Sunday, Aug. 12, 2012

One of the outcomes of our fallen economy is how it’s forced folks to go back to the basics.  How people are rediscovering how one man’s trash can be another’s treasure. 

Before the economy collapsed, I noticed a disturbing trend of expendability.  How individuals would rather toss usable items in their garbage cans rather than donate them so someone else could resurrect and use them.  Then came tougher times.  As a result, people began go economize.  In that process, they also began to see value in items once considered expendable.  As such, instead of tossing perfectly usable items in the trash, folks began taking the time to sort through them and deliver them to donation centers that would make any necessary repairs and then place the items for sale in their thrift stores.

Watching this process play out has been heartwarming for me.  Why?  When I was a little girl, my father instilled a deep sense of valuing items.  Part of his teachings was to demonstrate how it made more sense to find needed items at thrift stores rather than pay full price at regular stores.  And often, those times found were better quality than the ones from regular stores.

Throughout my life, I’ve thrilled, yes, thrilled, in exploring thrift stores, excited over what gems I might find hidden within them.  Over the past year, I’ve frequented a major thrift store chain where I’ve found the majority of what I’ve needed.  I love the fact that I’m resurrecting old items, saving tons of money and acquiring needed objects, all of higher quality than those I could afford in regular stores.

Over the past six months, I’ve noticed I’m not alone in shopping at thrift stores.  How this particular chain has grown in such favor that they’re now expanding their store sizes while carrying even more wonderful items.  In addition, quite a few of my friends have discovered the fine art of thrift store shopping and now swear by them.

It’s satisfying to see the growing trend people discovering how one man’s trash can be another’s treasure.