Do you really need a reason to freshen up your wardrobe, save some cash, uncover unique treasures, and be earth-friendly? Well, if you truly require motivation to accomplish the aforementioned, then mark your calendars for August 17th and celebrate National Thrift Shop Day.
There’s a lot to be said for thrift stores and those of us who shop them. I find it remarkable when I meet someone who still has not discovered what makes thrift shopping a thrilling and special experience. Here are the reasons why I love it:
- Vintage, retro, and unique pieces – There are some things that I don’t mind having that everyone else has. But now and then, I have to be different and stand out from the crowd. For those moments when I crave individuality, shopping a thrift store gives me the chance to find something no one else has.
- Save, save, save – I love to save money, and if I can find a Diane von Furstenberg dress for $15 as opposed to $250, then I feel like I won the lottery!
- Reusing and recycling – I learned young the importance of reusing and recycling. Heck, we even reused margarine tubs for Tupperware and jelly jars as drinking glasses when I was a kid. I like knowing that when I recycle someone else’s unwanted items, I’m creating less waste and doing something good for Mother Earth. In fact, favorite thrift shop, Savers, is asking thrifters to unite and help to save 700 million gallons of water by simply replacing one new T-shirt purchase with a thrifted one. If Savers gets 1 million people to choose a thrifted T-shirt in place of a new one, it’ll be the equivalent of saving over 1,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools full of water.
- Reimagining – It takes some real creativity to take a thing and turn it into something else. Now, I’m not the craftiest of people, but I certainly enjoy a challenge, along with the opportunity to think outside the box, and producing something bespoke just for me. Besides, being thrifty and using your imagination are good for the brain!
During my latest thrift shop excursion, I had four things on my mind: dressing up my patio set, finding a funky graphic tee to redesign my own way, Yacht Rock pieces, and locating cute but functional necessities to create a floor-level nook on my balcony. What’s cool about a large thrift shop like Savers is that I’m not limited to only shopping second-hand fashion or just furniture. While I love all thrift stores, even the specialty ones, I do enjoy the convenience of shopping one like Savers where I can find everything from books to home decor and clothes to shoes and handbags. It’s just like shopping a department store, but most everything is pre-owned.
I found everything I wanted at Savers and below are my before and after examples:
I love a good graphic tee, and the best ones are found in the little boys department, no lie. Luckily, save for my boobs, of course, I’m about the size of a 12-year-old boy (and have the sense of humor of a one, too!). This particular T-shirt cracked me up and seemed quite appropriate, given that I work in social media as a part of my day job and use it a lot for this blog and personal entertainment. Equipped with the book Generation T: 108 ways to transform a T-shirt, which I already owned, and a pair of shears, I redesigned my own graphic T-shirt that no one else will have. Again… no sewing involved!
After blogging about Yacht Rock fashion, it dawned on me that I don’t own a Hawaiian-printed shirt, like, at all. I had to rectify that, and what better place do so than at a thrift shop? This time the men’s department was my target to find such a piece, which I did so easily among the size smalls. What do you think? Am I ready to hang on a boat and listen to some Steely Dan, or what?
So, set aside August 17th for your thrift shop celebratory adventure. Incorporate thrifting into your regular routine and discover a whole new world of unique, inexpensive, and earth-friendly shopping. To shop a Savers near you, go to Savers.com.