On thrifting~

Yes, I really am dedicating a post on how/why I started thrifting.

I cannot recall when I took up thrifting, but I knew that when I started, I still enjoyed buying clothes at full retail prices. I know it started around high school, because when you are a broke high schoolarian living off your parents salary, you cannot really go crazy with shopping.

Unless you are wealthy, in which I am not, I digress.

My enjoyment for thrifting became more active after I graduated from high school and got a job, license, and car. You can do amazing things with all of the above. At this point, buying clothes at full retail prices was 'whatever' to me. I still went to the mall every so often to purchase an article of clothing when needed, but never for 'fun'.

This year, 2012, is when I started my thrifting craze. I have no clue what triggered it even though I have known and enjoyed the concept of thrifting for many years now.

All I know is that thrift store prices are outrageous. My favorite thrift store, which is Thrift Town, has sales frequently, and I recently signed up to be a VIP, for future sales and discounts.

Going to this thrift store has been so religous to me, that I dedicate a percentage of my paycheck to investing in that store.

It might sound crazy, but thrifting has become one of my therapies after medical school, working with children, and being in a five year relationship.

The thing I love most about thrifting, is the way is shapes my style. When you shop at the mall, almost every store has the same style, material, and colored clothing. Each store competes to have the better, in season, fashions, at the best prices. In result of this, every store holds similar styles.

Thrift stores on the other hand, have varieties of clothing, catering to the interest of all ages, all in one store.

I go into a thrift store, and find myself picking things up that I normally would not. I also find that I take more risks when it comes to dressing up because buying such affordable items makes me want to experiment.

I would never go to Forever 21 and buy a blouse for $20 because I 'think' it might look good if styled right.

At the thrift store, I could blow $20 easy one several articles of clothing that I could experiment with.

Another big reason for me as to why I thrift, is the quality of clothing. Oftentimes, I find myself really liking something I find at the mall, and these things usually range from $15-$20 for ONE article of clothing. So, I give in, and purchase. So, there I go wearing this new item, thoroughly enjoying it until:

1. I Wash it: In which the material either:

• Tears.
• Shrinks.
• Stretches.
• Becomes linty.

2. I wear it for about a month, and the material starts to stretch, and proceeds to stay stretched even when washed and shrunk,

3. I find myself trying to be extra careful with the article of clothing because I invested a good amount of money on it and I plan on utilizing it for a handful of months.

Wearing thrifted clothing on the other hand, works wonders.

• 1. The purchased article of clothing is used, and has been utilized to its fullest potential. Meaning that the previous owner has washed, stretched/shrunk the article of clothing. So that means when I do the same, it will remain the way I liked it when I purchased it.
• 2. The article of clothing was about $1-$5, even if I stain, tear, stretch or shrink it, there is no loss to me.

Do not get me wrong, I am not a cheap person, nor am I saying that people who shop at thrift stores are cheap, but there is something about getting quality clothes for an extremely reasonable price that just makes more sense to me.

Years ago, I would easily blow $600 a month on full retail prices. Yes, I had the latest styles and I was commended for that. BUT, I looked like everyone else. Someone could literally point to something I was wearing and say, 'You got that at (enter store at the mall here).' But now, $50 a month brings home garbage bags of clothes. In addition to that, I wear something from the thrift store and people will point to it and ask 'Did you get that at American Apparel? Did you get that at Forever?' And I say, 'D, none of the above, I got it at the thrift store.'

One con I hear about thrifting is how long it takes. Sure you have to go through racks, and racks, and racks, but what I have to say is: it is a store that caters to all ages. If you are a teenager and want to find a blouse quick, go to Forever 21 where everything there is targeted at young adults. Going to a thrift store and expecting to find the latest styles quickly and without effort, it like taking a test and expecting to get an A when you have not studied at all. IT AIN'T GONA HAPPEN.

If you are a lazy shopper, do not go thrifting, it takes time and patience.  But to balance this out, you are getting steals, not deals!

Another con I hear about thrifting is how dirty the items are. The only thing I have to say about that is, washing machine. At least you know that the used clothes have been at someone elses house. What about the clothes you get at the mall? No one knows the conditions of the factories that the clothes were made in or the warehouses they are stored in.

So here we are ladies and gents, a paragraph after paragraph post on why I thrift.