Because my personal style is so important to me, I have developed quite an, um, fondness for shopping. I love clothing, accessories, shoes, make-up and all you can do with them! I'm a pretty artistic person and because don't always have time to sit down with a paintbrush and canvas as my creative outlet, I have found that I can funnel some of that creative energy through the way I dress.
In order to keep my individuality and to be able to constantly satisfy that part of me that wants to be creative with my personal style and use it as a way to express myself, I have had to really stop and look at how I shop, and had to be very intentional about the way I do so. One of the biggest intentional choices I have made in the past year is to start doing as much shopping as possible at thrift stores. And as I have become a more avid thrift store shopper, it has become something in which I very strongly believe. I no longer do it just because I can find some good deals, or because there are really great unique pieces in thrift stores. There are SO many more reasons why it's important to me. And this post is going to be the first of many where I hope to start sharing this important part of my life with y'all.
But for today, I just wanted to show you why it TOTALLY pays to thrift. I don't know how many of you go to your local thrift stores or buy clothes from them. But I do know that I personally know a lot of people who have attached quite a stigma to shopping at a Goodwill or something similar. And I used to be the same way. Promise! There was a time when I only shopped at the mall and you would have had to have paid me money to get me to go in a thrift store. But after some time and after a good bit of heart change, I realized I was TOTALLY not above wearing someone else's clothes. And that I am no better than the people to whom I'm donating clothes. And I'm doing a lot of good for society and the environment by helping produce less waste when I buy re-used clothing. And I'm doing a lot of good for my family when I'm saving money on clothing. And when I spend less on clothes, I have that much more to put toward things that are more important.
But anway. Enough preaching. Here are some pictures of some stuff I wear that's either vintage or thrifted. Please excuse the quality - I took them with my iPod!
So here's an outfit I wear pretty regularly. This is a vintage 80's shirt from Goodwill for $3. And I've had at least three people ask me where I got it.
Can you guess what was thrifted here? If you guessed the dress, shoes and purse then you're right. I got them all from Goodwill together for $10 total. The dress is a Target brand, which I normally don't buy at thrift stores, but it was in perfect condition. This goes to show, though, that you can find a wide range of items.
Here is a vintage 80's sweater I got at Goodwill for $3.79. It's still in excellent condition and it is totally my style. Finds like these are why I thrift. Because I know I'm not going to find them anywhere else.
So if you've read this far, I am not at all trying to sound all braggy-braggy. I'm not trying to be, like, "Look at me! I buy used clothes and that makes me better than all y'all who don't!" I'm really just trying to share something with you guys that's important to me and help y'all understand WHY it's so important. And maybe, just maybe, if you've never tried it...you might get the guts to do it. Because, if nothing else, I think it's a ton of fun just to go try on some of the crazy clothes you might find and get some good pictures! And Nate and I like to go on the weekends together and see what kind of random things we can get into. Because you really never know what you'll see or find at a thrift store.
And if you're interested in more information, here some links you can check out:
The Tyranny of Trends (a great article on fashion, trends, and the impact on society)
Adored Austin (one of my favorite bloggers who is a serious thrifter)
my edit. (another of my favorite bloggers who is thrifting inspiration)
Thank y'all for reading! And please leave comments! I would love to hear what you have to say on the subject. And any questions you might have. I want to keep this topic going, maybe even start a "Thrifting Thursday" or something. Who knows? But only if I feel like it'll go somewhere! It's kind of a leap from the personal blogging that I've been doing, but it's something that's been on my mind for awhile now. So FEEDBACK PLEASE AND THANK YOU! :)
13 comments:
I absolutely agree with you. I don't thrift clothes very often, but almost every piece of decor in my apartment was either a garage sale or thrift store find! I've also found that if you go to good will or thrift stores in higher end areas tend to have awesome stuff! It's about going consistently though! :)
garage sales are another GREAT way to find things! not as much for clothes, but definitely for household items and for decor.
