Thrifty Hipster

I'm not sure where or when my obsession with thrift stores began - probably somewhere in the men's department of Goodwill, as I bought my very own itchy polyester pants as part of my "Two Wild and Crazy Guys" Halloween costume at the age of 16.  There may or may not have been stains in the crotch, but no matter.  After such a stylish and inexpensive purchase, I was hooked.  Since that Halloween night, thrift stores have provided me the following costumes: an 80s prom dress, the Golden Snitch, Dobby the House Elf (confused?  Read Harry Potter), Snow White, and many more.

But thrift stores aren't just for fun and games.  Soon, jeans followed, and skirts, shirts, dresses, and no less than 4 pairs of Converse and countless other shoes.  With the exception of school books, I haven't bought a full price book in over 10 years.  As I look at my wardrobe and bookshelves today, it is not hyperbole to say that Goodwill and other thrift stores keep me dressed and, arguably, smart.  Books for $1, 50 cents, even 10 cents?  Yes please.

Before I give the novice thrifty hipster a few words of veteran wisdom, I have to get all social justice-y for a bit.  I began my shopping sprees with the dual intention of saving money and being hip.  Check, and check (see photo, left).  But I now shop at thrift stores (to the exclusion of other places) with a truly religious fervor.  The more I learn about free trade, NAFTA (not to mention CAFTA), sweatshops, and much of globalization, the more I want to keep my money out of a market that includes the poor only when it benefits the rich.  When I teach about social justice, I often ask students to check out their t-shirt labels - not to see what designer brands they can afford but to see where their shirt was made.  So go for it.  Check it out right now.  I'll wait...

When I buy from a thrift store, I know that my clothes are still made in Cambodia, Guatemala, or China.  But I also know that my money does not directly support sweatshops or poor working conditions there.  Folks sometimes argue that a sweatshop is better than no job at all - but a few days in Juarez, Mexico showed me that even "humane" maquiladoras keep their workers in the squalor of desolate poverty.  Do I sometimes find adorable shoes at Target impossible to resist?  Even the 20+ pairs of shoes already in my closet can't stop me from such purchases.  But now I try to at least look at the label and think about the person behind the shoe - what is her factory like?  How old is she?  Does she have children?

Now that I've been a bit Debbie Downer, here are a few must-try tips for thrift store shopping to help you manage the piles of dusty VHS tapes, bins of smelly shoes, and books that are neither alphabetized nor sorted by subject...

1. Do NOT, I repeat do NOT, go with the intention of finding a very specific item.  If you are insistent upon finding a little black dress, size 6, with a slit up the back, preferably from J. Crew, I am afraid you will be sorely disappointed every time.  Rather, go with the intention of finding something new and unique that you weren't planning on buying but can use.  (Emphasize on "can use."  I have learned that the hard way - the BCBG sweater was only $1, so I ignored the fact it didn't fit and would never be worn...)

2. Give yourself an estimated dollar amount to spend - otherwise, I get a bit too spendy.  Granted, "spendy" at a thrift store means $11 for 1 shirt, 1 skirt, 3 books, and a pair of shoes.  But still.

That's me, center, with thrift store shirt and jeans 

3. If you are wary of germs, a great place to start is the book department.  At thrift stores, I have found everything from Kurt Vonnegut, Alice Walker, and Barbara Kingsolver to theologians like Thomas Merton and Henri Nouwen.  Amen to that!  And I challenge you to get over a sense of excessive hygiene - after 12 years of wearing clothes and shoes from thrift stores, drinking out of thrift store mugs, and using thrift store purses, I am fit and healthy.  So give it go - but I guess you should wash things first.


4. When you do dive into the clothing department, try sticking to thrift stores that organize by both color and size.  Because let's admit that not all of us always follow suggestion #1, and we are still secretly looking for that little black dress.

So that's it, folks.  It's as easy as that.  Just don't follow my example of buying a book you already own simply because "it was only $1."  Two (or three) copies of Pride and Prejudice is a bit excessive.