2nd Hand Roses

A Thrifty Recovery

2ndhandroses — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:19:33 +0000

: Bargains this Way!

I get it.

Times are tough.

Despite somewhat diminutive signs of an economic recovery, many people find themselves either without jobs, in underpaying jobs, or in multiple jobs, all trying to keep afloat.

Yet clothes still need to be bought for growing kids.

Furniture does wear out.

So do shoes.

Plates break and so do glasses.

School assignments still often feature reading lists.

Proms sometimes need to be attended. And weddings.

All in addition to those pesky bills for light and heat that keep showing up in the mailbox, the car persistently seems to run on “E,”, and tummies still rumble for dinner.

What to do?

In these times, priorities must be established and budgets drafted (and adhered to!) so a modicum of normal life can be obtained while situations (hopefully) change.

One solution? You guessed it…

…Thrift stores.

As I mentioned in my post, “Rethinking Thrift,” venturing into a thrift store is no longer a journey into dangerous territory.

With a little time, patience, product knowledge, and willingness to get a bit dusty and perhaps have one’s comfort zone stretched, it is possible to save literally hundreds of dollars by shopping second hand.

For instance,

you …may actually find yourself rethinking your preconceived notions of all things secondhand. If you are brave enough to voluntarily enter one of these value-added venues, you may find yourself a convert. For within those walls lies a treasure trove just waiting to be uncovered.

Like what, you ask?

Like an HP Photosmart scanner/fax/printer combination I found for $4.99 at Goodwill. It lists anywhere from $50-350 online.

An old(er) but a good(er)?

I vacuum my floor with a Kenmore Progressive canister vacuum, complete with HEPA filter. I paid a whopping $9.99. It sold originally for about $600.00. I guess I could resell it on eBay for ten times that price (at least) but then I’d have to use a broom on my floors.

Dust Bunnies Beware!

I found a pair of Keen Newport shoes, in my size, for $3.99. Had I located those first, I would not have bought my other pair on Amazon for 80 bucks.

I'm Keen on my shoes!

Don’t get me started on books. Or cooking implements. The list goes on.

A tiny Waterford clock for which I paid 99 cents.

Or furniture.

More and more folks are getting in on this thrifting bandwagon. Check out this article on Huffington Post by author Brie Dyas, entitled, “Thrift Store Shopping: Find the Best Second Hand Furniture at Goodwill/Salvation Army.” In it, she states what I have been saying for years…

The fact is, we all would like to save money, especially when it comes to home items. Furniture, tableware and accessories can be staggeringly overpriced and/or shoddily constructed. Visiting a thrift store can yield genuinely high-quality items that have withstood the test of time for far, far less than you’d get retail, on ebay and especially on etsy.

Again, as I previously mentioned in my post “Rethinking Thrift,”

See, thrifting isn’t what you think. No longer remanded to the back recesses of shopping society, more and more folks these days are rethinking preconceived notions of second-hand and discovering thousands of bargains at their local thrift stores.

Happy shopping! Let the Recovery begin.

“I believe that thrift is essential to well-ordered living.” –John D. Rockefeller

Copyright © 2012 2nd Hand Roses. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact legal@2ndhandroses.com so we can take legal action immediately.
Plugin by Taragana

Out With the Old, in With the New

2ndhandroses — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:13:17 +0000

: Time to Clean Up!

After the champagne has gone flat in our flutes, the noisemakers have silenced, and Ryan Seacrest has moved onto other TV venues, it’s time for the obligatory ritual carried out this time of year known collectively as…

…getting organized.

Now I know what you’re thinking. You’re muttering under your breath (I hear you!) something about what does a junktiquing queen know about getting rid of stuff when most of my time is spent on acquiring things? And I agree…it seems a bit paradoxical, but even the most die-hard of us packrats can at least once a year see the benefit of shedding the old in an effort to make room for the new, be that new decor or a new attitude.

Sounds nice, doesn’t it? So with those positive-organizing thoughts in mind, let’s consider five simple ways to declutter our lives at the beginning of this new year.

Looking sharp!

