Second hand but new for me…..

Thrift shops sometimes called consignment shops are a treasure trove of amazing things, at amazing prices…other fun places to shop are yard sales, and weekends in Spring through Fall, there could be any number taking place….my go to place(s) when I have to replace something.

Having been to all, an array of items, some still favorites, are scattered about my home. Pride takes over when a specific piece is mentioned by someone, and I can rattle off exactly where I got it, and sometimes the price…..it’s part of the story behind the item.

Decades ago, my mother shopped in the neighborhood second hand store, and so she wouldn’t waste a quarter on the item, she had that child (there were 7),  go to the store, with the quarter and specific instructions of where she had ‘hidden’ the item so we could try it on and see if we liked it. Dutifully we went to the store and, if it was something that was liked and it fit, we’d buy it. It was then put in a used (usually crinkled) bag. We left the store with the purchase along with the hope that no one we knew saw us, because they’d know we shopped at the second hand store. The item was washed, and we wore it…..though second hand, it was ‘new’ to us.

Today, however, to me it’s a badge of savvy shopping…. I take pride in bargain hunting, and the better the bargain, the better the story behind it.

If you’ve never been, make it a point to start checking them out.  Not only a fun ‘field trip’, but surer than not, you’ll come out with a bag…or two, and a few stories of your own.  Just don’t overbuy….only buy it if you need it.