Thrifting has been a part of my life since the beginning of 2019. In high school, I began watching thrift trip videos on YouTube, which fueled my desire to learn more about the fun little activity. At the time, I was beginning to gain interest in revamping my closet, and felt that thrifting would be the perfect opportunity to do so. Not only was thrifting a safe and cheap alternative to playing around with my style, but it was also affordable especially as a high school student that had no idea how to dress. Though my first few thrifting trips and pickups were… interesting, to say the least, my style really began to form after attending UC Davis.
Moving to college was an adjustment, but being inspired by students around me and gaining inspiration from both online and offline presences really helped me formulate my own personal likes and dislikes. As a design student, I remember going into my design class and seeing all of the stylish outfits that my classmates would wear, which in turn, inspired me to start working on my fashion. Finding my own unique style while also embracing who I was seemed to be quite hard, and the first few months I was at Davis, I found it really hard to find the time to change my style. It wasn’t until I entered my second year of college that I started really testing the waters with my outfits. I began playing with my closet, donating old clothes to local thrift stores and charity shops, while also scavenging for deals at thrift stores in Davis. This started with little closet changes, where I would often play it safe and find basic tops and bottoms. As I became more bold throughout my second year, I began playing around with new colors and styles. Though my style was still basic, I felt like I was able to experiment a lot with my outfits and really put myself out there through thrifting.
To me, thrifting is like an adventure. Each piece is unique and you really never know what you can find going into each store. Because of this, my first time thrifting really kickstarted my love for second-hand shopping. By my third year at Davis, I began thrifting at least once a week, saving up my paycheck to go scavenging for my next find, seeking out bargains and vintage pieces. It wasn’t until this summer that I began decluttering my closet and really getting into thrifting, as I started donating and selling old clothing and taking my earnings and using them for new pieces. Thrifting became a passion of mine and I was quite literally obsessed with the process, the gratification, and the excitement of finding perfect pieces for my closet.
Thrifting is not only a fun activity for me, but also an outlet! As someone that loves to shop, thrifting is a perfect way for me to indulge in a fun, dopamine-inducing activity. The act of thrifting is stimulating, and allows for a lot of creative liberty and freedom. Having the freedom to find items that don’t necessarily have an exact purpose, but being able to give it a new home and find usages for them, has been rewarding in itself. There also isn’t as much pressure when finding items at the thrift store. In other words, there isn’t necessarily a specific goal that you have in mind when thrifting, which takes a lot of pressure off of having to find an exact item or piece of clothing. This allows for more exploration and sorting items without necessarily feeling rushed, which has been especially helpful with really diving into thrift stores.
Not only is thrifting for clothes fun, but you can find other household items and decorations as well! As someone that likes to switch out decorations for each major holiday and decorate depending on the season, I find that thrift stores often have the best, most affordable decorations! This allows me to not only find items for cheap, but also unique items that no one else has. For example, I found a chocolate-brown bubble textured vase that fits absolutely perfectly with the rest of my decorations. Not only was the vase cheap, but it also matches perfectly with my decor! It’s also a perfect alternative in case I need to move out, in that I can donate items after I’m done using them and feel guilt-free about my purchases.
Overall, thrifting has been a fun new hobby for me! Thrifting has allowed me to learn more about myself and play around with new novel ideas without breaking the bank. It’s also allowed me to get out of my comfort zone and try something new, as I had not had the chance to thrift before entering high school. As I continue to explore my own style through my clothing, apartment interior design, and self, I hope to pick up more tips and tricks to the trade!