Look around your house, focusing on one area at a time. Perhaps spend one day going through your closet. Take out anything you’ve not worn in at least six months. Ignore that voice in your head that says, “but I am sure I’ll fit into it if I give up Rocky Road ice cream!” Instead, grab a large trashbag, toss those items in your wardrobe that have not seen the light of day since the last general election, and take the whole thing to a charity. You can carry on this purging all year; it does not have to be limited to the month of January. Resolve that for the next item of clothing you bring home, you’ll take out one item. That way, your look stays fresh and you don’t have to worry about reinforcing your closet hardware. Do the same thing for everyone else’s closet and I’ll bet you’ll be surprised how many items of clothing you’ll end up carting to Goodwill.
Before you stuff all those holiday decorations in their appropriately (and well-marketed this time of year) plastic tubs, take a hard look at them and toss anything that’s chipped, has missing parts, may be duplicated, or is simply silly to keep…such as strings of lights that don’t light anymore (usually they die just before it’s time to put them on the tree and then the replacements die in the bin over the summer). Take your holiday cards and rather than toss them, send them to the St. Jude’s Ranch for Children in Nevada (see my previous post). Do you really need 5000 strings of tinsel or will a mere thousand do? Holiday stuff tends to pile up and it’s always a garage-sale favorite, so if you end up tossing something you regret later, I’d be willing to bet that you’ll find an adequate stand-in sometime this summer.
Purge your paperwork! Aren’t we supposed to be a paperless society? Why is it, then, that around this time of year we’re bombarded with cleverly positioned filing materials and office supplies in our local mass-merchandisers, all with the goal of managing MORE paperwork? Think twice before printing out something from the internet. Do you REALLY need two copies of an obscure chicken recipe or can you scribble down the ingredients on a 3×5 card and put it in a nice recipe container on top of your stove? If you’re worried about important papers such as tax files, bank statements, receipts, I’d suggest you look at http://pueblo.gsa.gov. It’s a wonderful resource for such questions and should provide you with great guidelines.
Since you’re not likely hanging out a whole lot outside (if you live in a Midwestern climate like me at least) and you’re even one-tenth the bookworm I am, now would be a good time to go through your personal library and purge volumes that have not seen the light of day since Ronald Reagan was in his second term. Check out http://paperbackswap.com. Therein you may find a long-lost tome of days gone by and in turn, you can divest yourself of your tattered copy of Carrie. While you’re at it, take a duster to those shelves, open the windows (for a moment!) and get the dust of ages out of your libary.
Ditto for CDs, tapes (remember those?), VHS tapes, DVDs, and video games. Are you likely to watch another rerun of M*A*S*H? If not, take out a nice cardboard box, fill it up, and either put the whole kit-and-kaboodle on Freecycle or check out http://swaptree.com.

Let’s band together to get organized!

Now’s the time of year when we take inventory of ourselves and our surroundings; to purge ourselves of old habits and clear out the cobwebs of past years, to emerge anew and face this new, maybe tumultuous year, with a clean slate and an open mind, and maybe even a dust-free shelf or two.

Or we can simplify even more and take the advice of an anonymous someone even cleverer than me…

“My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.”

Christmas Thrift Store Style

2ndhandroses — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:58:45 +0000

Occupy my tree!

Before the last of the Halloween 90% discounted leftovers have even disappeared from their shelves, retailers are already hoping against hope that you’ll get even more motivated to return for their next huge sales. This time it’s gonna be a biggie.

It’s Christmas! So what if there’s no sign of snow and the mercury has not dropped below 50 degrees? At your local stores, chances are they’re hoping you’ll ignore the weather and focus instead on what’s most important this Festive Holiday Season.

Spending money!

It’s hard to resist. The wildly decorated windows chock-a-bloc with “must-have” items for this season lure us in. And once we step inside the stores, we’re toast. Why? Because if we have not turned up at 2:30 a.m. on Black Friday, standing shoulder-to-bundled shoulder with our equally crazed co-shoppers, we’re not likely to score the really good stuff for a great price. So instead, limp sales flyers in hand, we approach the overflowing shelves usually with a bit of reserve and our pocketbooks jealously hidden. We peer hopefully around our neighbors’ heads, silently cursing them to Christmas shopping hell, as they’re inconveniently blocking us from the one thing we even remotely hope we can afford this season. It might be a cuddly teddy bear, a set of glassware, or perhaps the erstwhile Snuggie. Whatever special item we seek, invariably our best-intentioned lists drop, forgotten, to the depth of our pockets and our souls despair at another holiday of trying to fulfill some lost commercial void.

Times are tough out there and unless you’re a trust-fund baby, you’re likely to find yourself in this situation at some point before now and the Big Day, with a too-lengthy wish list and a too-short stack of twenties.

