During our travels at the end of summer we visited a few brick and mortar thrift stores. Often I find things that I want but I'm unwilling to buy new at these, with the bonus of being able to examine them in person.
Here's one little haul: a brand-new-looking mini muffin tin for $2.75 (this exact one is $10.00 at Wal-Mart); a low-carb cookbook from 2005 for $1.00 (new it runs about $8.00; the cheapest I could find it used online was $1.92), and a two-sided plastic container stuffed with interesting ribbons and trims for $6.99 (really a steal; the case is $9.99 new and there's about $50.00 worth of supplies in this.)
While I show you the cool ribbons in the case, which opens on both sides, let's do the math. Paying retail for everything would cost over seventy dollars. I spent $10.74, which went to Goodwill and a hospice center thrift store.
I still pay retail for other things. Example: I spent forty dollars on new books at Writer's Block in Winter Garden yesterday. Yes, I prefer used (like the cookbook up there) but I also like to support independent booksellers whenever I can. While at Goodwill we looked at a used food processor for $8.99 (the one I have at home broke) but ultimately passed on it. While I'd rather not pay fifty bucks for a new food processor, one that was previously owned will probably have dulled blades and other issues. I just bought new thread at JoAnn last week and paid retail, but got them on a B3G3 sale, so they were 50% off.
Thrifting is not just about being frugal. If these items hadn't been donated to the thrift stores, they probably would have ended up in the trash. Now they'll have a second life with me, and after I'm gone I hope they make their way to another thrifter and have a third life and so on. That's how we can best help reduce waste.
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