a blog all about thrifting
Tips and tricks on how to thrift for different items, plus reviews of thrift stores in Northern California, particularly thrift stores in the Bay Area and the Central Valley.
Beyond the thrill of a great deal, there’s a lot to love about thrifting. Of course, there’s the fact that buying secondhand leaves a smaller carbon footprint. For me, personally, I love the idea that a vintage item at the thrift store had an entire life of its own before I crossed paths with it. … Read more
Autumn is a gloriously overstimulating time of year at the thrift store. Everything is a smorgasbord of jack-o-lantern neon orange and muted pumpkin pie filling burnt orange. Nylon puffy jackets and woolly vintage grandma sweaters are back on display. In the background, you might hear half-working Halloween animatronics playing on a loop while Adele belts … Read more
I’m not sure where time has gone, but it’s somehow mid-April already! Gray skies and mild breezes are still afoot, but those dreadful downpours are finally behind us – I hope. The unpredictable weather has posed a sartorial challenge for sure. But it’s also been a fun creative challenge to assemble thrifted spring outfits for … Read more
One of my biggest barriers to ever becoming a true minimalist is my love for hoarding physical media. I’m incurably obsessed with secondhand shopping for CDs and DVDs. Holding a tangible CD or DVD case in my hands makes me feel like an archivist of a waning culture. (And when I’m collecting cassette tapes, a … Read more
What I love about wicker baskets is that they’re somehow both down-to-earth and fanciful. On the one hand, they have a humble texture that reveals its age with time. But on the other hand, doesn’t it feel kind of whimsical and romantic to use a woven basket when you could simply toss your stuff into … Read more
I simply adore libraries. They’re such wonderful third spaces for free community events, workshops, and resources. And of course, there are the books. Whether you’re partial to obscure antiquarian reads or the latest BookTok titles, you can enjoy everything for free. As a thrifty bookworm, I also love checking out library book sales, which are usually … Read more
As the rain hammered down this past gray February weekend, I made my quarterly pilgrimage to Modesto for a much-needed thrifting trip out of town. I didn’t find much at Goodwill, but I had a blast yet again perusing the endless aisles at the Mad Monk. I first came across Mad Monk when I lived … Read more
Every so often, my thrifted finds need something extra to be displayed properly. Specifically, I’ve been in need of plate hangers and a frame for a while. But my workload has been ramping up this month, so I haven’t felt motivated enough to dig through thrift store craft bins for these very particular supplies, despite … Read more
It’s that time of year again, when I experience cabin fever from endless rainy days spent inside and begin decluttering with reckless abandon. I’m too attached to my trinkets and tchotchkes to part ways with them right now, but my clothes have been fair game for purging these past few weeks. Lately, I’ve become fond … Read more
With the bitter chill in the air and the steady downpour of rain, it certainly doesn’t feel like spring is coming anytime soon to my nook of the Central Valley. But every now and then, I get a glimpse of sunshine that reminds me that the subtle warmth of early spring isn’t too far away. … Read more
