Today, when the daily cost of living is seeing a surge thanks to inflation, people are striving to save money wherever they can.
Thrifting is becoming a popular shopping trend among woke millennials and Gen Z consumers. Thrifting in simple terms means shopping at a thrift store, flea markets or places where you find gently used items at discounted rates. It is also enabling people to make sustainable choices.
We all need to make room for new items, so what do you do with the ones you already have? You can sell it on various thrift platforms, provided they are in good condition and usable. This exercise in turn allows you more room for new items that you might want to own.
Aashna Hegde, an influencer with Nofiltr, mentions, “Most thrift stores offer extremely low prices compared to their retail counterparts. There’s no feeling that’s more rewarding than scoring an awesome second hand piece for a fraction of its original cost.”
Komal Hiranandani, founder of Dolce Vee, a store for vintage and thrift finds, says, “When you shop from a quality-assured platform, it’s an immensely fulfilling way to live. It’s not only kinder to the planet but also lighter on your pocket.”
Chef R U Kugaji believes that food and money are topics of great significance as they are investments in diverse ways and being thrifty is important on both fronts. “You can save a lot of money if you focus on not wasting food and stick to your food budget. Remember, we can save money without compromising on food quality. As a professional chef, I strongly believe and practice minimising food wastage as there is nothing like zero food wastage.”
Know your kitchen well to avoid the wastage of food items in monsoons. Try an eco-friendly approach to storing, cooking and consuming food ingredients/foods. Place a few bay leaves in glass airtight containers with whole spices. It keeps them dry and moisture free. Being sustainable in choices is good. Go local and seasonal for foods. Meal planning, along with being resourceful with leftovers, is mandatory. Growing your own herbs will help in the long run. Their freshness adds to the nutrition and flavour. It also prevents food wastage and saves money.
All said, it is also important that one is careful while picking up stuff from thrift stores. “It’s important to make sure the thrift platform is genuine. It’s also critical that the platform is quality-conscious so each piece is quality-checked,” Komal adds.
Aashna has seen quite a few thrift pages on Instagram and has picked up a few items during her travels abroad. “In India, I think online stores do much better compared to other countries. Whenever I travel, I love to go thrift shopping and explore local stores, especially vintage ones. In general, you always find something unique and over time build a sustainable and different wardrobe. It makes you shop with a purpose; you end up buying things that you see potential in and that you’ll make use of. Hence, less waste.”
Revealing her best buy, Komal reveals, “I have a pair of preloved baggy high-waist denim I wear at least once every week that I bought from Dolce Vee. The fact they were worn in a bit before they became mine made them all the softer and comfier. Different people have different thrifting styles. I also like pieces that are more worn in. After all, they had stories of their own before they came to me!”
Aashna says, “I’ve even got clothing from thrift stores in LA! I had a blast going through the pieces because they had so much fun stuff.”
Thrifting helps in respecting our planet. And using items already on earth before going for something new. Budgeting saves money and helps you stay away from impulse buying.
