Archive for the 'Thrifting' Category

Several of you have asked me to post about buying Christmas gifts while doing the Compact. It’s really quite simple. Here are my tips:

• Shop early.
  • It’s pretty much impossible to buy used/barter/trade at the last minute. Well, you could, but even Goodwill is pretty picked over by Christmas eve!
  • I’ve been slowly collecting gifts from consignment stores and thrift stores..and occasionally trading for photography.
• Always keep an eye out for a gift…even if you aren’t specifically shopping for that person.
  • I have found the greatest gifts when I wasn’t really looking. Keep a list of all the people that you are shopping for so you can keep track.
• Keep a gift “box” under your bed or in a closet so that you can have them all in one place.
  • I love this. Anytime I find a cool gift, I just pop it right into my gift box and know that I can forget about it until Christmas! This is a great thing to have year-round…because as birthdays pop up, you can just grab a gift from the box.
• Don’t buy gifts for everyone.
  • I used to do this…because I LOVE giving gifts. But this year, I am limiting it to family and a few close friends. For Bella, we would like to start the tradition of 3 gifts only…representing the 3 gifts the wise men brought Jesus.
• Homemade is fun.
  • Last year I made cool magnets. It’s always cheaper to do something crafty. I usually do a lot of photo-related gifts, especially for the grandparents. I have some crafty things that I am making this year, but I can’t reveal it on my blog…that would ruin the surprise!
• Don’t get stressed. The focus is on Jesus, not gifts. The gifts are just a great symbol of what God gave us in His son.

Giving gifts is so much fun for me. I thought about just not doing any gifts this year…but then I realized how much joy I get from seeing someone’s face light up. Compacting this Christmas has been enjoyable and easier than I thought! And I am THRILLED to not be out at the malls. Wheeeee!

Photo courtesy of Nathan Gibbs/flickr.com

Clothes. We all wear them (well, hopefully!). They can be a symbol of power and success …or poverty. They can be a source of ridicule at school or at work…or they can land you in the “cool” crowd. Do you ever notice how clothes tend be a major conversation starter? It’s always interesting to talk with people about their clothes. You can learn a lot about people by how they view their clothing…where they shop, etc. Clothes are a powerful tool…but they can control us if we let them.

When you are trying to simplify your life and downsize your possessions, you can’t ignore this area. It tends to be avoided because clothing is so personal…there are often a lot of emotional attachments connected to it.

As I looked through my closet about 6 months ago, I started to ask myself some questions?

• Why do I have 4 plain white t-shirts?
• When was the last time I wore those shoes? Last year?
• Why do I “need” 6 pairs of jeans?
• How many pairs of socks do I really need?!

I had to look inward and try to discover why I felt like I needed all of these clothes…when there are others who have so little. I also started to wonder when our culture became clothes obsessed. According to the hgtv.com website, clothes used to be stored in chests or armoires up until after WWII…and then there was a bigger need for housing and they started to build closets as they build the new homes. This is also around the time that TV was being introduced to the masses. I can’t help but think that all advertising created the false sense of need for more clothing. Even today…if I watch too much TV/advertising, I immediately start feeling discontent with my current possessions and feel like I need to buy more to be happy. After we stopped watching so much TV, I no longer had a “voice” coming into my home telling me what to wear, what to think, and what to buy.

Stewardship: What would Jesus say if he opened your closet door?
I have to admit that I hadn’t ever really thought about what Jesus says regarding clothes up until about 6 months ago. Growing up, I had the typical attitude that you just couldn’t have enough clothes. And don’t even think about wearing USED clothes! *GASP!*. It takes time to change how you’ve always thought.

When I started studying on that topic…I realized that Jesus really doesn’t care about clothes much at all…and he tells us that we shouldn’t focus on it so much.

John answered, “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.” Luke 3:11

But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 1 Tim 6:8

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” Matthew 6:25

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.” Matthew 6:28

He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Luke 9:3

It’s clear that Jesus thinks we have better things to put our time, energy, and money into than clothes. If you are going to focus your energy on it…it should revolve around getting clothes to people who truly need them.