So what can we do about this dilemma? Vow to give only to the kids this year and exchange cards or small boxes of candies with the grownups in our lives? Splurge on everybody on every conceivable thing they even remotely mentioned wanting, putting the whole shebang on our credit cards, and then hide from the mailman come January? Or are we going to boycott the whole thing and attend the latest incarnation of A Christmas Carol, identifying with old Mr. Scrooge or try to emulate the hapless Grinch?

There’s another solution.

The holidays are coming, and whether or not we’re ready to celebrate whatever particular aspect thereof, gifts will likely still need to be provided. So if you’re not planning on knocking over a bank (helping yourself to some of your taxpayer-provided bailout money), I’d suggest looking at another avenue for your gift-giving this year.

Thrift stores.

This practice (which I admit to quite happily doing myself) is no longer the stuff of hippies or folks down on their luck. It’s become hip and cool to cruise the aisles of your local thrift store for a holiday treasure.

According to author Mimi, on the website, Thrift Store Junkies, in her article entitled, “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,”

Because shopping for Christmas at your favorite thrift store will allow you, too, to find unique, vintage and recycled goods, while staying well within your shopping budget. So many people spend SO much money during the holidays and it’s all for naught. You can save a ton of money by selecting one-of-a-kind Christmas gifts at a thrift store near you.

Now I know what you’re thinking, “Like I’m going to give a musty-smelling sweater to Dear Aunt Gracie!” Not so fast, doubting Rudolph. With a little time, knowledge of product value, and a little ingenuity, a savvy thrift store shopper can score a plethora of truly unique and soon-to-be-treasured gifts.

Know somebody who collects vintage ornaments? For less than the price of a cup of coffee, you can most likely find a special trinket or two in the holiday aisles, sure to please even the most discriminating connoisseur. I’ve seen Shiny Brite™ ornaments scattered amidst the cracked candy canes and the one-eyed reindeer plush dolls. Any self-respecting ornament virtuoso will tell you that such a find is worth the time spent knee-deep in the thrift-shop dust of ages. These fabulous ornaments, first made by Max Eckhardt in 1937 were hugely popular and were sold by the thousands in stores like Kresge and F. W. Woolworth. According to the website, http://www.ornamentshop.com/history_story/part3.asp, it’s all about nostalgia with these particular pieces.

For those in the Baby Boomer generation, childhood memories of Christmas often revolve around the tree and its ornaments and other decorations as much as they do of a specific present (unless it was a pony – everyone wanted a pony; fortunately, few of us got one.)

Originally selling for around 10-20 cents, these colorful pieces of glass decorated many a home during the 1950s and 1960s, and now their popularity owing largely to nostalgia, has shot up the price to well into the $20 range for a set of 4 reproductions. If you want the originals, try eBay. One listing had a set for $150.

If ornaments aren’t on your list, a detailed perusal of the clothing racks may yield a surprise or two. Many times, retailers like Target will sell discontinued merchandise (think of the red clearance tags and the end caps in the stores) to Goodwill. Usually these items are perfectly new, with tags still attached. Again, for the price of an afternoon, the potential to save hundreds of dollars on truly valuable and quite appropriate gifts makes it all worthwhile.

Know somebody who gets all wistful at remembering their childhood Christmases and receiving that special toy? With a little time and some ingenuity, it’s highly possible that they could revisit that amazing day with all the kid-like excitement of finding their coveted diaper-wetting/speaking/walking dollie or action figure. A great resource for these toys is timewarptoys.com. I personally had the thrill of finding an almost-perfect Steve Austin (not the wrestler; come on old-timers, explain who the Six Million Dollar Man is to your kids) doll on the shelf of my local Goodwill. Peering through his head, out his bionic eye, I could almost look back 30-plus years, watching my brother’s face light up as he unwrapped this cool toy.

Other possibilities include vintage LPs for the vinyl purist on your list, books (some with the stickers still on the dust jackets), unique glassware, wreaths, baskets, funny mugs, and picture frames. And what book lover would say no to receiving a vintage copy of a childhood favorite? The list is virtually endless for those intrepid enough to venture into the land of secondhand.

And even typical non-thrift shoppers are getting in on this trend.

There’s even some fun to be had this time of year with your thrifty finds. According to author Will Higgins in his article “There’s Green in Those Ugly Christmas Sweaters,” on the Indianapolis Star website, parties have cropped up where…

Smirk-prone people, mostly in their 20s and 30s, try to outdo each other by showing up in something Andy Williams might have worn during his Claudine Longet period. Or Florence Henderson, when she was a Brady.

If you’re interested in coming to the party, the site is Uglychristmassweaterparty.com.

