They Call Me Thrift Junkie

This last week has been crazy. I decided a few weeks ago that i was going to attend ALA until i moved to Utah.  Well, after waking up late for first hour today I decided to dis-enroll myself. I'm sure I'll regret it tomorrow but it was worth getting an extra few hours of sleep. Long story short, I went to ALA for two days this year. Gnarly. 

I'll talk more about that and a few other things that happened this week in my next Rants and Rambles post (Saturday), so don't you worry. 

THIS post is all about why I thrift, where i thrift, and how i thrift.

Some people may turn their noses up at the idea of wearing some strangers t shirt or someone else's pair of shoes, which I totally understand. But, those kind of people are the people who have never really been thrifting. (and if you have been thrifting and still feel that way, that's a shame.) 

So Belle, what got you into wearing other people's clothes? 

Once upon a time, my dad decided he wanted to do something else with his his talents. As an artist, starting over means rounding up a whole new fan base, and a whole new line of customers. So when he decided to make the switch from doing mostly fantasy art to fine and religious artwork, he had to start over with a new fan base and new customers. This meant that money was tight for a while. As a preteen at the time, I was always wanting new clothes, which we didn't have the money for. But the first time I stepped into goodwill and discovered i could put together an outfit for the price of a shirt at a retail store, a whole new realm of creativity opened up to me. I found outfits at goodwill that were almost identical to what everyone else was wearing, except i was paying 15 dollars for a shirt, shoes, and pants instead of 60 or 70. 

Then, I decided i wanted to take advantage of all the unique clothes that can be found at second hand stores. I started to dress how I wanted to dress, not how everyone else dressed. And another door of creativity was opened. Now, not only was i saving myself a ton of money, I had clothes that no one else had. And it felt wonderful.

(Don't get me wrong, there are some hideous clothes at thrift stores. The fun part is looking through the racks of gross pieces to find ones that can be turned into something unique and wearable.) 

people gave me compliments like "only you could pull that off"  "I saw this shirt and it totally made me think of you!" and " you have such a unique taste."

For me, getting compliments and remarks like that was much more satisfying than hearing someone say "i have that same shirt! It looks good on you."

I'm not shaming anyone who shops at malls or chain stores, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I shop at them too, but there's one condition.

 I wont buy anything over 15 dollars. Anything. Just about every piece of clothing in my closet is either from a garage sale, clearance rack, thrift store, or a clothing exchange. 

 

It's weird, i know, but shopping like this has taught me how to get creative, learn to budget, and save myself loads of money. 

This outfit right here cost me 20 dollars total. 

tights: h and m clearance (2.50)

shoes: an outlet mall in utah (8.00)

dress: goodwill  (3.00)

thermal: pacsun clearance (4.00)

necklace: goodwill (2.50)

So what's the big secret to thrift shopping? 

You just have to look. That's all. Unlike just about every store in the mall, you can't just walk into a thrift store and see something you like, it rarely happens. You have to look through every rack, be brave enough to buy stuff that just needs some TLC and a sewing machine, and have an open mind.