Comments on Elizabeth Abernathy: Seven Compelling Reasons to Thrift

Bromeliad: That's very true, thrifting does en...

2011-09-01T08:19:27.731-07:00

Bromeliad: That's very true, thrifting does encourage taking style risks.

Martine: Thanks! Thrifting really does make one's money go a lot further.

well said. started thrifting when I had a young fa...

2011-08-31T23:07:42.828-07:00

well said. started thrifting when I had a young family and kids all grew up with second hand clothes, still do it now and it means I can live well on a relatively modest income.
excellent post
thanks for sharing
martine

I'm a thriftaholic. In addition to the great ...

2011-08-31T12:16:33.459-07:00

I'm a thriftaholic.

In addition to the great reasons you mentioned, I've noticed one more - thrifting encourages you to try things you normally wouldn't. (You don't have to play it safe when you are buying a bargain.)

Well, with me you're definitely preaching to t...

2011-08-31T09:35:33.288-07:00

Well, with me you're definitely preaching to the choir. In addition to all those good reasons, though, thrifting is SO much more fun. I find I get bored really quickly in a "normal" store--all those duplicate items! The biggest exception to that is Anthropologie, which is a nice inspiration for modifying thrifted items or spotting interesting things in thrift stores that I might not have noticed otherwise (*ahem* flowered rayon blouses *ahem*).

Zucchini Mama: You are so right! Barbara: I'...

2011-08-31T08:08:31.859-07:00

Zucchini Mama: You are so right!

Barbara: I'm glad you liked the post. I, too, have some very nice pieces of fabric I found at thrift stores. Also, 100% cotton sheets make good sewing material.

Great post! Also, second hand clothes are a sourc...

2011-08-31T06:43:43.751-07:00

Great post!
Also, second hand clothes are a source of fabric for my sewing attempts and learning.
Since I'm tall they usually don't fit me anyway, so I alter, refashion, or reuse them. The quality of vintage fabrics is usually much greater compared to the contemporary ones.

The environmental reasons are very compelling. Buy...

2011-08-30T19:19:11.778-07:00

The environmental reasons are very compelling. Buying a used (or organic) cotton t-shirt saves 1/3 a pound of pesticides from being dumped on the earth, not to mention the chemical fertilizers and toxic dyes used on every shirt. People are also throwing pounds of clothes away every year instead of donating them and they end up in landfills. Many non-natural fabrics are created using toxic processes.

In Vancouver I find new clothes all the time. I even found an organic cotton t-shirt with the tag. I just wish we could convince thrift stores to stop washing clothes in heavily perfumed soaps. The scent can be really hard to remove.

I'm glad you enjoyed the post, Alli! Dar: I u...

2011-08-30T18:19:52.950-07:00

I'm glad you enjoyed the post, Alli!

Dar: I understand what you mean. When you get a thrifted belonging that you cherish, it really is virtually irreplaceable.

Thanks for #6. I had not put that into words (or t...

2011-08-30T16:39:50.707-07:00

Thanks for #6. I had not put that into words (or thought) before, but nearly 30 years of thrifting has certainly contributed to a decline of materialism for me.
But I admit, when a thrifted or upcycled item of mine is damaged or lost, I feel that it was priceless, irreplaceable.

Ditto to all of this, Elizabeth! I actually just ...

2011-08-30T15:29:21.139-07:00

Ditto to all of this, Elizabeth! I actually just got home from a quick afternoon thrift store run - I find it better than retail shopping in just about every way. Great post!