born again thrifter

True confession: I've never been much of a garage sale queen. In the past, the mere thought of a second-hand shopping spree would leave me cowering with the urge to scrub my hands and sanitize my clothes. Not that I've never visited my local thrift stores or scoured over Craigslist. It's just that consignment stores and clearance racks were not my forte. I found the chaos of unwanted, surplus, and used items to be completely overwhelming to say the least.

But that was then, and this is now. I am officially coming out of the closet and proclaiming myself to be a born again thrifter. Second-hand, reused, re-purposed, rediscovered, vintage, antique, you name it, I appreciate it. The past year has really changed my perspective on the value of stuff.

Exhibit A: Martha Stewart Crafts glitter + cards kit, clearance aisle

Some of this stems from Graham's entrance in the world. Kids gear is soo spendy! Once I found his nursery furniture on Craigslist, I was on fire. Yesterday I visited my first kiddy-consignment shop and left with a grin. I'm officially hooked. I found the most darling down jacket and snowpants that will fit him perfectly this winter! Bring on the Minnesota snowstorms, we will be set.

But the thrifting bug bit epecially hard when our budget shrank like my pre-Graham jeans. Leaving cosmopolitan San Francisco, its outrageously-inflated standard of living, and our dual full-time incomes and moving to rural Minnesota jobless has been a dramatic lifestyle change, to say the least. (Not jobless for long--more details soon!) Not to mention, we're house shopping, and all of our loose change is being stashed in the down payment fund. :)

Exhibit B: Antique immigrants' trunk spied at an estate sale $40

Plus, thrifting has become just plain chic. In a culture where it's hip to go green, in an economy where it's wise to pinch pennies, and a society where things sold at Wal-Mart and Ikea are designed to last maybe 5 years, it's a smart choice to reevaluate what is truly needful and make an effort to live a bit more simply. Packing up and moving sooo many boxes made me feel completely disgusting and materialistic. Pretty sure we could live without 80% of that stuff.

Exhibit C: Giant shoebox of rick rack, every size, every color. Thanks to this find at a g-sale, I'll never have to run to the craft store or pay full price ever again.:)

To me, it's exciting to live for less, not to mention addictive. Finding a bargain gives me such a rush. You just never know what treasures are in store. In the right circles, thrifting stories can be like fishing stories. Soon everyone will be getting together to score bragging rights about who found the biggest deal for the smallest price. So go forth, get your thrift on. There are deals to be scored and cash to be saved!