“But…I Need It!”
Our clothing needs are really very minimal. Depending on where you live in the country (seasonally) and if you work outside the home, you will need a couple pair of pants, a couple shirts, undergarments, shoes, and a coat. That’s it. Now…I’m not saying that’s all we should have…but it will do us good to think about what a “need” truly is. I’m also not trying to turn everyone into a minimalist or say that clothes are inherently bad. Clothes are fun. It’s great to find that “perfect outfit”…I’m just asking you to think about your closet and what it says about you and what you value. On the Simple Living boards, there are several threads about clothing. In one of them, I found this little tidbit:

“I found out that the less you shop, the desire to shop would decrease. And eventually, when you are walking in a mall, you have this weird feeling while watching people buying stuff…thinking, why would people need THAT…and you suddenly feel like an alien.”

I can definitely relate to that feeling…especially now that I’m not shopping at malls. It’s a very weird phenomenon.

New…or Not
When you are purchasing a new piece of clothing…why do you have to buy it new? There are so many second-hand stores, consignment stores, etc. that have racks and racks of clothes at a fraction of the price. You can look just like everyone else (if you want to) and have all the same brands and still have money to go out to eat. If you are someone who “just doesn’t shop at thrift stores” … examine why that is. Is that an attitude handed down through your family? Do you feel some sort of shame by not buying new? Granted, it is much easier to just run to the mall or Target to pick out the latest fashion. It takes a little planning to buy used, but it’s so much better for the earth AND your pocketbook. There are many fun groups and websites that focus on recycling clothing and “re-fashioning”. I’ve shared them on another post, but they are worth sharing again:

Wardrobe Refashion
Little Brown Dress

Passing it On
Ok. So you’ve made the decision to downsize your closet. Where do you begin? There are several “methods” to help you decide whether or not you still need an item of clothing. I would suggest taking an afternoon and putting all your clothes in a big pile. Set up 3 boxes and label them “Give”, “Keep”, and “Not Sure”. Then get to it. If you think you should keep an item, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do I feel GREAT in this?
2. Does it fit me correctly? Or have I just been telling myself that?
3. Have I worn this in the last 6 months?
4. Is it practical?

If you can’t answer yes to all of the above, throw it in the “Give” pile. If you having some emotional issues letting it go, throw it in the “Not Sure” pile. The key to going through your clothes is to do it FAST…the more you sit and think about each item…the more you will THINK you want/need to keep it. Clothing is easy to come by…if you give away something you need later, find another one. Also, it does help to have a friend or spouse do this with you…so that when you need a second opinion, there is one readily available. However, don’t ask your packrat friend to help you…she will only hinder.

A side note…I know there are some of you thinking, “What about my Aunt Berta’s pink leather jacket”! If you have heirloom items in your closet that you no longer want…you should ask around the family and try to pass them on that way. If not, take a photo of the item, put it in an album and write out all of your memories about it…and then get rid of it.

Where do I take it? Can I sell it?
If you want to sell some of your clothes…try a consignment store. You can take your clothes into the store and as they sell, you will get a percentage of the profit. I prefer to just get rid of it all and be done with it…so I usually opt for Freecycle or Goodwill. Fill a bag, take it in, DONE. You could also take them directly to a women’s shelter…they are always happy to receive nice women’s and children’s clothing. I have sold some nicer items online if I know there is a market for them and I needed some quick cash. You could also try a a clothes swap…or as I’ve heard them called, a “Naked Party” and invite a bunch of your girlfriends over to swap clothes. Here are the details on how to do it.

Disposable Clothing
We live in a “disposable” obsessed culture. I have switched my house to completely re-usable/cloth everything… so why do I buy disposable clothing? The items that I’ve bought in the past from Old Navy, Target and other discount stores are usually a one- season item and then they are trashed. If I would have just bought higher quality to begin with, many resources (and headaches) would be saved. Now that we are Compacting, I’m not going into those stores at all anymore and my closet is so much better off! I think that is one of the great things about thrifting…almost everything I’ve found has been a high-quality brand that will last and last…but without the high price.

I’ve also found that when you have less clothing, you tend to take better care of what you have. With my “disposable” clothing, I didn’t care if something stained it or if it ripped.

What does YOUR closet look like Sara?
In the photo above, you can see what my closet looks like. The far left section is mine. Over the last 6 months I have gotten rid of about 75% of my clothes…and I don’t miss them! It’s so much easier to do laundry, to clean up, to sort…when you don’t have a mess of clothes in your closet. It’s immeasurably easier to get dressed in the morning when you only have a few choices. Since moving into the apartment, I’ve gotten a few more items simply because we don’t do laundry as much now. But I LOVE the simplicity of having less clothes. Less stress. Less mess. Less is good…now go clean your closet!

