Do You Think I Should Try It On?

"Do you think I should try it on?" It's one of the questions I overhear the most. Why? I'm a thrift store junkie. I will comb the thrift stores all day, in search of that perfect score - that amazing dress, that awesome toy from my childhood, the perfect piece of furniture. And books. So many books, left to their own devices to dance among the shelves of discarded media and literature.

If you have to ask, the answer is yes. If you aren't sure - you should try it on. One of the first things I learned about thrift store shopping is that a bargain isn't a bargain if you'll never wear the item or use it. It's a waste. And thrifting is all about cutting out waste. So if you have to ask, you should definitely try it on.

Oh yes, I've learned this the hard way. There's the red satin ballgown that fits like a dream - everywhere except the ribcage. I can lose weight, I can tuck and suck and hide a million bodily imperfections - but I am not a snake, and I cannot change the size of my ribcage. Lesson learned. It's still sitting in my bathroom, waiting for me to alter it or turn it into something new. I just don't have the heart to wrestle it into something new - it's too pretty. So it sits, unused.

"Do you think it's safe to use?" Well, that's a loaded question. It depends on what the item is. Some stores take the time to test the items they sell - a locally owned thrift store called Re-Use industries does this all the time. If I buy a hair straightener from 1983 from Re-Use, I know the cord won't catch fire. And they let customers plug in items in-store. Other stores aren't so safety-minded. I bought a toaster from the Salvation Army several years ago in preparation for my trek to college. I plugged it in, and it promptly took to flames. Lesson learned.

"Why would you buy THAT used?" The "that" could refer to anything - silverware, underwear, socks, shoes, washcloths. Anything of a personal nature that comes into contact with a vital part of your body. I have my limits. I won't buy panties at the thrift store. I don't care if I can bleach and wash or even autoclave those suckers. I won't do it. Bras, on the other hand, I don't have a problem buying second hand if they look new and are in good shape and appear fairly clean. Socks I won't buy to wear, but I'll use for craft projects. A girl can never have too many sock monkeys laying around.

Non-porous items - plastic, metal, glass utensils and cooking items aren't a problem for me. Mainly because I don't know where they've been or what they've been subjected to. Someone could have shit in that teapot, for all I know. But I don't know - and a good dose of hot water and bleach takes care of it for me.

If I know what the food preparation item has been through, I won't snag it used. I don't just thrift, I also engage in an art known as "Dumpster Diving." I dig through trash. People throw away too many useful, functional items. My landlord asked me to clear out the apartment below mine when the tenants ditched town - they were heroin addicts and all manner of shady. I kept welding gloves on the entire time and had a magnet to pick up the needles so I wouldn't get stabbed. I scored a lot of awesome furniture from their place. I also picked up an antique teapot. That teapot was grimy when I got it. It's been cleaned, but I still haven't used it. It's a waste - but I can't bring myself to get rid of it. Maybe soon, but not today.

And when I do decide to get rid of these thrift store and dumpster diving failures, I know exactly where they'll go. They'll go to a grassroots effort known as Freecycle. Freecycle allows people to give away items - for free. Someone always needs something. why not save it from a landfill?

I post this mostly because I live in an area surrounded by college students. We have two colleges - the local technical college that's a lot more blue-collar and Ohio University, where the rich kids come to party and play. Dormitory move-outs just happened this past week. The towns in this area are TEEMING with new, almost new, brand new, perfect items that were just discarded. Thrown out. Pushed away. I didn't dumpster dive this year on campus, because the police were arresting people for....stealing trash.

I did scour the thrift stores. And here is what I snagged:

Books. Lots of books. So many books it makes my head hurt. My computer has a catalog of all the books I own, my entire library. It has tripled in size since the students moved out.

Pajamas. Brand new pajamas. With tags on them. That makes me sad, but oh-so-very happy. I get the comfort of Victoria's Secret without the price-tag. Well, I have the price tag. I just didn't pay the price. That's the real secret.

Board games. We play a lot of board games. It makes things interesting, since we don't have cable and don't watch television, except online, if we really have something we want to see.

Craft supplies. It amazes me what I can find to fuel my crafting habit.

An old steamer trunk. We had to crack the lock open in-store, because there was no key. I bought it for my husband, since he wanted one like mine. His is old, battered and beat up. Just the way steamer trunks should be.

The score of the day, though, had to be the pet carriers. I work with my local humane society. We do a lot of trap/neuter/release. There are NEVER enough cat carriers to go around. And I found about 10 of them for $1 each. I'm going to have to sterilize them - I don't know the status of the cats who rode in them previously. But I'm okay with that. Because it means I can help more of the kitties in this county. I'm about to embark on a TNR for 37 cats...37! It's going to take a lot of traps, a lot of time, a lot of patience and a LOT of carriers.

Do you need to try it on? Yes. Do you need to buy it? No. But it sure is fun.