Thrifting—Re-gifting—and Keeping It All In Perspective
I am in the stage of my life when I do not particularly want to add more “things” to my life. I have no desire for tchatchke’s that require dusting. I’m now retired, so I am not purchasing new “professional” clothes. My living space is downsized, so reducing clutter helps to keep my space tidy. PLUS...so many material things already exist in our world! Whenever I walk into any store, I am gobsmacked by the sheer volume of stuff.
At the same time and as the late fall/early winter holiday season approaches, I also am deep into considering gifts for the people who are most important in my life. Some of those treasured family members may want “things”...but most do not. That said, growing children and grandchildren always need bigger sizes, so shopping for them is helpful to young families. The place I like for second-hand clothes for children is Once Upon a Child, which has lots of gently worn kids’ clothes in all sizes: https://www.onceuponachild.com
Thankfully, the people for whom I purchase gifts are champion thrifters and welcome second-hand items. They also have accepted some of my personal things (jewelry...a few things that belonged to my mom or dad) that I have weeded out of my life. Since my husband has migrated our photographs into digital frames (which we love), I have begun to dismantle old photo albums and am labeling pictures and have created separate (paper) envelopes that I am filling with old pics for my daughter, nieces, and nephews (while also tossing fuzzy pictures, pictures of people I don’t know, endless landscape pics, etc.). I also have been choosing gently worn clothes to re-gift to a variety of people, including homeless folks who can use a good, warm winter coat, hat, and gloves, etc. One place I particularly like is Haven of Rest: https://havenofrest.org/.
And then there are books. Since my bookcases are overflowing, a book has to be really special for me to purchase it (any new publications by Margaret Atwood, Barbara Kingsolver, Maggie O’Farrell, and Isabel Allende), and I have been giving away some books in my collection (I give them to people I know will love the books and also sell them back to my favorite second-hand bookstore: Last Exit Books in Kent, Ohio. Here is a link to their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.phpid=100071593132885
Having (mostly) freed myself from more book purchases, I happily now e-borrow many books from my local library’s Libby system, which offers (for free) e- and audio books. Here is the app for Libby: https://www.overdrive.com/apps/libby
This whole thing of gifting, re-gifting, donating is a freeing experience for me. As TV commercials for startlingly exorbitant gifts are rearing their ugly heads (think: giving someone a car! Holy Cow!), I’m glad to not jump on that particular bandwagon, choosing to express my love to the people who matter most in my life in more personal ways.
