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What would you add? By the lovely Grace Farris.
P.S. The Friday glossary and simple pleasures.
May We Suggest…
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Treasure hunting! People always tell me I’m the Opshop Queen and I tell them it’s because you’ve gotta put in the search hours- but it’s just so much more fun than buying from a normal shop, I love the thrill of the chase. Haven’t bought anything new (except underwear) for maybe 5 years and I don’t miss it.
I always look at the cutlery in our local charity shop: I’m a keen cook, and love decent knives. Out thrifting with my sister and I saw a ‘paring knife’ with an interesting handle (always look at the handles, friends! Though tang? check that!). Closer look: Ooo, is that a bee thumbrest? Yep. I found a Laguiole for a dollar. https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/hand-tools/knives/77182-the-laguiole-knife?item=33K0615
I will add thrifting in the middle of the country, where there are fewer hipsters, is INCREDIBLE and should be your first stop on any trips to the midwest etc.
Our local thrift store has a “glass breaking therapy” wall where you can throw an old chipped plate and watch it explode- so satisfying!
Lovely!
I came home yesterday with a 21 inch x 36 inch thick rustic pine frame. I swore over a week ago if it was still there I wouldn’t buy it. The tunic from the two dollar rack helps sooth my disappointment that I didn’t resist buying the frame. :)
I also love the joy of DONATING to thrift stores 🥰 I tend to buy things a lot and never use them even though I swear I will, but that means I de-clutter multiple times a month, so my local thrift stores get bags and bags of completely brand new items – which means people out there are getting quite expensive items for a very small fraction of the price!
That makes me very happy because I used to have to get everything secondhand and I would be OVER THE MOON when I found something from a good brand or in good condition, so I like to think I’m doing the same for someone else ☺️
I love this. I would add, the hunt!
Military Spouses Clubs traditionally have Thrift Shops at bases/posts…lots of bargains from donated items plus proceeds go to support the military community with scholarships for children and spouses along with supporting other projects. (Thrift Shop at Tinker AFB in OKC opened in 1959!) I love being able to volunteer my time to a worthwhile cause…and be with my friends!
Thrifting/antiquing is one of my favourite hobbies, we call them “museums where you can touch stuff” in our family, since there’s always something interesting to look at, even if you don’t take it home. A few of my favourite finds include a very expensive cashmere sweater that I bought for $10, a beautiful antique teapot dating to1914, and a first edition copy of Julia Childs The Art of French Cooking vol II which I nabbed for $5 at a Value Village (some other shopper was pissed when he realized what I had in my hand, tried to get me to give it to him, but I won! haha I think Julia would have approved of my feisty attitude). I love how thrifted finds make someone’s style and home decor feel more like who they are at there core essence. Even if its a massed produced item, it feels more curated to that person taking it home, than if they had bought something similar in a Target. Plus, spend 2 hours in a thrift/antique store and you’ll soon realize there is just so much STUFF in the world, so it’s nice when you get to re-home something that’s already in existence rather than it going to a landfill.
I have been finding so much true joy in thrifting lately! After two babies and a pandemic (and a lot of other stuff that contributed to my chronic depression), I was not wearing clothes that made me feel good. I’m also in the weird place of being midsize (14ish) and 40, with personal style that leans funky (lots of color, big earrings) in a place (Colorado) that leans into gorpcore and neutral basics, so like where am I shopping?
One day while I was in a local thrift looking for Halloween costume bits, I started looking in the clothes, and I haven’t stopped. Getting rid of a lot of old stuff and slowly gathering new pieces that fit my current body, lifestyle and style interests has been so good for my mental health. Just this week while I was out having pizza with my family, a woman approached our table to tell me she loved my style, and it made me feel really seen!
Totally acknowledge the privilege of having the time etc to do this! And shout out to my SSRI for the renewed interest in investing in myself :)
So happy for you, Amanda! Your joy comes through in your comment. I love your last sentence so much-“ renewed interest in investing in myself.” 💕
I had never heard the term “gorpcore” until your comment. It’s a fun sounding word so I just had to look it up. For those who also didn’t know it’s the “wearing of functional, outdoor, recreational clothing, like hiking clothes, as everyday streetwear”. But the best discovery is that GORP stands for Gool Old Raisins and Peanuts. I love it!!