I’ve been thinking about trash.

Moving to a small apartment with a small garbage can has made me very aware of what I throw away. Having to walk the garbage bag down 3 flights of stairs, then down another to the basement, out the back door…and a short walk to the ally makes me not want to make much trash! We usually fill up one small garbage bag a week…but even that seems like so much! I’m still trying to figure out where I could take my food scraps to reduce that even further. One of my goals during The Compact is to buy groceries/food with little to no packaging. This drastically reduces the amount of trash one produces. I’m amazed by how much trash we can throw away just by ordering take-out one night! Wow.

A movie that is closely related to this topic is “The Gleaners and I” (thanks Ali!). I just finished watching this quirky little French film about modern day gleaners and urban scavengers. It was incredibly interesting to me…I’ve always been curious about the lives of experienced dumpster divers and people who live completely off of the trash that others create. The movie goes far beyond that and delves into the world of found object art and into the lives of those making a difference in their neighborhoods. I can’t say enough about this movie…I think everyone should see it.

The Compact has me on the lookout for items that I can re-use or use in a different way. In my research about these things, I came across some fun Flickr groups dealing with this topic:
ReUSE Project
Tips for Recycling and Reusing
Junkin’
Trashion Nation

There are also some great sites dealing specifically with re-fashioning items of clothing:
Wardrobe Refashion
Wardrobe Refashion (Flickr)
Little Brown Dress ::: Recycling Project

And more sites discussing found object (trash) art:
Metroactive
Art from Trash

Books to check out:
Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash
Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things

Today, when you throw something away…ask yourself if it could be recycled, re-used, or given to someone who needs it (Freecycle!). In a disposable culture…it may feel weird at first, but it does the earth GOOD!

Photo credit: D’Arcy Norman

I love thrift stores. I try not to frequent them if I’m not looking for something specific because I can get sucked into the mindset of “I don’t need it…but it’s so cheap…how can I NOT buy this!?” But today I went in search of a few things…and found some goodies. I was delightfully surprised to find that everything was 40% off because they are moving their store around the corner. Yay!

I’m starting a Flickr set to document my thrift store finds. There are descriptions on each photo with prices, etc. I will only document going forward…even though it would be fun to take photos of everything in my house that is thrifted. It could take days!

What has been your BEST thrift store find?

The empty shopping cart. Symbolic of my first day of The Compact. I wrote about it last week, but never got around to starting it. So this is it…I’m really doing it this time. I’m actually really excited to explore and conquer my tendencies to want, want, want things all the time.

My first “compact moment” came today as I was heading home. We had a birthday party to go to tonight for one of Bella’s friends who was turning 2. I decided to stop and get a balloon for her. I also wanted to buy a couple plants to go in some cute little pots I have at the apt. And then I remembered…

“I started the Compact today…what am I thinking?!”

So instead of going into the store and spending money on a balloon, 2 plants, and inevitably more (because I was hungry and would have bought snacks and who knows what else too)…we continued on home. When we got there, Bella and I made an adorable homemade card together to bring to her friend, and I am going to see if I can find some plants on my local Freecycle. Whew! I passed my first test.

With that one little decision, Bella and I were able to spend time creating something together. She learned that it’s ok (and BETTER!) to make a homemade gift for someone. And I saved myself at least $25.00. Wow!

Now for the rules. I tend to get very strict with myself whenever I commit to something like this…to the point of making myself crazy. So I will try not to be so hardcore that it causes me unnecessary trauma…but committed enough to make a difference. So, here is what I will do:

1. I will not buy any NEW items for one year.
2. I will only buy items that I NEED.
3. I will not buy any convenience foods when grocery shopping with the exception of bread and chips. I will strive to eat in season, buying as local as possible. I will bring cloth grocery bags to the store, and I will create a weekly menu/grocery list EVERY week.
4. I will not go out to eat at a restaurant if I have the option of eating at home.

EXCEPTION: I will allow printing of photos. Photography is one of the things I love, and to take that away would greatly decrease my quality of life…which is not what the Compact is about.

