I've been fortunate, in one sense, because I was raised without the need to appear in whatever the culture says is the current uniform and never had the suburban affliction of being afraid to be seen in Wal Marts and thrift stores.
The truth is I like to hunt for the bargains and there's a certain joy in finding something special in a shirt for less then three bucks. I have a whole wardrobe of Eddie Bauer stuff and I'd be surprised if I paid more than $30 for the whole lot. Last night I bought an Eddie Bauer sweater and shirt for less then $8 and a dress shirt for work, great condition and one wash away from being mine, for $2.99. It's amazing what people throw away and a wise person can capitalize on other's waste.
There's a morbid part of it for me as well as I can have a tendency to a black sense of humor and often call what I wear "dead guy shirts" because I know someone probably passed away, especially in the case of the better stuff, and I'm reaping what the family sowed. But such is the nature of things and I know that one day when I have shed away this mortal coil my clothes will also find their way to the thrift store. It's the circle of life don'tcha know and I feed in it now and it will feed on me later. Cue Elton John.
It's also kind of a protest against the way of things in this world. I get caught up in it, for sure, but sometimes I just like to stick a thumb in the eye of the idea that life is just a never ending round of purchases dictated by some folks somewhere out there in the ether who are labeled as "trend setters". They've convinced people to change and throw away not for the good but for the whim and I'll profit from their insanity by keeping both my head and my hard earned money in this man made hurricane.
Huzzah and excelsior! Fellow cheapskates and dissidents of the world unite. You have nothing to lose but your chains and you're one wash away from starving the beast.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
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It is strange how some people regard buying anything used as being somehow undignified and "cheap". The best shirts I ever had belonged to my long dead grandfather and were on my back for another 20 years. I find it odd that some people who have the fewest resources are the ones who seem most offended by hand-me-downs. We have a house that is filled with mementos of years gone by many of which would have been thrown out by others. What might look like junk after 5 years becomes a treasured keepsake after 50. This is why I love garage sales.
ReplyDeleteI've been a thrift store wardrobe shopper for over 40 years (and garage sales too). People throw away stuff I could never afford. Why wear "new" for 10-20 times the price when you can find barely used and well kept? Ego, mainly.
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