I’ll let your imagination do the wandering. However, these sheets are stripped from countless numbers of beds to be washed and reused by the next poor soul – and the cycle continues. Sorry – did I just ruin hotels for you? This strange example is how I convinced my husband to at least take a peek at the men’s clothes at our local Goodwill – and what do you know, he went home with a J. Crew t-shirt (so PROUD!), a summer tank and a very nice patterned button-up shirt for work, all for around $15 – #winning! (is that still a thing?). The same goes for dishes, utensils, rugs, blankets and pretty much everything else – I draw the line at intimates and bathing suits… just… no. Not only does a thrifty lifestyle save you a bunch of time and money (I say time because you can usually get all goods at one thrift store *cue angelic choir*), but you are also helping to lessen your footprint on our Mother Earth. So many items are manufactured and sold every day only to later be tossed aside or, in the best cases, donated to your local thrift stores. You are literally helping to save the Earth one thrift trip at a time – it doesn’t get better than that!

AND SO – for my first post, I am going to give you my top 5 items to purchase at a thrift store and why. For those of you that are also located in Sacramento, I’ll even include where I think some of the best thrift stores are for specific items AND throw in some note-worthy sale info. Keep reading to learn how you too can get the best for less, while also earning a grown-up sustainability badge that can make anyone feel better about buying more stuff.

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