My Goals:

1. To gain perspective and learn contentment.
2. To be a mindful consumer and live lighter on the earth.
3. To become more patient and learn to plan ahead as I borrow, barter, buy used, re-use, and recycle.
4. To payoff the remainder of our student loan debt.

Thanks to Chelee for getting me started on my rule list!

Here is the “Compact Pledge”:

In light of the destructive effects of personal greed, we pledge to curb our purchases, cease frivolous buying, and choose to simplify our lives. Excepting only those things needed for work and the health and safety of our families, we pledge not to buy new. Further more, we will actively seek to pass on possessions we no longer want to those who are in need. In doing so, we hope to educate both friends and family about the corrosive effects of being in a constant state of want, nurture in ourselves the uplifting state of giving, thus reducing the load on the environment and creating a more sensible path for our lives. For these reasons, we join the Compact.

- SF site (paraphrased)

Here’s to the journey! Who is with me?

Photo: Eva Marieville | Flickr

This was the last one. We’ve had 3 garage sales this year and I don’t ever want to accumulate enough STUFF to necessitate a garage sale ever again. It’s not that we didn’t make any money. We did…probably over $1000 for all 3 sales. I just don’t really enjoy the preparation process… pricing things makes me crazy, the sitting and waiting for people, the packing it all up. I can think of 100 better things to do with my time. My plan is to donate, eBay, gift, or Craigslist in small amounts so I don’t have to have a “big one” again.

I am not saying I won’t GO to garage sales. I love going to them. It’s amazing what you can find. My friend Natalie and her sisters are professional garage sale extrordinaires. Amazing. I love the hunt…especially if I have something to hunt for. The thrill of finding that long awaited item is beyond compare. Of course, if you go with a friend who has the same taste as you…you better be ready to race to the driveway!

In our quest to pay off debt faster, we are thinking about joining “The Compact” beginning in October. Here is an article about the original group. And their blog. I have another friend who is doing it too…she actually is the one who got me thinking about it again. Everytime I’ve heard about this movement/group, it has appealed to me. I love a good challenge. Especially when it comes to consumerism/reducing/reusing/recycling. Even if we don’t do it 100%…it will still create the mindfulness about spending/consuming that we so desire.

Lately, I’ve found myself getting so laid back about spending…and once I start that, it’s really hard to stop. However, because I am such an all or nothing person, I swing easily the other way. Once we decide to do something, I will go to GREAT lengths to maintain whatever it is that we are doing. So, at this point, we are just considering it, but it sounds like a great addition to our debt reduction plan. Anyone care to be my “Compact Buddy”?

I came across this website in 2003 when I was living in Lincoln, NE. Kate, the artist, was a grad student and UNL…and I loved this site so much that I actually went to her office on campus to talk with her, but she wasn’t there, so I left a note on her door. (Kristin…did you go with me?). Years later, I had tried to find her site again, but couldn’t.

Yesterday, I happened across a post on Happy Mundane, and there is was! I was happy. Here is a summary of what “Obsessive Consumption” is:

Obsessive Consumption was created by Kate Bingaman to showcase her love/hate relationship with money, shopping, branding, credit cards, celebrity, advertising and marketing. The work is inspired by the ever ubiquitous, generic, delicate, sometimes stomachache inducing credit card statement, craft as activism, and general consumerism. She created Obsessive Consumption in 2002 when she decided that she was going to not only document all of her purchases, but to also create a brand out of the process to package and promote. obsessiveconsumption.com was launched in early 2003 to bring her documentation to a larger audience. She documented all of her purchases for 28 months. The documentation started on January 22nd, 2002 and ended on April 22nd, 2004. She is currently hand drawing all of her credit card statements until they are paid off and also spends her time consuming, documenting and making. Kate is a 28 year old Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Mississippi State University.

I completely relate to her love/hate relationship with consumerism. I hate it, and yet I am strangely drawn to those things I hate. Specifically, The Gap, The Mall, Starbucks, etc. When we are on a cash budget, it’s much easier to resist…and tracking every single purchase, no matter how small is a huge eye opener. I have noticed a predictable connection between my TV watching and mindless consumption. Luckily, when we move, the cable goes bye bye. Bittersweet. I love me some HGTV and TLC. Anyway…check out her site, it’s slightly addictive. The thrift store photo installation is fun. I just have to love her…she’s a graphic design professor and that was my major in college. Her quirky design sense is fabulous.