As you can see, Thrift Store Christmas is possible. So even if you have to be especially budget-conscience this holiday season, you can still hunt, shop and buy gifts your friends and family can proudly display in their homes, and even have some fun to boot. Now that is a great Christmas success story if I ever heard one.

After all, aren’t the holidays about spending time with those we cherish rather than shelling out wads of cash on something perhaps they’ll never use again? The true value of the holidays, I’d hazard a guess, is in the smiles of our loved ones as they gather with us on those special days, reminiscing about days gone by, laughing at old stories, and sharing a meal or two.

As Theodore Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss reminds us,

…”Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more.”

~ Dr. Seuss (1904-1991), American author of children’s books. From ‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas.’

Oh! Canada!

2ndhandroses — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 21:02:39 +0000

My latest literary appearance

Bragging rights.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: O Canada took my story, “When Do You Stop Being Canadian?”

Page 19.

’nuff said.

I don’t even know what street Canada is on.
–Al Capone

Scary Thrift Store Deals

2ndhandroses — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:28:12 +0000

Trick or Treat!

All Hallows Eve. Halloween. The Witching Hour.

Is it a night to scare little kids with horrifying decorations? An occasion to release one’s inhibitions and assume the identity of something perhaps on any other day would land us in the loony bin? A chance to collect masses of sugary treats, much to the delight of dentists nationwide? An opportunity to people watch as throngs of ghouls, goblins, cowboys, princesses, and the occasional political figure traipse from house to house on a quest to divest one’s neighbors of their cache of candy?

While any one of these definitions may prove applicable, there remains one truism to this special day when we can send forth our kids without compunction demanding handouts from friends, family, neighbors, and even perfect strangers.

It’s fun!

Now before you get all nervous about the underlying “dark side” to Halloween, I’d hazard a guess that most, if not all, of the kids you’ll see this year with their pillowcases in tow are not really considering any historical reference to this candy free-for-all. They’re more interested in the size of the haul at the end of the evening.

And the adults hosting parties replete with fog machines, spooky music, eerie decorations, and strobe lights illuminating their makeshift boneyards probably are not too concerned about the long-term psychological damage potentially wrought upon their guests.

It’s supposed to be fun.

For one night, folks all the way from infant-size bundled in their buggies to geezers telling creepy tales of Halloween days of yore, it’s okay to relax and perhaps release their inhibitions a bit.

And what better way than to dress up?

I mean, who doesn’t want to be a witch, scarecrow, wrestler, mummy, zombie, or diva for a night?

But I’d also guess that unless you work in the entertainment industry, your access to costumes is pretty limited. I don’t know of many folks who own their own feather boas or bones-through-the-head headband.

And since this dressing-up thing is remanded to one night, what sense does it make (unless you really want to be the Bride of Frankenstein for the next 20 plus years) to buy an expensive costume at a retailer?

Where to go?

Thrift stores.

Right now, places like Goodwill are chock-a-block with every imaginable combination of costume, probably at least one of which will allow you or your kids to channel their inner ghostie or rock star (or doctor, or zombie, or policeman, or army guy, or robot, etc.)

And you can probably put together a fabulous costume (and maybe a few for the next few years) for pennies on the dollar you’d spend at one of those magical Halloween stores that pop up in strip malls this time of year.

At my local Goodwill, for example, I watched as a teen modeled a slinky vampire dress complete with long black wig and even fake blood and glow-in-the-dark teeth, plus the obligatory cape all for under $20. Her giggling companion also was a vision in a sequined jumpsuit and plastic hair, gold-tone sunglasses, and a microphone from the dump bin. Instant Elvis.

So next time you are in the market for some groovy Halloween gear, look no further than your local thrift shop. You’ll be amazed at how quickly and inexpensively you can transform yourself for that most creepy of nights!

Happy Halloween!

From ghoulies and ghosties
And long-leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us!
~Scottish Saying

Photo courtesy Rainbowi at SXC.hu

In Memoriam

2ndhandroses — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 02:46:23 +0000

Remember remember

Peace on Earth

Instant Ancestors: Catherine

2ndhandroses — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 06:30:40 +0000

Pretty little girl

I met a new friend today.

At a thrift store.

In a plastic bag along with other fading photos of anonymous faces.

Crammed between a chipped coffee mug and a dented frying pan.

A bargain for $1.99 for the whole lot.

I picked it up, brought it home, and forgot about it.

Until the other day when my son tossed the bag onto my desk, asking me who these folks were.

Sometimes I wonder why I am attracted to these things, these societal castoffs.

