Reflection

In a thrifted outfit at a work event

For over a year now, I've been trying to buy used items whenever possible, including clothes, and I've pretty much stuck to this goal. These are some of the exceptions that I've found to buying used clothes:

• Pants. I rarely find any, especially jeans, that fit my needs so this year I bought 3 pair of new jeans
• Underwear. Nope, I'm not going there
• Shoes. At first I thought I' have to buy shoes new since I wear a hard-to-find size. However, I did buy a few pair that were clean and like new - and comfortable. I also bought a new pair of knee-high boots to wear with jeans (I got these on ebay - does that count as used?) and a pair of amazingly comfortable dress sandals that I bought to wear for walking on our vacation (this turned out to be a smart move as I walked miles in them without a single blister)

Otherwise, I ended up purchasing an entire work and casual wardrobe from thrift and consignment stores this year. I did make a few mistakes, but for the amount spent, I'm not crying about wasted money.

I'm keeping my commitment to used as it's a winning proposition - acquiring nice but very inexpensive clothes, nixing support of sweatshop labor, and keeping clothes out of landfill.

Have a great day!