Why I thrift?

When I first started thrifting in my 20’s it was strictly to save money. I was a starving student, I didn’t have a lot of extra cash to spend on kitchen items, home décor and clothing. As time went on, I found a real appreciation and love of thrifting. It became therapeutic. Finding something for a fraction of the price, that was often better quality than I would find new, was very satisfying.

Now, I live with an environmental scientist, and we often discuss our carbon footprint. We rarely have a single thing that goes into our garbage for collection. We manage to recycle everything. This is what sparked the idea for a business that had the value of sustainability. Did you know that buying second hand clothes reduces your carbon footprint? It aids in water preservation. It reduces chemical pollution and decreases landfill waste.

Almost 2 years ago I had a daughter and at first, I purchased almost everything new. Clothing, toys, furniture, and I was blown away by how expensive children’s items are. 4 weeks after she was born, she grew out of everything and I realized, there was no way I was going to be able to afford to buy her new clothing every couple of months. I started thrifting everything, and I couldn’t believe what great condition most kids items are. They only use them for a very short period, especially in that first year.

Fast forward and my daughter is almost 2 and 90% of what she owns, is second hand. It has saved me a small fortune.

I hear arguments often that you can buy items from $4 at Walmart and then they are new, rather than buying something for $4 used. Here is my rebut to that. I have purchased things at Walmart and the quality is terrible. This is fast fashion. Its low quality and high quantity. I would much rather buy a piece of clothing that has a longer life span. Something I resell or give away and it is still in good used condition. When we extend the life of a garment, we SAVE. Save money and save the environment. Did you know that 10.5 million tonnes of clothing go into landfills in North America a year?