Penny pinching
Dec 19, 2004 The Story of My Life
As my regular readers know, I love love love to thrift shop. If I was a zillionaire, I would still want to thrift because it’s so much fun. I went thrifting tonight to accommodate the incredibly growing Madison and did pretty darn well. My best bargains for the evening (and these are all in perfect condition):
–Gymboree overalls with matching snap-crotch top ($3.97; suggested retail price: about $40)
–Babymini par Catimini shirt ($1.91, SRP $35+)
It gives me chills to spot a diamond in the rough hanging there waiting to be discovered. It’s like hearing the clink of your shovel hitting the top of the buried treasure when a striped shirt that could have been Old Navy turns out to be Hanna Andersson; it feels like you’re getting away with something. Plus it just makes good sense. I’m having to supplement Noah’s wardrobe with new clothes now because it’s so hard to find boys’ pants with the knees intact. I go to Target and leave shaking my head over my thinner wallet. $14 for boys’ jeans?! It’s highway robbery!
I’m a snob about brands though. I won’t spend $2 on something I could get for $4 new; thus no Garanimals every make it into my cart. Especially when you’re buying used, you want something that you know is going to wear. Buy it right and even your garage sale treasure is going to make it on to a couple more kids.
I remember a friend of mine, appalled that I made Noah wear used clothing, pointed out to me that Target has reasonable prices on kids’ clothes. I gently pointed out to her that while her daughter was wearing Sonoma, Noah was wearing Gymboree and I’d paid about half as much as she did. Besides which they’ve invented these things called “washing machines” that get those clothes right sanitary in a twinkling!
In Portland the thrift stores were sad, empty things when it came to clothes. On the other hand, I got much better books at the stores there. I really miss thrifting for books; that’s where I got most of my green books (Virago modern classics) and all of my Alfred Hitchcock presents short story anthologies. Oh well. I guess it’s an even trade but the only thing that rivals grabbing a Beetlejuice jumper for a buck is finding a perfect set of parenting manuals from the 1920s for $.25 apiece. I’ve got the jumper hanging in Madison’s closet and the books sitting on my shelves.
December 19th, 2004 at 11:05 pm
ah, thrifting. Is there anything more thrilling than scoring quality (or quirky, depending) merchandise for cheap? But you had poor luck thrifing clothes in Portland?! I’m shocked. I just recently moved away from pdx and I can’t imagine that any city will ever duplicate the sheer array of amazing used clothes available there. For kids, it helps that the city boasts both a Hanna outlet and retail store, so the swedish cottons are easily found secondhand. I did most of my clothes shopping at the goodwill outlet (the bins) in close-in SE, where the price is always right ($1.29/lb!). Okay, that’s all. No bait like thrifting to get me to take a slight departure from lurking.
December 20th, 2004 at 12:40 pm
Oh yes, I feel exactly that way. My beautiful black Dansko clogs are all the more special to me because I paid, drumroll please, $3.50. Oh that was a very good day.
December 20th, 2004 at 12:40 pm
Oh yes, I feel exactly that way. My beautiful black Dansko clogs are all the more special to me because I paid, drumroll please, $3.50. Oh that was a very good day.
December 20th, 2004 at 12:51 pm
Growing up…thrifting was a necessity for our family. My mom would change buttons on clothes so they would look different and others in town would not recognized their old clothes! But what adventures…my dad would take one of us for breakfast at Jack’s Galley (pure fat and cholesteral intake) and thrifting we would go. The joy!
As I take my four kids, they each clutch their 4 quarters tightly…looking for holes in shirts. Trying on shoes and testing for blister formers. I am making smart shoppers. We come home and start the washer and they eagerly await the dryer buzzer to put on their “new” to me clothes.
December 23rd, 2004 at 11:21 am
Okay, I had to respond to this! Dawn, a mutual friend of ours sent me your site. I’ve enjoyed reading about your family. I remember a million years ago going thrifting with you in OH…and you’re right, you are a professional!
Happy holidays!