5 Reasons to Start Thrifting

If there is one thing I know best, it’s shopping. As someone who has spent a questionable amount of time (and money) hunting for the perfect pieces, trust me when I tell you: you need to start thrifting.

1. You’ll have the “Can I borrow that?” closet

I would say that most of us have experienced the feeling of walking down Locust Walk and passing someone wearing the exact same Aritzia or Brandy Melville top. Thrifting guarantees (almost) that this will never happen again. Instead of shopping from the same algorithm-fed selection as everyone else, you’re scoring pieces no one else has even seen. Vintage designer? Niche Y2K brands? Random but incredible graphic tees? Your closet will be a trove of one-of-a-kind finds, and suddenly, all your friends will be asking, “Where did you get that?”

2. Better quality, for less

Let's be honest, the quality of certain designers and large companies has taken a nosedive in the past decade. Your $80 dollar sweater is pilling after 2 wears, and it probably didn’t fit that well to begin with. Meanwhile, thrift stores are packed with clothing from an era when brands actually cared about construction. Some of my best fitting jeans are more than 20 years old, but they are thicker and have held up so much better than the ones I bought just last year. You get high-quality fabrics, expert tailoring, and silhouettes that actually fit—all for a fraction of the price.

*Courtesy of* *Past Studios Vintage Store*

3. Your wallet will thank you

Speaking of price, let’s talk numbers. A new Zara coat? $150. A vintage bead embroidered one from Goodwill? $20. A trendy handbag from a fast fashion site? $80. A genuine leather one from the 90s? Maybe $12. Thrifting is basically a cheat code for looking expensive without actually spending a ton of money.

4. The planet (and your conscious hopefully) will thank you

Here's a fun, but terrifying, fact that I was reminded of recently: everything you’ve ever bought still exists somewhere on this planet. That Brandy Melville “Honey” top that you forced your mom to buy you in 2016? It’s not going anywhere. Thrifting helps slow down the cycle of overconsumption by giving clothes a second (or third) life. It’s a small but powerful way to make a difference, without sacrificing your love of fashion and shopping.

5. Thrifting feeds your inner hunter gatherer

This is the reason I got into thrifting. There’s a reason thrifting is so satisfying: it taps into something deep in our subconscious. Humans were made to scavenge, to seek, to dig through the chaos and find something. Scrolling through an algorithmically curated website just doesn’t hit the same as finding the perfect fitting beaded camisole buried between two grandma blouses. Once you get used to the thrill of the hunt, regular shopping honestly gets kind of boring.

*Courtesy of* *Past Studios Vintage Shop*

So, if you’re still missing out on thrifting, I would take this as a wake up call. Start small. Bring a friend and go to a curated vintage store, browse flea vintage markets, or even scroll through secondhand apps. You don’t have to start digging in the Goodwill bins right away. But in my experience, once you start, you will never look at normal shopping the same way.

Featured Image Courtesy of NashvilleGo