Saw myself here in the GORP reference… because I am of an age that was once a free range child running, barefoot, eating GORP. I am 16 years ahead of you, Amanda, but also a size 14 and still learning to invest in myself vs abandon myself because I’m not the way I think I should be. I also loved what you said about acknowledging the privilege to have the time to engage in the hunt. The same thought has occurred to me when I’ve been searching for the French press carafe or the perfect jeans or “just one more really good Stephen King novel“.
There’s also the “wtf, this is terrible, i love it” moment–I have experienced this mostly while browsing the t-shirts :)
I’m trying to find my sense of fashion again now that I’m finished having kids. My body and needs are completely different! Buying secondhand is letting me buy nicer pieces and experiment without breaking the bank. I’m shopping at thrift stores and also ThredUp. I’m currently wearing a chambray shirt and sweater that I picked up from Goodwill a few weeks ago. Score!
My two daughters are rabid thrifters. My older daughter thrifted a nice thermal shirt, and when she got tired of it, she gave it to me. It was a little big on me, and after looking at the tag, I realized that it was a men’s shirt. My younger son needed more long-sleeved shirts, so I gave it to him. Hand me up, hand me down… it’s like the sisterhood of the traveling pants.
This year I’ll only shop for clothing at consignment and thrift stores. The selection is SO much better anyways!
I thought I was downsizing and then ended up buying an even bigger house that is now furnished almost completely through thrifting. I found myself buying things for what I called “practice”. What size chair will really works there, is that the color I want? Then I either make it work or wait until I find the perfect one and donate the original one back. And along the way I have somehow ended up with a collection of rotary phones.
ohhh how timely. just got back from a morning thrift date with one of my dearest friends. we’ve been going to thrift stores as one of our favourite hangouts since we met when we were 17! over ten years ago.
honestly the winter blues have been a bit insurmountable this year…just holding the sadness of everything going on in the world as well as all of the chaos and struggle of literally trying to survive under such harsh economic conditions….it’s hard to get out of bed some days. sometimes a lil thrifting is exactly what the doctor ordered…..just browse all of these discarded items…..try not to think about how it’s all made of plastic…….come home with a questionable piece of wall art……joy. just so glad to live in a world with thrift stores!!!
As recently as yesterday, I was thrifting.
My most recent “find” was a pair of wooden cubes, very classic column design, with lids that lifted for storage. They were banged up white and my plan was to paint them black — they were also tall enough to use as impromptu seating, but my idea was to push them together and use as a coffee table. Imagine my surprise when I found a tiny Pottery Barn label on the bottom of one. A little research uncovered the original price of $260 each. I scored them for ten each and have been enjoying them ever since.
But my best find is my family room coffee table, a mid modern/ Scandinavian beauty that I scored at an auction for $40 over 20 years ago……now selling for $6,000 on 1st Dibs (the original label is still on the underside: “Sophisticate” by Tomlinson).
It’s all about the thrill of the hunt…..and it’s fun to find something that’s “valuable” but the only thing that really matters is if it’s special and useful to YOU. Happy hunting, everyone.
Oh, and one other thing — I wisely this advice years ago — if you are really really attracted to something, but not quite sure — BUY IT.
IF you change your mind, you will always figure out something else to do with it. Thrift it back, donate it, sell it, gift it, whatever. And of course most of this purchasing involves modest sums. But if you go back later IT WILL BE GONE.
This approach has served me very well in the fifteen or so years since it was suggested to me. Something to consider!
I have an adorable little lamp that I bought at a thrift store for $1.50 30 years ago. It was on my nightstand in one apartment, on an end table at another, and now sits on the dining room table in our house!
Thrifting is the best and there are so many thrifting apps, not to mention old-fashioned thrift stores, where I’ve found great pieces. CoJ, I’d love for you to cover thrifting-themed sites/tips/fashion influencers in the future!
