Why You Should Be Thrifting

As we know, thrifting has recently grown in popularity and liking as a fun and cheap hobby, but beyond just this, thrifting is essential for a wide variety of reasons. For clarification purposes, thrifting is the act of shopping at a thrift store, garage sale, or flea market and you will typically find gently used items for discounted and affordable prices at such venues. By choosing to buy secondhand clothing rather than brand new, even occasionally, you are helping the planet and reducing waste. Shopping at thrift stores encourages the re-use of clothing and items that have already been created, thus decreasing the need for additional product production. In addition to this, and possibly one of my favorite parts about thrifting, every single clothing item is unique and in most cases, you can find some really cool pieces. At their core, thrift stores began to raise money to assist charities and those living in poverty, and not-for-profit groups instead of merchants operate them.

Over time, as the US population steadily increased, companies took it upon themselves to mass-produce clothing, resulting in society purchasing more clothes than they actually needed as a whole, which meant that they were throwing away the excess and unwanted items. Pawn and thrift shops soon emerged in the late 19th century and realistic opportunities were soon available to all persons!

One of my sister and I's favorite things to do together is go thrifting, specifically to the Goodwill Bins. The bins are exactly what they sound like...they are legitimate bins filled with clothing and different items, like toys, books, shoes, housewares-- you name it -- and they are priced by the pound at incredibly discounted costs. Outlet stores or bins are usually the last stop before items go into the salvage stream to be recycled, but I always find the best things at these thrift stores. As intense of a shopping experience as the bins are, they are always so much fun, the pieces I find are one of a kind, and the expenses are truly unbeatable.

Ok now don't get me wrong, most of these pictures are in no way aesthetic or all that cute, but here are just a few examples of some great pieces I have thrifted in the past!

Going in chronological order, in the first mirror selfie, the pink and white plaid button-down I am wearing I found at the GoodWill bins and I absolutely love this piece, it is perfect for summer and springtime. To read more about how to style a button-down specifically, read my blog titled "The Versatility Of A Good Button-Down Shirt": https://gracefriedlander3.wixsite.com/fashion/post/the-versatility-of-a-good-button-down-shirt ! In the second picture, my sweater is actually from a secondhand store called Avalon Exchange. This store is much like Plato's closet, they buy, sell, and trade clothes and have lots of cool vintage and designer pieces for reasonable prices, however, you will definitely find lower prices at GoodWill and actual thrift stores. The third picture was taken when I went on vacation to New York City last summer and almost everything in this picture is a pre-owned item. The vest I am wearing I got at a vintage store and it is from the 90s! Truly such a cool and fashionable item. Though it is slightly difficult to see, my black handbag is a vintage Coach bag that I actually found on Depop, which was super exciting. My aunt also gave me this bag in a tan color so I have both now! My black mini skirt, which I am wearing in several of the other pictures above as well, was my sister's old high school cheerleading skirt and I honestly do not think I wear a clothing item more than this. Truly my ride or die, no other athletic skirt I have tried has ever compared to it. In the fourth image, my sherpa jacket was thrifted from the GoodWill bins. For a Floridian like myself, I really hate spending money on winter jackets because it is cold for such a brief time during the year, so finding this jacket in the bins was an obvious purchase for me. The next time I went to the GoodWill bins I was just as lucky and found this same jacket in white and dark grey too! In the 5th picture, my maroon velour zipper jacket I found at GoodWill and my inner 2000s and Juicy Couture lover self could not resist. My baby tee with the adorable turtle I got from a thrift swap that the Thrift Club at my college put on. If you're into thrifting I highly suggest looking for these types of groups and communities to join, they are so fun! In the following picture, my light pink turtleneck sweater is from the GoodWill bins. When I bought this piece, I did not expect it to be so long, but it is one of my comfiest clothing items and I am perfectly fine with the sweater-dress look it gives. Moving down to the bottom row, this Old Navy fleece quarter-zip is one of many fleece jackets I have thrifted and just love. Candidly, every time I find clothes like this or an easy shirt I can wear to work, I always buy them. Much like these outerwear clothing pieces, the pink fleece v-neck sweatshirt in the middle picture of the bottom row was also thrifted and I wear this so so much. During the colder times of the year, this sweatshirt was great and such a cute color to bring into an outfit, and during the rest of the year, this sweatshirt is my favorite to wear to bed. Last but certainly not least, the final image I am pictured in is a thrifted lingerie dress. Although the lingerie section of the thrift is typically the last place that I will look, I have found quite a few dresses that could actually be worn and styled as legitimate pieces, like this one! So pretty and so flattering.

Do you like to go thrifting? For more posts and tips about thrifting and all things fashion, follow along!

Xoxo,

G.