What draws me to a dilapidated bag of old photos of people I don’t even know?

And why am I so compelled to bring them home and transform them into what’s known euphemistically around my Fair City’s antique stores as….

Instant ancestors.

See, this is the second time this has happened.

About a year or so ago, I visited a local antique mall and stumbled across a collection of vintage photographs. Not just one or two but an entire shoebox full of long-ago faces imprinted forever upon now-sepia paper. Above the box some clever vendor had a simple sign, “Instant Ancestors.”

It moved me enough to write a post about it.

Why would family discard such an intimate keepsake?

Why didn’t the portrait of this dear old relation garner enough love to stay within the family?

I mean, this was somebody’s mother, aunt, grandmother, uncle, father, son, grandpa, Nana, sister, or brother.

I find it hard to get my mind around the reason why I keep finding these vintage photos.

Like last time when I brought home a portrait of my new great-aunt Ivy, restoring her to the dignity of an elegant frame upon a shelf, evidently again I felt moved enough to bring this new bag of photographs home.

This time I not only speculated on who peered out from the now-sepia paper, conjuring an imaginary person to match the image.

I looked her up.

Her name was Catherine Agnes. She was born on August 3, 1916 in Pickneyville, IL.

They loved her enough to take a couple of Christmastime portraits of her in 1917. I have one of them here.

Catherine was well read

Catherine had a relation who was a military officer. Perhaps someone smarter than I will know what type of uniform he’s wearing. His name was James.

James, Catherine's relation

She married a doctor. They had no children of their own but she had some nieces and nephews.

Catherine was smart. She went to university and received a Master’s degree in teaching. She taught both little ones and college students.

Catherine loved animals and liked to help with anti-cruelty societies.

But she sure loved to fish!

Made the men jealous!

She loved to spend time with friends and family. She enjoyed reading and gardening.

And she loved antiquing.

She passed away in 2006 in Morton Grove.

Her photos made it from there to a Saver’s thrift store in Aurora, Illinois. Next to Old Navy.

Catherine may have been forgotten by some, but her memory hopefully lives on in this post and on my wall.

I may go visit her someday to officially make her acquaintance.

I feel I know her so well already.

Catherine was beautiful.

To find out about your ancestors, instant or otherwise, try the Family Search website, a huge database maintained and continually updated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

”Every man is a quotation from all his ancestors.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Back to School in Style 2011

2ndhandroses — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 02:24:45 +0000

It's that magical time!

Note: Back by popular demand, this is a reissue of a post from 2010 from my blog, with some updates.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Now those lyrics may normally be heard on the radio around Christmas but for millions of parents across the nation and around the world, these words convey an entirely different meaning… …school is back in session! And while their parents may be thrilled at the prospect of shipping off their kids for another fun-filled year, the students more than likely are not terribly enthused. The task of finding classrooms, memorizing locker combinations, and piling on hour of after hour of homework somehow overshadows the excitement at returning to the old classrooms. The only thing kids probably enjoy in preparation for the new school year is the annual ritual of school shopping. Now when I was a kid, it was mandatory to visit the ubiquitous Buster Brown shoe store to be outfitted with decent footgear for the first day of school. This part, for me, actually wasn’t too bad. I enjoyed all the fussing of the lady helping me try on my new lace-ups, and certainly secretly thrilled in the smell of the leather. Buying a pretty new dress also was something to look forward to as my mother and I visited our local department store. And so it was that on the first day back to school, I’d be resplendent in my red gingham dress, matching red socks, and spiffy new footwear shining in the sun.

Fast forward a few years and now as the mother of an emerging fashion-conscious teen boy, I find myself in the bittersweet position of rejoicing in his starting back at school and feeling the sting as I part with more money than I’d like to outfit him for his middle school experience.

As I mention in my book, Second Hand Roses: The Junktiquing Road, this whole buying-retail thing now, with my years of thrifting experience clouding my judgment on what constitutes a normal price for things, I take great umbrage to the thought of parting with more than $10 for a pair of jeans!

A visit to Sears a while back found me on more than one occasion laughing out loud at the prices displayed on the racks.

Avoiding the sidelong glances of the saleslady stacking T-shirts nearby, I muffled an indignant snort or two as I scoffed at the temerity of the store to price a simple hoodie at well over $50. Are they serious, I thought to myself, looking over the cheap plastic zipper, destined for breakage within a month or two. The thing looked no more substantial than an overgrown sweatshirt; the only seeming justification of such an outrageous price being the tiny label stitched in the neckline. Did they expect the wearer to turn the jacket inside-out, so as to impress anyone with sharp enough eyes to see the tag?

