I’ve been thrifting for a long time and it gives me a thrill every time. Thrifting has become my way of life ever since a teenager when I discovered my first Goodwill. But before then, I had no idea what thrifting was or if it had a name.
The idea came from my sister when I told her I got my first job at a grocery store and I needed a pair of black pants. Since I was a broke teenager back then, I told her I didn’t have the money to spend on a new pair of pants.
Then she suggested Goodwill. The initial sound of that idea made me cringe. Because I was not liking the idea of buying used clothes. Like eww, someone owned those clothes and it creeped me out.
But I had no choice.
So I went there with an open mind, and it changed my perspective on shopping. While looking at racks and racks and racks of clothes, the many options, styles, and silhouettes of pants excited me.
Before I knew it, I had over 10 pairs of black pants in my cart. And all of them were $10 or less. Annnnnddddd, I remember some of them being well-known name brands.
I left with two pairs of pants for the price of one that’s in my closet today.
After that experience, I shopped at secondhand thrift stores more often than regular retail stores. Although I still buy new clothes because I can appreciate fast fashion trends, I create my wardrobe of new and used clothes.
But there is something about thrifting that warms of soul. Below are the reasons why I love thrifting.
Find Something New to Love
There are a lot of hidden gems at thrift stores. If you are open minded, you will see many things to love including something from this season or a decade ago. Either way, you are shopping for something new to add to your closet, and that’s truly the best feeling.
So no matter what you see, know that you will find the most unique items in thrift stores that no one else will have in their closet. You think about it, they have already given it away so there you go. LOL!
Find Vintage Items
Another thing I love about thrifting is finding unique vintage items. These items have been in someone’s closet for decades, and under many situations, they have decided to part ways with them. And I love it because I appreciate vintage clothes.
Because by chance, no one else has this in their closet, no one else is wearing it anymore, and to me, that makes me unique and different.
My personal style is to stand out from everyone who is wearing common casual clothes like jeans and a solid color T-shirt. No offense if this is you, but I want to wear something that will make people stop, stare, and ask me where I got that from.
The other best part is them asking me, “What you know about that?”, especially since I look too young to be wearing something from the 70s or 80s, which is a perk of being a petite queen.
Upcycling
A year ago, I didn’t know what the phrase, “upcycling” meant until I learned more bout sustainable fashion. I was doing this waaayyyyy before I knew the term, and still do it today. And since I love a good DIY, I get a chance to upcycle and create something new out of the clothes I get from thrift stores.
It gives me a chance to make that item my own. For example, I’ll buy a pair of jeans from the thrift store, go home, and add embellishments on the pockets. Or I’ll buy a shirt that’s way too big, and sew it into a dress.
Things like this make me excited while thrifting because I get to practice creating different pieces without the risk of wasting money.
Save Money
And while we’re on the subject of money, thrifting is a great way to save money by buying gently used clothes. It’s funny because the price of a new retail shirt can cost $20 or more. But at the thrift store, that same shirt will cost $10 or less.
Fun fact: Did you know that not all clothes are used at thrift stores? Some organizations donate new clothes to secondhand stores to make room for new inventory at their retail stores.
So the chance if finding new clothes at secondhand stores are far greater than you think. I’ve purchased clothes that still had the original tags on them and to see the price difference is nuts.
- Retail price: $70
- Thrift store price: $9
Good For the Planet
Now I’ve never been one to advocate for saving the planet, but I’ve also never been one to seek its demise either. Before learning about slow fashion, I never knew how much it affected the planet.
Learning that many clothing items get thrown in the trash and into mountains and mountains of landfill trash is crazy. Most of the fabrics used to create most clothes take forever to disintegrate, which contributes to the landfills being toxic to the Earth.
So shopping at secondhand stores gives clothing items a second chance to be worn again. I know that many people hound us about recycling, but man, I had no idea how important donating gently used items was until now.
And I appreciate that. I never knew that my lifestyle aligned with sustainability until recently, and that’s why I wanted to focus more on it.
Thrifting is fun, exciting, and sustainable. It gives me a chance to use my creative fashion edge to make something new and unique.
And that is why I love it.
Leave a Reply