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Thrifting has pretty much been in my life since I was a child. I grew up with a thrifty mom who found innovative ways to raising five children, thrifting being one of them. She also taught me numerous other life skills that have stayed with me all my life. So let me take a second to say, “Thank You Mommy for all of the knowledge and wisdom you shared. What I intend with this blog is to pay it forward. I trust that anyone reading this can in some way find a tidbit or two that will assist them in making their lives a bit more productive and enjoyable.

It’s taken me some time to realize that I am a thriftaholic. I much prefer the thrill of the hunt in a second hand store than the more popular mall shopping experience. I InJOY finding the bargain rather than spending the big bucks at the high end retail stores. I have acquired a keener eye for quality in a garment. Not to mention the thrill of finding an otherwise really expensive addition to my wardrobe for less than five dollars. You can actually get a rush. I know some of you are thinking “get a life” but the benefits of thrifting can extend way beyond just buying “preowned” stuff. You become much more innovative and creative. You meet interesting people from all walks of life who share similar interests. You can become more thoughtful and giving because you often find items you can’t use personally but you know someone else who can. And of course there is the fact that thrifting helps reduce landfills and thereby helps the planet. http://ygraph.com/chart/2475 So being a thriftaholic beats other more physically or emotionally damaging vices.

Thrifting does require some forethought if you want to avoid the pitfalls like hoarding a bunch of useless junk. Knowing what you want before you go is extremely important. You can get carried away and I often do but I have learned to reel myself in before I leave the store. There are different types of thrift stores and depending the type determines how I shop. For instance, one store I shop in weighs the items rather than price them individually. That’s a huge advantage especially on half price days. I can leave the store with a huge bag of clothes for less than $20. On the other hand they make you work for it because it’s a lot like dumpster diving. Huge bins full of clothes for every type, style, gender, age or season. It’s time consuming but patience is another benefit you gain from thrifting.

Then there are the of course much neater more organized thrift stores where the sections and racks are color coordinated, in size order just like retail stores. The prices are a bit higher than your dumpster store but you can still leave with several good brand named items for less than $20. They also have half price days.

3 Good Rules for Thriftaholics
If you suspect you are a thriftaholic (you go thrifting more than a few time a month, you spend long hours when you shop, your wardrobe is more than 50% stocked with pre-owned clothing) the the following rules may be useful:

1. Avoid buying just for the sake of it. Be sure you buy what you can and will use.

2. “One out, one in” rule is extremely useful. You want to avoid having too many of the same thing. That can lead to hoarding. Purge your storage areas and buy only what fits in your personal space.

3. Consider gifting if you just have to shop without needing anything.

Give to family and friends or the homeless (warm coats, socks, shoes, during the cold season).

Expanding Your Creativity
You tend to think out of the box when you thrift a lot. Imitating popular fashion trends, restyling clothing, upcycling or upgrading your current wardrobe are just a few benefits to thrifting.

I found this jacket for less than $10 at one of my fav thrift stores. I decide to paint it, add some decorative beads and shells and voila! It surpassed my expectations. I love it. And get goo gobs of compliments whenever I wear it. This is more “restyled “ then upcycled since I did’t change the basic style of the jacket. The most valuable benefit gained here is the sense of accomplishment I felt when I was done. So in the long run my thriftaholism has been a fun and creative outlet for me. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a relatively harmless vice in which to indulge.

Haaay! BTW I’m Yvonne Onque your friendly thriftaholic. More confession on the way. Thanks for stopping by!

Other Sites We Like

http://jamarpartyplanners.blogspot.com/

http://stylehonestly.com/2014/11/5-key-benefits-thrift-store-shopping.html
http://refashionista.net/
http://www.trashtocouture.com/

Wednesday, December 12, 2014

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