After my accidental 'no buy July' last month, I've realised I don't really need much for my wardrobe. I'd like to refresh my sleepwear and add in a couple of tees but this month I shifted my thrifting focus. I've been on the look out for homewares and furniture for my apartment, and plant stands and big pots for my plant collection.
Purchases I made in August:
Large Plant Pot from a charity shop - £3
The Gold Plated House Plant Expert by D. G. Hessayon from eBay - £2.99
Vintage Side Table from a charity shop - £5
Two Cushions from a charity shop - £4
Shorts from a charity shop - £3
I picked up a couple of cushions for £2 each from a charity shop. I gave them a wash (although they didn’t look like they needed it) and I spent a little time de-pilling them. It made me wonder if the reason they were donated to the charity shop was because they were starting to look a little worn. After some care, they looked brand new again. Although I'm typically colour shy, I liked the patterns and mustard colour that matches our wooden furniture.
I have so many plants now, I need to get more intentional about their styling. Plant pots are usually expensive but in charity shops they’re rarely more than £5. Finding large pots is tricky though and I haven’t been very lucky. I did find a lovely square planter and a little side table, which I'm going to use to style plants on. After a thorough wipe down with disinfectant, the table looked much better than it had in the shop and for £5 it was a bargain.
One thing my wardrobe was missing was shorts but I never thought I'd be able to thrift a pair that suited me. Surprisingly, I found a pair of pretty standard cotton shorts, the kind you'd wear for P.E. class for £3 and they fit like a dream! I purchased them for wearing on holiday or on super hot days, and for lounging at home. Since the waistband fit perfectly, I sewed up the little splits to disguise the missing drawstring and they were ready to wear.
I purchased a second-hand copy of The Gold Plated House Plant Expert, the bible of the houseplant world, and passed my standard copy onto a friend. It's been a really useful resource when caring for my plants and the gold plated version includes a lot more information.
It's been so great hearing from those of you who have joined me in my A Year Of Second-Hand Challenge! We're over half-way through, how are you finding it? What have your best thrift finds? Are you thinking of doing any other challenges, like a no buy month or spending ban?