Why I Shop Second Hand

elizabeth o. vintage - why I shop second hand

I've always loved shopping second hand.  Even as a kid, I'd be riding my bike around the neighbourhood and stop at a garage sale to do some curious digging.  I remember one time, I biked all the way back home to get 25 cents just so I go back to buy a milk glass.  I really wish I still had it! 

All this leads to why I'm doing what I'm doing here in this little corner of the internet. One day I was walking through my local Value Village and decided to play a little game with myself, put everything I like in my buggy and then see what commonalities there are with all the items.  And what I found was a colour pallette and feel that was consistent across all the items in my heaping cart.  That's when I took the leap of faith.  I decided to get it all and go from there.

My reasons for shopping second hand comes down to 3 key points.

1. Saves you money.  It always feel good when the things we spend our money on are more affordable and within our spending budget.  There's no point in living outside our means (may have learned that the hard way in my early 20's, hello first credit card!).

2. Sustainability.  Creating less waste in this world is an ongoing thing.  Clothing can take up to 200 years to decompose depending on the fabrication, and shoes is even longer, up to 1,000 years.  So, why not buy shoes that already exist in this world and give them another chance to live a beautiful life.  

3. Community.  Supporting your community by purchasing from you local thrift shop helps create jobs for people, as well as give proceeds from your purchase go to various charities.  That feels so good!

So, go on and get out there! Shop second hand and your wallet, soul and the earth will thank you!


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