Thrifting \ˈthrĭft·ing\
1. When one visits several different thrift shops, second-hand shops, and vintage clothing stores in the hopes of buying several items of cheap and unusual clothing and other items. One usually does this with friends.
“Hey, where did you get that weird top?”
“Oh, I found it while thrifting, it was only a dollar.”
2. A sneaky way to trick your children into cleaning their rooms, and, in the process, parting with those pesky items that they love, but which are totally ready to be passed on to someone else.
This pretty much sums up my life right now.
Toys in particular seem to be in a constant rotation of moving from being neglected, buried in the abysses that are my childrens’ bedrooms, to sitting in a box or bag a la Toy Story, desperately waiting for the moment that the kids rediscover and breathe new life into them.
Sadly, the latter rarely happens with my short-attention-spanned children. But, thankfully, my kids are very respectful of their toys, books, and other worldly possessions, making them excellent candidates to pass on to someone else (the toys, not the children!).
My son recently celebrated a birthday, which meant that the toy and book count in this house increased exponentially. What better time to explain the importance of being “Happy to pass it on” to the kids? We make a fun day of it. I have the kids go through their stuff and make three boxes:
- Keep
- Garbage/Recycle
- Happy to pass it on
Once the Happy to pass it on box is full, we hop in the car and take our beloved items down to Value Village to donate.
Added bonus: Once my kids found out that you receive a discount card for your next purchase, based on the amount of items you donate, they were ready to clear the contents of their rooms for a second VV run!
Not gonna lie, that was enough incentive for me to pass on the gorgeous pair of Steve Madden pumps that are just a smidge too small for me, that I’ve been holding hostage on the off chance that one day my feet shrink.
Once we’ve successfully dropped our items off at the donation center, we make a trip into the store to hunt out some new finds to use our newly acquired discount on.
This has turned into a fun family activity that we try to do at least once a month.
Next on the thrifting bucket list: repurpose a thrifted item into a fun family project! What’s been your best thrift store find? Have you been thrift shopping since before Macklemore made it cool?
Value Village is more than your favourite thrift store- they also support nonprofit organizations like Canadian Diabetes Association and Developmental Disabilities Association, among others, in your community. Remember to donate your reusable items to local nonprofits at Value Village! In addition to supporting the nonprofit, you’ll also be helping planet Earth. Value Village, Good n’ Thrifty!
Learn more: http://www.valuevillage.com/
Disclosure: This post was brought to you by Value Village via Mode Media Canada. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Value Village.
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