I love thrift stores! I get such a thrill out of finding a great item at a great price, and I even get a vicarious thrill from seeing other people's great purchases! I would definitely enjoy a thrifting feature on your blog. Thrifting allows me to be brand conscious in a way I never would be at full price--I have so many Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, and Gap clothes that I would never pay for at the mall. And yes, I enjoy the occasional Target brand item in great shape as well. :-)
that's so true, laura. thrifting allows you to get quality pieces when you might not otherwise be able to do so. or want to spend the money to do so!
thanks for the feedback! :) and thanks again for all the help with getting our shoeboxes together - it's been great!
I'm with Kate on this one. I can never seem to find any good clothes when I go to thrift stores. But almost all our furniture and household supplies are from thrift stores.
kathy - i think there are a TON of good clothes out there but sometimes you really have to look for them. some people just really don't have the time or patience for it. if it's something you want to try and do more of, i'm going to try and start posting some thrifting tips so definitely check back for those.
can't you find the greatest stuff for your house at thrift stores?
I'm a huge proponent of thrift-ing! You're right that it's great for the environment and besides that it's just fun and there are so many great deals out there. My mom always took me to thrift stores when I was growing up but I didn't really appreciate that until now!
As for garage sells? I got a really, really cute dress for a quarter on Saturday :)
hannah - a quarter? i am super impressed! the best i've done is a pair of j.crew shorts for $4 at an estate sale. i can never find anything in my size! of course, i thrift way more than i go to yard sales. that's more nate's department.
you've given me hope, though! :)
i agree with all of this! great post. some really awesome thrifty finds there too :)
i love hunting for things at estate sales and thrift stores. it's nice to know that you are re-using something old.
OK, so I'm a guy, but I love the Goodwill experience as well. Being a minister, I can't afford to spend lots of money on brand new stuff when I can dind sweet deals on gently used items. My wife and I have even spent date nights (after a nice dinner of course) browsing the clothing racks of our local Goodwill. Thanks for sharing!
bryan - my husband and i do the same thing. we spend many a saturday afternoon together shopping at goodwill instead of the mall. personally, i think it can be a lot more interesting!
glad to see this post appealed to the males too! :)
WOW Steph! This is so true! My mom is a Goodwill huntress (as I call her)....the things she finds at Goodwill are AMAZING! It sort of became her therapy to go everyday after work to our 3 local Goodwill stores and search for those killer items. She got it down to a science, she spent about 30 mins or less at each store each day and I could write a book telling you all the awesome stuff she found. I haven't had to go shopping for new clothes or shoes for about 2 years. Every time I need a new piece of clothing or shoes or something for the house or even if Vinnie needs something new, my mom always seems to have this knack for finding it in a few days at one of the locations. I am like you in as much that I don't like to wear what everyone else is wearing. I hate buy clothes from places where things are produced by the thousands and I know I am going to see this same shirt on someone at the grocery store.
My mom raised me to "thrift"....
She was a single parent my whole life and so of course, we didn't have much money but she wanted me to have cute and comfy clothes to wear, like every parent does. She would find higher end thrift stores that had seasonal sales and wait until they were doing their 50% off sales in preparation for closing until the next season's opening. The store is called "The Children's Exchange" and they have been open in Columbia for 25 years. They have changed locations about 5 times that I can remember, but the same ladies always run it. They have watched me grow up and one of the women even designed and created the flower arrangements, bouquets and boutonnieres for my wedding for free. I offered to pay her, but she refused saying she just wanted to be part of my wedding after being part of my life for so long.
Even now at Goodwill, my mom knows many of the employees by name and one night a few months ago when I stopped by the Goodwill because I saw her car their, she introduced me to some of the employees who passed by and they were all very excited to meet me and went on and on about how much they loved my mom. It was a touching experience. Not only can thrifting change our lives, but by thrifting, we can change someone else's life too.....in many, many ways.
Keep up the good work!
jess - i LOVED reading your story! would you be interesing in doing a guest post for me as the next part of my thrifting series? if you don't get this i'll fb message you too. i'll explain more about my thought process behind this and everything later. just wanted to ask really quick before i forgot!
Post a Comment