How it all began…

It happened one summer day, most likely on a weekend.  Mom asked me to take her to Goodwill and as mom naturally hit the rows of what at the time I thought was a disarray of clothes.  I decided to occupy myself in an area that looked not too much unlike the purse section at Marshalls.  The bags were for the most part organized by color and I perused with little interest or thought of finding something worthy of my dollars.  Then my hands came across a vegan, color block, crossbody by French Connection - a brand that I enjoyed buying when it hit the sale section at Macy’s and I was smitten.

My heart beat faster as I realized that not only was the bag a known-to-me-brand, but it was also in pristine condition.  Had it even been worn?  I looked at the price tag and it read $11.99 and I knew that I was about to purchase my first item from one of those messy stores that I so harshly criticized.  At the time I did not know that this purchase would change my consumer life.  Today, (many, many) years later practically my entire wardrobe is full of treasures that I have found secondhand and it’s also spreading to other areas in my home.  Most recently I found a silk, pick-stitch quilt that I had on my wish list at the Pottery Barn website and it looks like it was never used!  At $12.99 I think I hit the jackpot as these quilts retail for over three hundred dollars.

My first Goodwill find began a transformation in the way I shop and that’s what I hope to share here on this blog.  While I enjoy the whole process of digging through peoples discards in hopes of finding that treasure that propels my next archeology dig – it’s also nice feeling like a rescuer who saves goods from a too early landfill end.  Most recently my hobby has also turned into a money-making activity as I have realized that my finds were turning me into a hoarder.  I flip items that I find on the thrift not because I need the money, but because it sure gives me a sense of accomplishment finding objects a new home where they can extend their lives and bring another happiness.