Why I Love Thrift Shopping And Why You Should Too!

 

Credit goes to photo owner

I vaguely remember the time that I was introduced to the marvelous world of thrift shopping or “ukay-ukay” for us Filipinos; but boy did I fall in love with it! It makes me shiver with a lot of blood pumping on my system each time that I find myself on my way to thrift shopping, almost like being in a long distance relationship and you finally meet the love of your life in person! Or, maybe just seeing him/her after a long time of separation. Whatever, but you get what I mean right?

To fully understand my fascination with this bustle, I’m giving you my top seven reasons why I love thrift shopping and why you should too!

Mother Earth- friendly.  We’re all aware of the capitalist modes of production— produce at high rates with the lowest cost possible. These procedures have been extremely detrimental to the human life and the natural world. Plus, it’s a great way to recycle. You can donate clothes and buy more clothes, eliminating waste in the process.

Economical. Have you heard of the saying, “More bang out of your buck”? I guess this was tailored to thrift shopping. Let’s be honest, most of us go thrift shopping for this reason: bargains. The last time I went thrift shopping, I spent 200 PHP (approx. 5 USD) with five items on my hands; whereas if I went shopping for brand new clothes, that amount wouldn’t even make me purchase a single item that I like!

Finding designer or high-end brands. Yes, and at a fraction of its cost! Personally, living in Iloilo (Philippines), we don’t get a lot of designer or high-end brands in malls. My eyes get big whenever I see at thrift stores Armani Exchange, Dolce & Gabbana or perhaps J. Crew pieces that I like; but wait ’til I discover that it only costs 100 PHP (approx. 2 USD) per item! I cry. Seriously.

One-of-a-kind pieces for fashion. Purchase clothing from malls and you’ll most likely run into someone wearing the exact thing. Thrift stores have a more diverse assortment of clothing. Also, with these pieces that you can find you can definitely mix and match, discover your style and have a unique one, too!

Hunting for treasures. There’s something about entering a thrift shop that is just packed with potential. Shopping for second hand lets you dig through the racks for your personal treasures; and since there’s still a little bit of stigma associated with it, there’s not much competition as there should be for designer brands or vintage items that can add a spike to your fashion statement. Then, you can find items that are no longer being made.

Instill good shopping habits to your children. For parents, taking your kids to thrift shopping is passing on to them knowledge and a strategy of finding good, quality products while saving money.

Fun, fun, fun! I don’t know about you but digging through the racks and trying to think of creative ways to style clothing is fun for me. There are items that only need upcycling or re-fashion and they’ll make a bad-ass addition to your fashion collection. It can be a good bonding moment with family and friends,too!

I’m sharing to you my latest “Ukay” finds and how I styled them together:

Black basic tee from Uniqlo, chunky black & gold necklace from a boutique called Gorgeous, huge faux gold watch from Von, white worn-out jeans from Elegance. I like wearing basics because I can have fun experimenting it with accessories and it definitely looks classy.

When Is Your “Sparkle” Time?

 

Credit goes to the photo owner

 

In my previous post, I mentioned about “sparkle” time— most of you prolly said “huh?”. How I wish that I coined this term but I did not, I only borrowed this from a fellow blogger Nikki of At Home With Nikki. I think it’s sooooo cute that I decided to ‘borrow’ it from her. It’s just perfect for all of us hustling women!

Anyway, it simply means that it’s the time when you are at your most creative. Usually we hear people say that they are a morning person and some would claim that they’re an evening person (like myself!).

To further explain this “sparkle” time, it is when you have your faculties e.g. intelligence, ability to think clearly and function at a high level etc. on a full force. For example, I prefer working on my blog (posts and tweaks sometimes) and brainstorming on other projects that I may be working on, at night. Yes, I can still work during the day just like what I’m doing right now; however,  it seems that I have my creative juices gushing during my “sparkle” time. Words are flowing seamlessly and ideas are just linked together swiftly! For students, this is the time that you usually like doing your home works, essays, term papers etc. Or for the crafty people, it is when designs come in your mind the most.

Most evening people stay late at night, we could be working on something or sometimes we don’t even do a thing! Taking myself as an example again, I start working on my stuff around 10 PM when my little one is already asleep. I could stay up until 2-3 AM, depending on what time I would be wrapping up!

The morning people like to wake up early and do their creative stuff then usually sleep early at night, as well.

What happens outside of our “sparkle” time?

It is when our routines are usually done like household chores, running errands or picking the kids up from school etc. It is so because we don’t need as much creativity and these activities are done almost like on autopilot. You don’t really have to think but you just do… action, action, action!

It is important to identify your “sparkle” time because it is your efficiency at its best! Who doesn’t want to come up with the best blog post, essay or crafted items?

Now tell me, when is your “sparkle” time?

Thank you for sharing this post! 🙂