Let Thrift shopping thrive in 25!

MayDogsandCoffee

I am struggling to understand this thread, it says thrift but surely spending at charity shops / car boots etc on a regular basis (some daily) is not that thrifty, the costs add up. What is happening to all the stuff!!   Or is the idea to sell for profit and therefore bring cash in?  

Frith

MayDogsandCoffee said:

I am struggling to understand this thread, it says thrift but surely spending at charity shops / car boots etc on a regular basis (some daily) is not that thrifty, the costs add up. What is happening to all the stuff!!   Or is the idea to sell for profit and therefore bring cash in?  

If it wasn't for charity shops, people like me would have very few clothes and no paintings. 

weenancyinAmerica

Mainly it is to only buy as much as possible secondhand so you don't add to the pollution problems of the world. And you can enjoy something new in you life without it costing a fortune. I would love to be able to get to our thrift shops more often. I usually wait and go with my list - need more summer tops, trousers as I only have one pair for summer, yarn for my knitting class, and forks - which for some reason have disappeared around here. I keep a list of everything I think we will need this year and try to find as many as possible in the secondhand market.

goldfinches

I meant to tell everyone that I have bought a ticket for this clothes swap which is one of the events organised for London Textile Month, so if anyone else fancies a little day or midweek trip to London do join me there or indeed at some of the other events.

Floss

goldfinches said:

I meant to tell everyone that I have bought a ticket for this clothes swap which is one of the events organised for London Textile Month, so if anyone else fancies a little day or midweek trip to London do join me there or indeed at some of the other events.

That looks good fun - I will price up transport...

Floss

MayDogsandCoffee said:

I am struggling to understand this thread, it says thrift but surely spending at charity shops / car boots etc on a regular basis (some daily) is not that thrifty, the costs add up. What is happening to all the stuff!!   Or is the idea to sell for profit and therefore bring cash in?  

Some of us have "1 in, 1 out" policies, some have regular purges for re-donation or occasionally selling on Ebay or Vinted. Some have wardrobes for every occasion, some are quite concise & have a capsule wardrobe.

The idea behind the original thread several years ago was to share our bargains because the regular posters are inherently a bit curious. We are all in different circumstances and stages in life.

Finally, there is always a rhyme or play on words for the title - so this year's thread was named to suit.

Watty1

MayDogsandCoffee said:

I am struggling to understand this thread, it says thrift but surely spending at charity shops / car boots etc on a regular basis (some daily) is not that thrifty, the costs add up. What is happening to all the stuff!!   Or is the idea to sell for profit and therefore bring cash in?  

For me its fun. I donate stuff that I am decluttering and I always look around the village charity shop   I use candles on my dining table every evening, all my candles come from the Charity Shop in the village (between 10p and £1.50)    I really wanted a mirror for a spare room I decorated last year, I finally found one in the CS that looks fabulous on the wall (I think it was £7).   Now all the bedrooms have a mirror, all were under £7.   These are things I would have bought new so I saved a lot.

I redecorated my house last year, and I have found things I love in the CS, a fruit bowl, two pewter candlesticks and lamps.  All my lampshades were thrift finds.  I need another lamp for the sitting room. I won't buy new, one will eventually turn up in the CS  (the staff are fabulous, I was buying DVDs at 10p for a friend living in a shelter who was looking for a DVD player, told the CS and one of them said she had a DVD player at home no-one used and she was going to donate it so why didn't I take that- how thrifty and kind)

I have cushions in my garden (50p each)  I wouldn't have bought them new so yes, that was spending money but they are lovely and I store them in the barn. If something eats them over a winter I will not mind.   I have 4 beautiful crystal champagne glasses (£2.50 each).   Again not a need, but a love.  Would not have bought new (£50 a pair, but the ones I bought were new in their boxes).   My friends all have fizz glasses that I found in the CS and coffee presses and so on.  My cutlery came from the CS and was 10p an item.

I really wanted a table and chairs for the garden and found a very large oval table for £70 with chairs.   Again, huge saving.  My dining room chairs were £30 and came with a lovely old drop leaf table that is now a side table. I sleep in a bed I picked up off Market Place, it had been in a spare room and was unused (£25)

Yes, I am spending money and the costs add up but my house is one I love, it is looking great.   My ex partner took a lot of stuff, when he left.  I have furnished my house yet nothing has been bought new   If I had replaced stuff the ex took from new I would have spent substantially more and had a lot less fun shopping.

As for clothes   I'm really fussy about what I buy but have some fabulous items picked up for very little.

Nearly everyone here simply has fun finding stuff.   The more often you pop into a shop the more likely it is you will find something wonderful.   Before the ex left I went maybe once every 3 months, thought shop was dingy and tatty, now I go every time I pass, find fabulous items and love the staff and the shop.     

Sorry this has become an essay on why I love CS and why the title of this thread is perfect.

MayDogsandCoffee

I am not against charity shops, I have had some great bargains and things I love.  At the moment decanting two houses into one so most is going to charity shops (I can't be bothered with timewasters when trying to sell and sooner the charity got the money)  I suppose at the end of the day I don't shop much and tend to wear stuff until it is only fit for ragbag I suppose as I am not interested in shopping I struggle with the thought of trawling of them every day.  I suppose also, I don't like spending but then am fortunate that I have everything I need (well could always find an excuse for more dogs).

Brie

@MayDogsandCoffee
I get what you're saying.  I do wonder how some cope with all the things they buy - but it's the same with those who go out to a shopping mall a couple of times a week and bring home brand new stuff.  At least with the CS it is cheaper and recycling.  AND the 1 in, 1 out does balance the books so to speak.

For myself I'm nosey and like to see what people are doing all over the country, learn lots about what their personal obsessions are - Denby or scarves.  Or both!  For me - I always look at the scarves but am considering a 1 in/out policy given the fact I have too too many.  So now when I go into a CS I do look for what I know others here might like.  Not that I'd know a good bit of Denby from bad, but I do notice if places have overpriced used paperbacks.

Nelliegrace

I would say that good Denby is something that you will use and enjoy. I have plenty of spares, so if something vintage gets broken, it is not too upsetting, though I would like a replacement Homestead Brown teapot lid!