Chastin Martel
Some people may find thrifting so exhausting! It requires a lot of patience. Going to the mall to buy new clothing is much easier but pricey, this is why thrifting is always an option. Cheaper prices!
That is not always true, I remember coming across a $100 jacket at a Value Village in Edmonton. I was quite shocked. But who said anything is cheap these days? That’s right, no one!
The earliest memory of thrifting was when I was around age five or six. Me and my stepmother were in a Salvation Army. There were many racks of clothing in there, and it smelled like old clothing. That could be fixed with a little laundry detergent. I found this orange shirt, it had some sort of fire-breathing dragon. I remember liking that shirt a lot. I lost a lot of clothing when I was child. That mystery remains unsolved. No need to put in any effort because clothing is replaceable.
I look forward to the day I’m thrifting and I find a handful of cash in a clothing pocket. I’ve seen social media posts about this, but that was staged. One can wish though.
There are a lot of items you can thrift, but depending on your personal mindset, you may not want to thrift certain items. For example, underwear. That’s odd for me; why would you want to wear someone’s underwear? That is something you buy new but no judgement here. Some people are limited to buying clothing.
Thrifting kitchen appliances doesn’t sound like a bad idea such as, pots, pans, and cutlery. In fact, anything kitchen related can be thrifted, it just needs a good wash before using. I noticed at most thrift stores that have kitchen items, it is in good used condition; that’s always nice.
In Calgary, there are a lot of nice thrift stores. I was there for college in 2022-24. I visited a handful of them when I lived there. Value Village didn’t give the same vibe as the privately owned thrift stores. In Value Village, it felt dirty in there, mainly the floors and some of the clothing.
The one thrift store I really liked was 17th Ave Thrift, in Calgary. Even though it was small, they had really decent clothing. I spent $50 in there on a shirt and pants but it was worth it. They were stylish and to my liking. I plan on going back there when I visit Calgary again.
I heard good reviews on the St. Peter’s Ecumenical Church thrift store in Slave Lake. I keep saying I’ll visit but I never do. At this point, I just have to go. It might even close before I get the chance, just as the other thrift store in town. Let’s not put that energy out there. It might be the most amazing thrift store there is, but I can only assume for now.
You can find some really good treasures at a thrift store, not only clothing but just about anything. The one thing that would take a thrift store over the top would be if they washed all the clothing before it is put on the racks, but that’s not happening and it is way too much work.
I generally try to thrift before I decide to purchase anything new, but not as much as I would like.
In fact, starting after this commentary, I will go back to thrifting!
If you’re ever in doubt about buying anything new, check your local thrift store, they will likely have what you’re looking for. Thrifting for the win!