Thrifting!
Hello Friends! I hope everyone is well.
This post is about the love of thrifting. I have been thrifting for over 30 years now. I started going to thrift stores as a child with my mother because being raised in a large military family in the 80's you had to look for deals. My mother was on a very tight budget that my dad would give her and she usually figured it out. She knew that she would have to cloth 6 growing children on a budget, if it wasn't on sale at a regular dept store it was thrifted or picked up at a yard sale.
I remember my first ever real thrift store sale, it was right around Christmas. We lived on a military base and they had a local military thrift store within walking distance from our house on post. I remember the experience very well because it was snowing and my mother had fallen down in the snow.
We went into this thrift store and I saw all of these things that to me as a child were quite interesting. As a kid, you don't realize that those things were things people once used or didn't use and they just got rid of. I remember my mom telling me that we needed to look at baby clothes because I had been wanting some for my baby dolls. I thought it was the greatest thing ever. I got to actually buy my baby doll some real clothes with the change that I was given. I thought it was amazing that it came so cheap.
So ever since that day I have always looked for sales, deals, and enjoyed just thrifting for stuff that I liked. Growing up through middle school and high school there were people that literally thought I was rich (or a freak) depending on what I wore to school that we had found at thrift stores. I hardly ever wore my clothes the same way twice. I always had the opportunity to change it up and make it different, or I would switch them out with other family members or friends. That constant array of clothes made it look like a I had a huge wardrobe to choose from.
To this day, I thrift weekly because you never know what you can find. I have 7 children at home, most of them boys, and I can usually buy good quality clothing at a thrift store and hand them down as the younger ones grow. I do buy name brand clothing for my children at the thrift store, you just got to dig and look. I usually spend like $20 - $30 a week on thrifting and I usually come home with 3 bags of clothing for my 7 children, myself, and my husband if I find anything.
In those 3 bags of clothing the retail value is close to $1,000 because they are name brand clothing, and they last a long time.
On a thrifting haul a few months ago I found a Vintage Burberry sweater for my husband for $4.99 and the retail price for it was $550! It was an amazing find. On a recent haul I found a Lily Pulitzer Cardigan that I paid $2.50. The original price? $95! Thrifting may sound like you are "cheap" but if you can find items that are really expensive for pennies why not? You can even make a little bit of money "flipping" some those items you find.
I love thrifting. I love the hunt of those things that are original or that no one else has. If you don't thrift then I highly recommend you give it a shot. You might just enjoy it as much as I do. You can also save even more money at thrift stores, some of them offer reward programs and even coupons if you donate your own stuff before shopping. In the area where I live, there are thrift/consignment stores that offer credits towards your next purchase. Some children consignment stores also offer money for your clothes or toys that you would like to sell. If this sounds good to you, I recommend searching your local areas for these stores and even call your local thrift store to see if they offer anything in return. This helps you save even more money for your family.
Just be sure to wash your thrifting haul clothing before wearing them. I like to use the Lysol Laundry Disinfectant. You can usually find it in your laundry aisle for around $6. I also recommend that you spray or wipe down any toys you buy with a disinfectant or a disinfectant wipe before the kids play with them. Now go find those bargains.
Happy Thrifting!!!
As always my friends,
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