Ooh, a rainy afternoon of thrifting (or junking, depending on the shop) is one of the best things ever. My treasures are vintage straw handbags, Haeger pottery planters, and Frankoma coffee mugs. I will empty out a bookcase packed floor-to-ceiling if I think I caught a glimpse of a Frankoma mug handle in the chaos. So much fun!
I just thrifted a gorgeous plate from Japan. I clearly need to go to Japan so my real life can match my thrift life.
I pretty much only buy 2nd hand things, and y’all, if you’re in the US, you need to test anything you intend to drink out of or eat on for lead. There weren’t any regulations about lead levels in our dishes and cups until 1973! It’s easy, you can get a lead testing kit on Amazon. They’re like little q-tips that you dip in some vinegar and rub on the thing. Then it turns a color and you’ll know. Happy hunting!
Great tip, Kara!
There still aren’t regulations on lead for adult dinnerware in the US. Only house paint and children’s products up to age 8. Seriously, test everything and/or go to LeadFreeMama to get the results of her testing.
I LOVE thrifting (and I have a 15-year old who I shuttle around to thrift shops with her friends). It makes me happy to find treasures! A few weeks ago, I found a Ralph Lauren “cowgirl” shirt for $3.75 … so cute. And I will never buy wineglasses anywhere else anymore. Happy thrifting!
@alexandra, we finally after a decade plus, broke the bulk of our wine glasses that were an engagement gift. I was hosting a party for a friend and realized I only had three wineglasses left. Thrift store to the rescue! It was great. I picked up some for $1 each and stocked up again. Felt so good! Felt better than running to Crate and Barrel. ;)
Some of my favorite clothes and objects in my house are thrifted. It adds character and gives a layered look when everything doesn’t come from the same store/time period. I’ve even taught my 10-year-old to thrift and she loves it. My new thrifting phase is old pottery and vintage kate spade bags. I must save them and give them a good home.
And yes, a thrifting date with your bestie is just the BEST!
I’ve never been to a thrift store (the end result of thrifting appeals but the process sounds overwhelming), but you had me at wineglasses! (Surveys mismatched odds and ends glasses.) Thanks for the tip . . . !
I am OBSESSED with thrifting and antiquing. It’s both fun and sustainable, a win-win!
So much gentler for my wallet to go a size up in jeans due to menopausal weight gain. And my teen daughter loves it too. She’s found sweaters, jeans, and mock Doc Marten boots (Target brand).
I have a thrift date with a friend this afternoon! More fun for meeting up for coffee or drinks AGAIN.
In re: The Little Mermaid, I admit that I might have slept with someone in college because he deadpanned “…and why does it, what’s the word, burn” in the middle of a conversation about something else.
I would too, before the sun sets on the 3rd day
RELATABLE
hahahahahaha
Amazing.
I will forever refer to those as “Little Mermaid Moments”
Me too!!
Thrifting scratches an itch deep within my inner-neanderthal hunter-gatherer brain!
I had to copy and paste your karma for future smiles.Thanks.
The men’s cashmere sweaters that I wear all winter!
I have a whole cabinet of thrifted cashmere, also I’ve outfitted in cashmere my husband, our best friends and their grown children. Over the course of many years. Grew up thrifting and still do it with my sibs.
Same, Suz!!
YES! reduce.reuse.recycle ♻️💚🌎
Oh man, me and thrifting! It’s become on e of my favorite things to do in my spare time.
In some ways, I’m looking for my past. My parents were very stylish mid century folks, so Dansk pieces, and Scandinavian glassware stand out to me in the midst of Target discards.
Last weekend I hauled home a giant clamshell. It’s more than a foot across. A little research tells me that it’s a Bear paw clamshell from the South Pacific
Crazy things end up being donated!
I love when I find items that enjoy a new home with me. It also makes it so much easier to pass on to someone else who might truly need something (work clothes, nearly new shoes that weren’t right for me, etc.) as well as those items that can find a new home too – wall art that’s passed on now watching over another family! 😄
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