4 reasons I buy secondhand clothing
One of them, so that I can continue to be stay at home Mom for my three littles and afford 100% organic diet. It is absolutely crucial for health to eat Organic foods. But it can get pretty expensive which stops many from even trying. How I afford organic diet on one income?
My new toxin-free lifestyle lead me clearing my kitchen, makeup, and medicine cabinets of toxins and opened my eyes to many of the ways we’re exposed to environmental toxins on a daily basis, from cleaning products, to perfume and personal care.
And as it turns out – if you refuse to buy some of the toxic items and make your own DIY necessities like cleaning & personal care products, make your own medicine out of herbs, grow some of your own food… you save an unbelievable amount of money allowing you to spend it on more important purchases… such as organic produce!
And as it turns out, I also needed to look inside my closets.
And as it turns out, there are benefits all around in shopping secondhand!
1. used things Saves you Money!
A family of 5 that lives in 4 seasons, and on one military income, clothing can become a huge budget expense!
So, because I prefer to eat organic food than wear expensive and new clothes that are made in ethical and Earth friendly ways, I started shopping for secondhand Items.
Fashion is big and cool and some people are just disgusted by a thought to wear something that was worn before by someone else. May be you heard some bad stories or prefer to buy the latest designer clothing, or just don’t care.
I used to be all the above!
Until I watched The True Cost movie about the horrific ways that fashion impacts the environment and exploits people and animals, how Fast Fashion is one of the most corrupt and polluting industries in the world. These facts were just some hippy ideas floating around with no present and real life experiences to show for it until you see it with your own eyes… For some reason, I had just never made the connection before between my shopping habits and their effects.
I guess we all have different “moments of impact” in our lives that make us who we are today and how we changed our ways and thoughts over time.
Most sustainable choice with any type of good - is used,
because it doesn’t take any new resources to make and you are pulling it out of the waste stream. We shop for lots of things at thrift stores, except for items like underwear and socks. I keep all of our wardrobes minimal and choose natural fibers whenever possible.
I store my oldest son’s clothes and shoes that he grew out of to reuse it for my middle son when he grow into it. Then my littlest daughter gets some of his clothes, to wear around the house or outside, when expected to get dirty or pajamas, t-shirts. We welcome any hand-me-downs from friends and family, because those are the best in every way.
2. It’s Less toxic
While I was shopping for my own clothing at thrift store, I would still buy new things for my kids, because I thought they deserve better. Yes, my thinking was all “funny” back then!
Conventional cotton is grown with genetically modified seeds and sprayed heavily with Roundup (primary ingredient is glyphosate – highly neuro-disruptive water soluble toxin) ) and other toxic pesticides—and these stay in the fabric even after manufacturing. Many textiles also contain chlorine bleach, formaldehyde, VOCs (volatile organic compounds), PFCs (perfluorinated chemicals), ammonia, and/or other harmful chemicals. Add to that heavy metals, PVC, and resins, which are involved in dyeing and printing processes.
We can easily absorb toxins directly through our skin from the clothes.
All that is not a problem with used, natural fiber clothing.
And you can easily spot the quality since most of the things you come across has already been broken in, you can see what has it and what does not. Practical and affordable.
With secondhand things, my #1 concern is the mold. Although we don’t have the mold gene and do not react, it still is very toxic for anyone, so I always assume that there is mold in the thrift stores or homes the things came from and yard sales. Better safe than sorry.
Before I buy anything – I always think: How am I going to clean it? is it worth to do it?
Cloth items I clean on “heavy duty” cycle and rinse with a good amount of vinegar, then wash again and rinse 1-2 times, before drying outside.
Non-cloth things I spray with vinegar and put through dishwasher cycle on “hot”. If its a big item – I leave it outside for a while to air out and clean it before bringing it home.
3. It’s Earth-friendly and Helps charity.
“We Do Not Inherit the Earth from Our Ancestors;
We Borrow It from Our Children”
It feels good to recycle!!
If the people who owned my secondhand findings didn’t take the time to donate it or organize a garage sale and instead chose to toss it into a garbage – all these beautiful things now would be rotting in a landfill somewhere!
And so many beautiful, useful things are* rotting in millions of landfills posing damage to the environment, loss of habitat for animals, and pollution of natural resources.
Also your money staying in the community. Helping the charity or people that are trying to raise a buck on a garage sale is a good thing too. I never ever bargain for a price. If I feel like something is overpriced or I just don’t have the budget – I do not buy it.
That said – I confess that I do not stay away from buying new things if there is a need for it. Its just that now I don’t feel bad about either choice. I am trying to work towards the Zero-waste approach, but it is in progress and I don’t have much to brag about…yet.
Whatever the old or new thing you bring home though – make sure it’s needed, wash it thoroughly and have a happy life with it!
ZERO-waste Movement - what is it?
"Zero Waste is a philosophy that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused. The goal is for no trash to be sent to landfills or incinerators. The process recommended is one similar to the way that resources are reused in nature. The definition adopted by the Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA)"
This is very new to me and very exciting, because I think we absolutely must teach this to our kids! The plastic waste in the environment reaching or reached already it’s safe level (if there was a safe level in terms of how much toxins each of us sends into the earth!) and we have to do something to fix this!
My favorite resources to learn more about the Zero Waste ways of living
is the Eco Goddess Blog and her Youtube Channel: She is a Zero waste vegan and I learn a lot from her!
4. It’s a Treasure Hunt!
one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!
And I have so many true treasures from Thrifts stores, Yard sales and Hand-me-Downs that I love and cherish! From books to furniture items… And my precious silver that takes so much time to clean:
Other ways to save and move that cost towards Whole Organic foods & Herbs:
Take a good care of the things you own.
Repurpose. Patch up. Fix. Refinish.
Make it yourself. I can make lot of things myself. I would probably make everything myself if I only had the time! 🙂
Don’t buy high maintenance items such as “dry cleaning Only” clothes or too many things that require batteries…
Do not buy unless you need it!
Borrow what you only need once.
Don’t rent what you’ll use it more than once. Sometimes you’ll spend more on rent than on a purchase.
Sell or give away things that you do not need.
Request useful and needed items for birthdays and holidays from family instead of having them buying plastic toys and such.
Simplify your life. Learn to live with less and enjoy it. Take pleasure in your home and make it cozy and fun to be in so you’re not tempted to go out every night. Apply this approach to everything in your life: keep what you love and what brings you daily joy and cut out the rest.
Love a smaller and intentional wardrobe, kitchen, pantry, and living space without clatter and large mounts of laundry to fold all the time.
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2 thoughts on “My 4 reasons to buy secondhand clothing”
Wonderful and useful advice 🙂 everyone should strive for including myself;)
Thank you! 🙂 My next step is to strive for less waste! hopefully ZERO! 🙂