5.11.2011

less is more



i've always been a frugal girl. i was raised that way.  and so i rarely, if ever, buy myself new clothes.  most often, my clothes come from the thrift store.  there, i shop for brand names and vintage, quality materials like wool, or anything that catches my eye.  thrift shopping is therapeutic, like a good treasure hunt.   looking through the discards of other people, i can lose myself for hours upon hours. everything tells a story.  and with a little good luck and picking skills on your side, you never know what kind of goodie you'll score! not to brag, but i once found this amazing wool D&G dress for $50 at value village, the same dress that originally retailed for $380!!  you just never know when you'll find the score of a lifetime.  my friend bonnar once found a $1 fountain pen that he turned over for quite the pretty penny.

as a kid, i never had the most expensive new designer clothes like some of my rich girlfriends.  sometimes it was hard.  sometimes i was jealous of other girls.  but ultimately, i think it was good for me.  i had to get creative and make the best with what was available.  these days, when i'm feeling rich, i'll splurge and go thrifting, or to ross dress for less.  because, like i said,  i'm frugal.  i rarely pay full price for anything, rarely buy anything new off the rack.  because that's how i was raised.  mom taught me how to pinch pennies and make the most with a budget.  this skill served me well when i was in college and had to pay...and pave...my own way.  i learned that if you have the right mindset, a little money can go a long way...for home furnishings, for decorating, for clothes, for art supplies...for almost everything.   

nowadays, being the environmentalist i am, knowing what i do about the waste stream and the amount of garbage humans produce on a daily basis, i don't need anymore reasons why it's extremely important to buy used goods.   it just is. there's enough stuff out there, already made, sitting new in the factory waiting to be bought, or rotting away in a landfill for that matter, to keep us all in clothing and home furnishings for a long long time.

"Every year, the United States generates approximately 230 million tons of "trash"--about 4.6 pounds per person per day. Less than one-quarter of it is recycled; the rest is incinerated or buried in landfills. With a little forethought, we could reuse or recycle more than 70 percent of the landfilled waste, which includes valuable materials such as glass, metal, and paper. This would reduce the demand on virgin sources of these materials and eliminate potentially severe environmental, economic, and public health problems."  -from learner.org

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