It’s unfortunate that life is increasingly unaffordable, but it’s an absolute win if we as a society shift to buying second hand and reusing things more often. I wish it wouldn’t be considered so shameful. Kids clothes in thrift stores are often in near new condition. We live in such a wasteful consumer society.
Those used clothes are often more expensive than new.
My wife and I try to shop for clothes for our kids at places like Once Upon a Child. We find George (Walmart) brand clothing there with prices higher than buying new at the local Walmart. There’s not a lot of incentive to recycle clothing when it’s priced like that.
Value Village is picked clean… There are some “vintage” clothing stores nearby as well… they are shockingly expensive.
It’s really difficult to try and recycle clothing and buy or source used clothing When it is priced at the same as or higher then brand new.
Have you tried a local Buy Nothing Group? Also can get a lot of stuff from kids clothing swaps.
I haven’t heard of this… took a look. There are two (Facebook) groups in the city I live in. I’d have to get a Facebook account to join. Hmmmm… will think about it. I’ve been avoiding Facebook since I disconnected from it a few years back.
Yes same. I wish people didn’t use Facebook. I keep mine around for some groups like this one, and sometimes for marketplace, but I’m not happy about it.
That said, Buy Nothing is super useful, both for getting free stuff but also for unloading stuff in a way where you have some reason to think that it won’t immediately go into a landfill.
Yeah I can see that being useful. We are planning to sell the house in about 18-24 months (assuming things don’t totally collapse) and will have to start clearing out the cruft at some point. Things not good enough for a Craigslist sale, but still has life left if someone is creative.
Still… sigh… Facebook…
I have noticed secondhand stores are getting more expensive. In my area, it’s still way cheaper for adults than new. For children, it’s more of a crapshoot, but it’s still hands down cheaper for more expensive durable items like coats, jackets, etc.
27 per cent of respondents said they will spend less on school supplies this year compared with previous years due to inflation
The one advantage of being mandated back to the office? Office supplies have a ton of overlap with school supplies!
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Inside, students, parents and community members were greeted by a spread of second-hand clothes, backpacks, shoes, boots and books.
Queen Elizabeth School was hosting its first-ever back-to-school shop, an initiative spearheaded by vice-principal Kyle Bishop and the owner of a local consignment store in nearby Riverview, N.B., called Ready, Set, Grow.
As inflation continues to put pressure on the cost of just about everything — from food to clothes to school supplies — Canadians across the country are preparing for the back-to-school season by turning to second-hand options as a way to save money.
A line snaked outside the entrance to the Cape Breton Regional Library in Sydney, N.S., one morning last week, as the branch hosted its first kids’ “clothing swap” — where a donation gets you a shopping voucher.
Jannette Vusich, assistant regional program co-ordinator at the library, previously organized two adult clothing swaps thanks to demand from patrons.
Thrifting has become trendy, especially among teenagers, she said, and people are generally looking for more sustainable alternatives to fast fashion — where cheap clothes are mass produced quickly and then discarded.
The original article contains 909 words, the summary contains 181 words. Saved 80%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
The cure for high prices is high prices.