Nevertheless, my son has his heart set these days on certain brands and while I could afford that $50 hoodie, quite frankly it’s more often than not that I have returned from a thrifting run at my local Goodwill, bag full of clothes, (some of those very name brands he so covets), paying LESS than $50 for at least five outfits. And they’re outfits he can wear with pride, labels and all, and no one is the wiser as to how much actually got spent on them. He’s cool for one-quarter the price, at least!

This trend continues year after year now. My friend Nicole, of the incredible blog, Thrift Store Confidential, mentions this in her post, “Back to School,”

The back to school season is upon us, and I really feel for the millions of parents in this economy who are faced with buying a new wardrobe for their kids. Sure, you want your child to look good and to feel good about themselves, but very few people I know can afford $150 for a pair of designer jeans that will be outgrown in a year.

So until this economy turns around (hopefully soon!) why don’t you join some of your neighbors at your local thrift store? You may be amazed at what you find.

Happy shopping!

Love you, Dad

2ndhandroses — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 21:59:49 +0000

Remembering the good times

Dad,

How can you be gone?

It was just moments ago we were holding hands.

Just moments ago you held down the fort while Mum and I went thrift store shopping.

Just moments ago you and I “worked” in the garage.

Moments ago you bought my my first dolly.

Moments ago you were a Boy Scout like your grandson.

Moments ago you were a little boy yourself.

I miss those moments, and so much more.

How shall I go on?

What moments will crop up in my memory going forward?

I shall cherish all the moments I had with you.

I love you.

Forever.

Your devoted daughter,

Dawn

RIP Paul Lucavs

1932-2011

The Thrifty Lifestyle

2ndhandroses — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 23:32:44 +0000

Hats Galore!

I was visiting a neighbor’s garage sale the other day, perusing her widely strewn wares and getting caught up on the gossip of the day when I suddenly realized that I am truly immersed in the thrifty lifestyle.

What do I mean?

Well, for example, I can’t remember the last time I paid retail for a household item, be that a pan, a book, or a pair of jeans.

What's cooking?

I’ve made thrifting and secondhand a large part of my life these days.

Sometimes I am not sure what draws me to old castoffs.

Is it the simple ability to save a few dollars on something I need anyway?

Could it be my reluctance to participate in the big-box store mania for cheaply made junk in China?

Is it my pressing need to keep stuff out of landfills and recycle an item that would be otherwise discarded?

Could I be drawn to the workmanship of a hand-made, real-wood dresser over a particleboard-glued thing I have to assemble myself (and probably will curse the translated-from-Chinese instructions and the inevitable missing parts)?

Or am I curious as to the backstory of an object? Whose hands once held the crock in which I display my summer geraniums? What does that mysterious code mean on my son’s newest leatherbound notebook dating from 1946?

Maybe some, maybe all of these reasons.

I just know that for whatever reason secondhand things and their meanings, if you will, have compelled me not only to collect them but also write about them extensively.

Evidently I’m not the only one inspired by this thrifty lifestyle.

Goodwill Industries, one of my favorite haunts, has recently sponsored a project spearheaded by DC-based journalist and thrifter-sister, Jenna Isaacson, on her tour of the United States, travelling in a fuel-efficient RV plastered with the Goodwill logo, photographing various Goodwill stores across the country. It’s called All Thrifty States: A Visual Journey Through America’s Collective Closets. She’ll be on the road from June 18 (today) through August 8, gathering images and stories from the thrifty lifestyle right from the trenches.

I wish I had thought of that! Sounds like a great vacation!

I think each of us comes to thrifting with our unique perspectives on the subject.

Even if you’ve never actually walked through the doors of a thrift store, you have, most likely, participated.

Ever have garage sale leftovers?

Who DOESN’T make the Goodwill run in an effort to divest ourselves of the last of our yard sale fodder, rather than dumping it in the trash or on the curb?

And when you make that run, you’ve helped in many ways.

You’ve obviously cleared out your closets and home. You’ve kept stuff out of landfills. You may have provided a struggling family with a nice outfit for school next year.

And you definitely have helped get somebody a job; somebody with a barrier to employment that otherwise might never feel the pride in participating in our economy firsthand.

You’ve handed out hope.

So to my fellow thrifters, seasoned or not, I salute you.

Welcome to the thrifty lifestyle.

“I believe that thrift is essential to well-ordered living.” – John D. Rockefeller