2 posts tagged “thrift”
I go to one of two (or sometimes, both) very nearby Goodwills every other saturday, when the whole store is fifty percent off. I admit to preferring to thrift in quiet, on weekday evenings when I'm the only customer in the store, for example, and I can lose myself and my tiring everyday thoughts in the racks I slowly scan for treasure. But I can't deny the extra thrill of finding My New Favorite ________ (which maybe I didn't even know I needed, but as soon as I spy it I wonder how I ever lived without?) for half off.
The first thing I do every morning is to set the kettle on the stove for tea. I look forward to my first cup of tea in the morning before I even go to bed at night. Yeah, sure, the caffeine boost is swell. I don't remember what adequate sleep feels like so I'll take whatever help I can get. But it's more than that. It's the whistling of my kettle, it's the steam, the smell of the tea in the cannister when I take off the lid. It's an important anchor in my day, a simple ritual of Beginning. And I am very particular about which mugs I will use. Oh, in a pinch, I'll use whatever is clean. And if I'm having a cup of herbal tea before bed, any cup or mug will do, it doesn't matter. I have several I rotate through and they've served me well over the years. I wasn't looking for a new one. But last Saturday, I found my New Favorite Teacup. It's surprisingly sturdy, slightly oversized, lovely to look at (bird graphic, hello!), and it has a lid! Secondhand perfection for a dollar.
There aren't a lot of activities I enjoy quite as much as thrift shopping. I pop in as often as I can, and have halfprice Saturdays written in ink on my calendar. It's practical. I buy things my family needs for cheaper than new. But it's more than that. I support giving new life to old things. I am inspired by seeing a vast array of colors and textures and shapes. I love the surprise. There's nothing so enchanting as stumbling upon some little piece of secondhand ephemera that seems to have been waiting just for you. It clears my head, to methodically scour every item on a clothing rack, dutifully checking size and fabric and maker. I come home after a jaunt at the goodwill feeling calmer yet more alive.
So with that, I introduce you to this little quintet I scored last Saturday. Five perfect juice glasses with the most charming gnome-ish characters marching about mushroom houses. Aren't they sweet? $2.50, total for the whole set.
