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thrift shopping

i love thrift shopping.


yesterday i got around to taking some of my donations into brown elephant (one of my fav thrift shops).  i was sort-of looking for a bread maker.  i would like to make my own delicious, just the way i want it bread, rather than buying bread.  and one of my co-workers said she got hers at a thrift store.  so i figured i'd give it a try.  yesterday i just wanted to check them out.  i wasn't ready to make the plunge ... yet.


i found several bread makers that looked good.  the one i really liked was $8 and the smallest.  it needed a little cleaning up, but only on the outside.  i decided to wait, but i was in the thrift shopping mood.  


i swear you have to be in a certain mood to thrift shop.  i have to feel like searching or something.  i mean there's A LOT of stuff to root through and it's not exactly organized.  it's sort-of how i have to be in the mood to shop or else i just walk in, walk around, and walk out.


so i found a coffee mug for me.  as several of mine are coming to the end of their time.  and then i hit up some other sections and grabbed things i thought some friends and family would enjoy.  (i can't say yet because i'm giving them out this weekend and i'm pretty sure almost everyone i found something for reads this blog.)  and it was all very reasonable and i left with a heavy bag and a smile.  i think/really really hope someone likes something i picked up for them.  i definitely did some searching.


i just find thrift shopping to be so great.  i find things in good condition with a good life still ahead of them.  and then i spend so much less than if i bought it new.  i reminds me of this class i took in college:  consumer culture.  we talked about the shopping cycle for part of it.  this is one of the videos we watched.  yes, it's a teensy bit long, but super informative.  one snippet of info from the video:  99% of things purchased are trashed within 6 months.  little scary if you ask me...
why not give a life to something someone doesn't want anymore, but still works wonderfully?  or donate your treasure (or craigslist) that you no longer need/want because someone else may want that exact thing?

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