Thrifting is a popular method for saving money. Consumers can save up to $100 a year, in fact, just by replacing half of their new purchases with thrifted ones.
The monetary savings, while enticing, are not the only benefits of thrifting. Secondhand shoppers decorate their homes and fill their closets with unique and interesting items.
One Redditor received an eccentric and well-traveled vintage suitcase. They shared photos of the object on r/ThriftStoreHauls as well as a special, coincidental detail about the find.
The suitcase is adorned in stickers dating back to the 1950s and 1960s from Belgium, Italy, America, and more. It tells the story of an adventurous traveler, but the excitement does not stop there.
Near the suitcase's handle are the initials A.E.F.
"Those are my initials," the Redditor reported.
When their mom picked the piece up at a rummage sale, she thought of purchasing it for the poster. It wasn't until she was about to pay the mere $20 for the piece that she noticed the initials.
"I will be treasuring this piece and the fantasy of all its imagined histories and jet-setting jaunt-abouts for the rest of my days," the original poster said.
Such stories of serendipity are reason enough to buy secondhand. But not all shoppers are so lucky as to find pieces embellished with their initials.
Instead, shoppers find valuable clothing items, home decor, jewelry, and more. These finds, in their own way, are lucky, as shoppers inevitably will save money when they thrift.
TCD Picks » Upway Spotlight
💡Upway makes it easy to find discounts of up to 60% on premium e-bike brands
|
What's your primary motivation in shopping at thrift stores?
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Cheaper clothes 🤑 Not only this, but they keep usable items out of landfills and offset the need for production. Overproduction, however, is still a daunting reality.
According to the Institute of Sustainability Studies, overproduction costs manufacturers an unnecessary amount of money on unused goods and labor. Overproduction, too, creates more waste and waste-associated pollution.
The fashion industry, for example, contributes greatly to the issue of production waste. According to Vox, 8%-10% of global air pollution comes from the fashion industry. Many of the pieces produced, however, are not used.
1.92 million tonnes of the 100 billion textiles produced, in fact, end up in landfills annually, Earth.org reported.
The Reddit user and her thrifty mother made good use of a vintage item and kept it from being dumped. Commenters were amazed by the find.
"That's the find of a lifetime," one said.
Another, with whimsy, commented, "Chances are it was always yours."
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
