Two Buck Thrift Finds vs. 2000 Calories

Oh, hell no...

Will it be dollar whoppers or whopping savings?

Well, for the price of two value menu hamburgers I found three lovely thrifted wares. Good thing for me I opted for the latter. I don't even want to consider how many Weight Watchers points two hamburgers packs in there. Ah, it's just as well. I'd rather be thrifting! 

Spectacled Owl plaque. 95 cents.

Vintage travel memoir by Paul Theroux. 35 cents.

Funky single bud vase. $1.25 

Whoa there. Wait a minute. Hold the phone. I said all this was two bucks, didn't I? Well if you check my math, the total from the Spectacled Owl to that funky green vase is $2.55. But did I mention that all this was bought from the Impact Thrift in Feasterville? With a grand opening surprise discount, I plucked a piece of paper out of the mystery savings bucket and was awarded 30% off my total. Woo woo! That means my total was was a whopping $1.79. That's even cheaper than two of those dollar burgers. And with all the thrift hunting, I likely even burned off some Weight Watchers points. Have it your way, indeed.

What have you thrifted for a $2 total?

Jackie Jardine: Thrift Store Academic

Book learnin' from a thrift shoppin' blogger.

Last week I was surprised to check my email and find a rather interesting request from a former professor of mine. Professor Atkins, a man I respect as both a mentor and a published writer, wanted me to be a guest speaker for his Editorial Writing class at Arcadia University. Since following Let's Go Thrifting through my Linkedin account, Professor Atkins was intrigued by my work and wanted his students to hear my experience and advice as a blogger. 

While at first I was flattered at being considered an expert in blogging, flattery was soon replaced with anxiety. What if these students have no interest in what I have to say? What if I'm bombarded with technical questions to which I have no answers? What if I stutter or fall flat on my face or forget to zip the fly on my pants? 

I soon put all that that aside and decided to share some of my experiences in blogging...and thrifting.  After making the journey to Glenside, PA and stepping into Boyer Hall, I took my place behind the podium and gave my first guest lecture as a professional blogger. I discussed the initial idea for Let's Go Thrifting, some of the problems I've encountered along the way and my plans for the future. I also shared some tips of the trade and discussed the need for a knowledge of social media as aspiring journalists. And to my surprise, I was greeted by students who were not just eager to learn about the blogging process as a journalistic tool, but eager to learn about my particular expertise...in thrifting! 

While I did obviously go into my specialized interest of thrift shopping as the topic of my blog, I tried to keep the lecture as something of a broader-based info session on blogging in general. And this was for two reasons:

1. I didn't want to bore what I thought would be a disinterested student body who couldn't care less about my penchant for finding the peculiar at the thrift store.
2. I was invited as a guest speaker on blogging for journalism students, not as a speaker on thrifting for potential shoppers.

But there were questions on blogging and thrifting alike. How often do you go thrifting? You were at the new Impact Thrift Store!? How does the thrift pricing policy work?


I was so excited at the opportunity to discuss thrifting with the students, before I knew it, class was over. And after the lecture, I was met with a warm applause, I was asked for specific help on some of the students' blogs and I even handed out a few business cards. I guess that makes me something of an expert. Who knew that documenting creepy clowns and strange vintage books could accredit me as a guest lecturer at Arcadia University and as a correspondent for the Impact Thrift Store opening in just these last few weeks? Exciting things are on the horizon for Let's Go Thrifting! And I'm so glad all of you can be a part of it. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing in my firsthand observations on wacky secondhand finds. 

Blog on and stay thrifty! 

~ Jackie J. 

The 7 Deadly Sins Of Thrifting

Repent, all ye greedy thrifters. 

When most people picture the average thrift shopper, they probably are thinking of an ecologically-friendly, price-savvy guy or gal who enjoys knowing that their dollars are going to serve a good cause in the community. 

There are, however, those who use and abuse thrift stores with awful acts of greed, ignorance and total disregard toward the establishment, staff and even other thrift shoppers.

Those who perpetrate these acts are likely committing at least one of...

The 7 Deadly Sins of Thrifting

1. Stealing. Stealing from a thrift store is robbing employees of a paycheck and the charities that thrift store supports.
2. Price Changing. Price changing is stealing. Pay the price that's marked or don't buy it.
3. Making a mess you expect others will clean up for you. If you knock a sweater off the hanger, pick it up and put it back. Don't leave it on the floor for someone else to step on.
4. "Shopping" from other people's carts. Accept the fact that someone may beat you to the punch and grab something you just love. Unless they put it back to the shelf, they have dibs. So don't take anything out of their cart on the sly.
5. Blocking the aisle with your cart. Intentionally blocking off an aisle of the store so you can scan the entire section undisturbed is just plain rude. If you end up blocking, clear a path if someone asks to squeeze past you. And hold the attitude when you do it. 
6. Disrespecting the staff. Arguing prices or getting sassy with the clerk unlocking the fitting room if you have more than the limit allows...is simply unacceptable behavior. How would you like it if these thrift employees hassled you when you were trying to work?
7. Condescension. Just because you may thrift for leisure and can maybe afford to shop elsewhere doesn't mean you have the right snub anyone in the vicinity. Also keep your negative opinions to yourself when it comes to what other thrifters are buying. If I'm buying a clown doll you think is hideous, chances are I know it's hideous... and that's why I'm buying it. 

I've been witness to some pretty disturbing thrifting behavior, and it's always disheartening to see. It's true that any job involving direct interaction with the public faces perils such as these. Employees and volunteers could likely tell you stories that would shock the hell out of you. Price haggling, shoplifting, physical if not verbal altercations between customers. It  happens. Yikes!  

But as I always say, thrift and let thrift. Don't cheat, lie, steal or be unbearably rude. Otherwise your thrift karma will be dangerously off-kilter, so much in fact, that you may be greeted with bare shelves and empty racks at thrift stores forever and ever until you come clean from your bad thrifting behavior. So be good little thrifters, ladies and gents. Be neat, buy honestly, donate and say hello to the staff while you're at it. 

What bad thrifting behavior have you witnessed? 

Welcome to Vintage Photo Friday!

Go ahead. Make him an offer he can't refuse. 

Since amassing not one, not two, but three photo albums from Goodwill in the past few months, I've decided to start a virtual tour of my blossoming collection. Each Friday from now until the foreseeable future when I may one day run out of photos to display, I will present you with Vintage Photo Friday, a collection of thrifted wonders to delight the eye and boggle the mind. These personal snapshots, polaroids,  group poses and candid moments of people who I never met will long live in our hearts here at Let's Go Thrifting! 

So sit down and stay for our weekly vintage viewing of visual proof that not only did shoulder pads, pillbox hats and floral frocks exist, but these fashionable folks are wearing them proudly.