Thrifting

Repurpose, second hand, ecoconscience....maybe

Over the years we accumulate stuff. Alot of stuff. Stuff you thought you needed at that exact moment in time. In fact, you thought you couldn’t live without that particular item going forward. Then, one day, you look back over your life and ask yourself,” what in heaven’s name was I thinking?”

Was that purple blazer with the pink rose petal peplum really necessary? (I kid, I never got the one with the flounce, but I did have a purple blazer.)

Life is not only about gathering of memories. It is also about the gathering of things that we think are going to make our lives better. We, in the US after all, are a consumer economy. We are a nation with almost infinitesimal choices for everything from types of bread, to what kind of underwear to buy.

I have to tell you, it is daunting to try to figure out which item from what seller, is going to suit your needs. Honestly, most of it all looks the same. I seriously can’t tell the difference between one pair of yoga pants and the next. Well ok, some are made with a padded crotch, others look like they are slapped together, but you understand what I mean. And why do yoga pants cost hundred of dollars? What is that all about? Is LuluLemon truly stitched together with gold thread?

Meanwhile, we continue to buy stuff. All kinds of stuff. The latest iPhone, the latest tablet, upgrade every gadget in our homes (they actually now have fridges that talk to you and will actually add items to your grocery list on its own, because you know humans are too stupid and too lazy to do it themselves now) and doorbell cameras.

Yes, its cute to watch all the fun little videos on tiktok, or youtube, about the runaway dog that rings the bell to come back home, or the police bulletin about a porch pirate, or when the grandchild gets left as a present at the grandparent’s front door complete with diaper, bottle, and binky (the parents play ring and run, while hiding in the bushes). Listen, I had a video camera at my front door long before Amazon decided we all needed to videotape every aspect of our lives and upload it to their cloud. And no we don’t have a ring camera system, because one of my sons has decided that Amazon is evil incarnate and the ensuing argument is not worth the trouble.

(We did get one of those bird trail cameras and we prominently displayed it on our front lawn because some of the neighborhood kids decided it would be fun to vandalize other people’s yards. We know it was neighborhood children because we actually caught them on camera. But it was too grainy to actually be able to accuse anyone specifically. However, once the camera was more seeable, the “pranking” stopped in the entire neighborhood. Or maybe their parents found out and put a stop to it. No real way to know.)

Meanwhile, stuff. Lots and lots of stuff. I used to donate it to charity. We would take it to the local community center and then get a receipt for a tax deduction. Sometimes I actually would throw the used clothing in the United Way bin (you don’t get a receipt for that) simply because it was easier than trying to find a place that would take your used clothing. Just as an aside, most of the charities want new or almost new items.

Clothing drives in the school district during Christmas required the items to have the tags still attached, aka new or never worn. And yes I know people would probably try to give their stained, crappy clothes for a tax receipt, but I don’t think those in need really cared as long as the item fit (somewhat) and kept them cool in the summer and warm in the winter. How do I know this? Because I once threw out pairs of my sons underwear because they were stretched out and had some holes in them. I then saw one of the maids from the service I used at the time, fish them out of the garbage for her child. So yeah, people in need don’t really give a crap about the tags.

Meanwhile, because the charities do not take every item or things that you would like to get rid of, I found something called thrifting. This is a little different than reselling. I mentioned how I resold alot of my handbags HERE and yes I guess you could call it thrifting as well. But it wasn’t that I would throw them out if I couldn’t sell them, which is a little different than thrifting.

So I have become a thrifter. Actually it is quite alot of fun. You go through your closets and find clothes that you haven’t worn in a while, and send it out and someone else does the presentation and shipping for you. Yes, I know you can do this on your own at Ebay, but then it’s all on you to upload, package and ship. If this is your thing then glory be to you. There is just so much I can do myself, or at least how much I have the patience for.

And, yes, I know there are tons of people on facebook marketplace too. I have friends who have bought and sold furniture on facebook. The closest I got to that is when I put an old table and chair set out for the garbage and some couple came to my door and asked if they could have it. I then showed them the rest of the set which I hadn’t gotten to put outside yet, and they took that away, too. (And no I didn’t ask them for money. It was going to be take away as garbage. I hope they used it, or repurposed it, and sold it themselves.)

Vintage clothing and items, we call those antiques, are also all the rage as well. Used clothing is not used clothing if it is 50 years or older. It is historic. Just like furniture. And while vintage clothing can be reasonably priced, sometimes antiques will cost a pretty penny for old used items simply because an antique dealer (well the market place) has decided that something made by some furniture maven 200-300 years ago is so irreplaceable as to be worth a second mortgage on your home.

The truth of the matter is, that we used to look down on people who wore used clothing. You know Second Hand Rose, was not seen as the one to aspire to become. But in a world where consumerism is off the charts, and costs are just going up and up, sometimes it pays to pay attention to what you don’t need, and maybe get just a little bit of money back so you can buy something else, or put money towards some new ticket item that the family needs. Or if you really want to, take what you earn and buy yourself a new handbag for the season (Ok yes that is what I do and it’s my fun).

I have to warn you though. The amount you get back is a pittance to what it cost originally. I have gotten $9 for a $100 wallet, which of course is more than I would have gotten if I left it sitting in my dresser draw, and $5 for a pair of sweatpants that didn’t fit, as I waited too long and could no longer return them to the seller. But there is a latte in their somewhere, right? (Oh and by the way, I do not buy coffee out. I have my cups in the morning and that is it.) Of course, depending on the item you can recieve a bigger payout, but the amount you get back is not like winning the lottery.

I look at it like this. We can sell, thrift, donate, and give away items we no longer need. There are people out there in the world who could use what we have. On the other hand, sometimes a society can have just too much stuff. The question becomes what do you do with stuff when you no longer have a need for what you bought.

Please note though, some people in Africa though may have a problem with what we do with our junk. Sadly, Africa has become the dumping ground and it is poisoning the planet.