6 reasons to thrift shop

ThriftingReselling

Feb 28

At one point, I had spent countless years dropping donations off at the thrift store without ever parking and walking inside. I figured it was all junky and broken, therefore, not worth my time. That is until my friend Cheryl encouraged me to give it a try. She was a thrifty shopper and had wonderful tales of things she had found at the thrift store for a less than the cost of a grande latte from Starbucks.

So inside I went. And I’ve been hooked on thrifty shopping ever since.

Some of my favorite thrifty shops are:

Secondhand stores (Goodwill, Salvation Army Family Store, etc)
Estate sales
Antique malls
Yard sales

Save Money

If you are on a budget, then go thrift shopping. You can save money on luxury brands, everyday brands, and general household items. Anytime we had a desire to purchase something “new” for our home, like a CrockPot, I always think about where I could one that is gently used at half the price.

Some people like to say that thrift shopping is perfect for the person with champagne taste on a beer budget.

Find Unique Items

The thrill of the hunt is one of the perks to thrifty shopping. You just never know what you will find for your home or your wardrobe. Anyone can order the new arrivals from Target, but not everyone will spend time sifting through racks of items from a thrift store with a keen eye for curating a unique outfit or decor piece for their living room.

You Can Take It Home With You That Day

With buzzwords like “supply chain problems”, I turn more and more to the stores that allow me to take my wares home that day. No waiting and no shipping delays. I know some people are waiting months for furniture and appliances, when you could spend a few days visiting local secondhand stores and find a gently used item for a fraction of the price if you bought it new AND you get to take it home with you that day. What a bonus!

Helps Fund Charitable Causes

Most secondhand stores fund charitable causes like Goodwill’s job placement program or Habitat ReStores funding the building of homes. It is rare that I run across a for-profit secondhand store as most are fundraisers for larger charitable causes.

Reduces Waste On The Planet

One stop into a Dillards Clearance Center or Nordstrom Rack and you will quickly realize the amount of clothes that are being produced month after month that goes stagnant in a large warehouse type store. The clothes and home goods that you buy secondhand offers little to no additional impact on our planet. The resources have already been spent for those items, and you are saving it from the landfill.

Make Money

This one isn’t talked about as much, but there are a ton of options to make money. For example, you buy a St. John skirt at the thrift store for $4.99 and resell it online for $50. Once you subtract out the fees of selling, you have turned a nice profit. Multiply this by 10 or even 20 items and you could have a serious side hustle flipping thrifty finds online.

Easier to Purge

I’ve found that it is MUCH easier for me to let go of an item that I spent $5 on and wore 10 times. Got my money’s worth and I enjoyed it for a season. Time to rotate and move on to another item that I like better. It is the ultimate recycling program. The fact that I didn’t spend a lot of money on an item keeps our house from being cluttered and overrun with stuff. Purge often and notice how much easier it is when the investment is low.