"Thanks, I Thrifted It!"

Finding thrifted pieces

I’m broke. I’m a college student who’s paying for tuition, rent, groceries, extracurriculars, clothing, etc. But one thing that helps me out with budgeting is thrifting. I’ve been able to save so much money by buying clothing second-hand when I need to. Because this is how I save money on clothing, majority of my closet consists of these thrifted finds, and I take pride in this fact. However, this habit of sustainably shopping actually started years ago when I was in middle school.

Try thrifting with your friends

My Thrifting Origins

Picture this: a blonde haired, glasses wearing, know-it-all in 9th grade. Got it? Yeah, that’s me. I was an absolute nerd in school, but I didn’t mind because I was a cool nerd. You know why? Because my outfits were always on point. Sure, I’m biased, but I know this because I got compliments on my outfits every. Single. Day. In fact, this was actually my goal.

Thrifting is for all ages

Setting A Thrifting Goal

Once I realized that I started to get compliments on my outfits most days in middle school, I set a goal to receive a compliment on my outfit every single day until the end of the school year, and like I mentioned above, I did! After all, I’m a competitive person, and I take pride in my appearance, so I really rose up to the challenge. Every day I made sure to pick out something good and because the majority of my clothes were thrifted, whenever I received a compliment on them I’d always say, “Thanks, I thrifted it!” This was a hit with my classmates because thrifting wasn’t as common back then, so it was pretty impressive.

The clothing options at thrift stores are endless

Present Day Outfits

Ever since then that eventful year in middle school, I’ve really tried to incorporate at least one thrifted item into my outfit per day, specifically with the goal of generating compliments. Like I said before, most of my closet consists of thrifted finds, so it’s not that hard to do, but sometimes it can still be a challenge. Plus, I specifically attempt to create new outfits that I’ve never worn before to make it harder. And, just like in 9th grade, whenever I get a compliment on my outfit I say, “Thanks, I thrifted it!” and people are even more complimentary.

Express yourself through your clothing

Confidence Through Second-hand Thrifting

By doing this, I’ve really been able to boost my confidence. Of course, it doesn’t matter whether or not you get compliments on your outfits so long as you feel good in them, but it’s made a difference in my life and has made me put more effort into taking time to get ready! Plus, it’s not only challenged me creatively, but by only using thrifted clothes, I’m filled with the knowledge that I can still look good while saving money and saving the earth by shopping sustainably.

I challenge you to try it out sometime and see what happens!