Our daughter is besties with the little girl who lives across the street, and any time our families get together, the kids run around and scream and the parents drink wine.
So, inevitably, wine glasses break. When my neighbor had a birthday recently, I decided to go in search of a nice set of wine glasses — fellow thrifters will know that it’s hard to find 6 or 8 matching glasses, much less quality ones.
I don’t want this to jinx me or anything, but I truly feel that the thrifterverse has my back. I found six gorgeous Italian wine glasses and (bonus!) two fish-shaped stone serving dishes, glazed in a pretty blue color (wish I had taken photos).
I shined everything up, packed them in tissue paper, and gifted them.
This was the first time I’d thrifted a gift for someone who isn’t family (me, my mom, and mother-in-law all love thrifting and have a shared understanding that secondhand gifts are more than welcome).
So, I felt the need of course to disclose that I’d thrifted the items and say, “…I hope that’s not weird?”
This led me to wonder how people in general would feel about receiving a second-hand item as a gift.
I think because most people who know me understand that thrifting is *gulp* (whisper) my life, they probably wouldn’t be surprised or offended to receive a thrifted item.
It would be curated by a careful and practiced eye, of course, and cleaned prior to gifting.
The more I’ve been in the shops — which has been weekly lately (coping mechanism? these times we’re in are trying) — the more I’ve thought about how important and ideal shopping secondhand is.
First of all, the stuff is FANTASTIC. I live in a place where people give away pristine, quality, high-end pieces. But also, shopping secondhand offers a way to scratch that pesky consumerist itch without breaking the bank and harming the environment.
A short list of the benefits of thrifting:
–It’s affordable (still screaming over my $60 chair/ottoman set…will be riding that high for the foreseeable future).
–It’s sustainable: Thrifting keeps usable items out of landfills and reduces demand for new manufacturing, making it one of the easiest ways to live more sustainably.
–It’s fun: I can’t fully describe the high I experience when I find a high-end item for a steal. If I could bottle it, I’d give it to you for free.
–It supports your community: I frequent charity shops that donate a percentage or all of their proceeds to a cause.
–It keeps things interesting: Thrifted finds spark creativity and give you a reason to switch things up in your wardrobe and rearrange things around your house.
I’m considering practicing mostly thrifted gifting for the holidays this year. What do you think? Would you be skeeved to receive a thrifted gift?
Last week’s thrifted ‘fits & treasures round-up:
I took my kids to Resource Depot in West Palm Beach and, let me tell you, we had a time.
We got a nice collection of things for only $22 and explored the super cool art exhibit.
This is my hobby. 