5 Reasons Why I Love to Thrift

It's no secret that most bloggers are also frequent thrifters.  I, myself, have just recently discovered the joys of thrifting.  I never had the chance to hit the Good Wills and Salvation Armies of NC before departure to Australia but since my arrival, I have searched out the best Op Shops on the Coast and already made a list of my personal favorites.  Just in case you have yet to be converted to 'thriftianity' (don't you like my made up word?), maybe the following list will help change your mind.


1.  I love the thrill of the hunt.

I hope I find some cute and functional vintage containers like these.

The best thing about thrifting is that you never, ever know what you will find.  When I walk into a thrift store, I feel just like a kid on Christmas who walks downstairs to see a pile of unopened gifts under the tree.  Until you start digging, you will never know what treasures are in store.  Some days, you may walk away with nothing and other days you could leave with a whole bag of goodies.  Lucky for me, the thrift stores in Australia all have dressing rooms so that I always know for sure whether I will like an article of clothing before I buy it.


2.  I love that it's budget friendly.

This leather wallet from the '70s is pretty darn cute.  Plus it's relevant to this blurb about budgets.

Of course most of the things you will find in thrift stores are previously loved and you certainly can't expect everything to look brand new.  But I would much rather pay $4 for a dress that's been worn once or twice than $50 or more for a dress that I will only wear once or twice.  Also, if you are like me, and get tired of your clothes after just a couple of wears, it makes sense to shop at the Op Shops because it limits your wardrobe expenditure and you can just re-donate things when you are done with them.


3.  I love that it's environmentally friendly

This Sad Surreal Tree print set is so pretty.  And it has to do with the environment.  Because It's a tree.

The more popular thrifting becomes, the more often people will forego purchasing something brand new in favor of saving a few pennies at the local Op Shop.  Each time a second-hand item is purchased, it makes one less piece of garbage to be thrown into the garbage dumps.  It also discourages the endless manufacture of new garments.  Also, most thrift shops re-use shopping bags collected from other sources rather than purchasing their own.  This saves plastic from being used to create new bags and saves inks from being used to print them.  Don't take this to mean that I am against buying new things.  I love buying new things.  This is just my way of saying that thrifting is also a good thing.


4.  I love that it encourages creativity

This Creativity Necklace is one of the coolest things I have come across on Etsy in a long time.  The charms are ball and stick models of the three neurotransmitters that are critical to creativity.  I am geeking out big time over this necklace!

I, for one, am much more likely to buy something that is not exactly "my style" if it only costs 4 or 5 dollars.  When I'm in a thrift store and I come across something that is pretty or interesting or unique, I will think to myself, "how can I wear this?" or "what kinds of DIY's could I do with this?"  This is another one of my absolute favorite things about shopping at thrift stores.


5.  I love that it supports a good cause

This Breast Cancer Awareness Print is hilarious and supports a good cause.  You can get it printed on a short-sleeved or long-sleeved tee in your size.

Most thrift shops are run by charities who rely on their thrift shops to keep their organizations afloat.  One of my favorite local shops here on the Sunshine Coast is run by Bloomhill Cancer Help, an organization which offers support to people struggling with cancer.  By shopping at stores like this, you are helping to keep these organizations alive.


Hopefully I have been able to convince you that thrifting is AWESOME!!!  I hope you have fun on your next thrift adventure.


Love,


Amanda


P.S. I just threw in some pictures of items that are for sale on Etsy so this post didn't seem so naked and because I'm too shy to go around taking pictures while I'm shopping and I don't have a thrifting buddy to do it for me.  Click the included link to learn more about each item.  Also, stay tuned to see some of my own recent thrift finds... coming soon to a blog near you (a.k.a. this blog).