The best things I've ever thrifted

This is a compilation of all the things I've ever thrifted, because thrifting gives me joy.

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[1] Porcelain Pourover

Original price: $20 - $30 CAD

Thrifted price: $2

Source: Value Village

I used to live with roommates and so they had a Keurig that we shared

There was also free coffee in the lobby at my apartment

So I never had my own coffee thing

But when I moved out I had minimal counter space

so I went with getting a pourover for space issues

Compare this to spending $20 (for a cheap coffee maker) to $100 (for a Keurig)

[2] Fall Peacoat (Generic Brand)

Original Price: $50 to $200 CAD (Generic Brand)

Thrifted price: $8

Source: Value Village

This is cheaper than my accompanying scarf, ngl

I bought my purple scarf on sale at Giant Tiger for $10

I think this was priced down for the flaw,

but the flaw was a tiny ballpoint pen line beside the inner pocket

and no one ... is gonna see that and I don't care also

I mostly don't care because

I would have done the same damage to the coat within weeks of having it anyway

so it was On Brand (tm)

[3] Knife Sharpener

Original Price: $10 to $55 CAD

Thrifted price: $3.99*

Source: Value Village

Note that it was 3.99 for a kitchen bundle*

that included:

- 2 potato peelers, 1 brand new (full price ~4 at Dollarama to $10 on amazon)

- 1 unidentified contraption, later identified as a cocktail strainer (full price ~$11)

I already have potato peelers and I don't need a cocktail strainer

so I'm fully gonna just re-donate these items a second time

I was defo happy to just pay 3.99 for the knife sharpener but whoa

I got all these extra items too

[4] Indoor/ Panini Grill

Original Price: $25

Thrifted price: $10

Source: Facebook page for university student

It was basically brand new

and I got it from a girl who posted it because

EACH of her roommates' parents bought their daughters their own panini grill

and they didn't need 4

I chose to get a panini grill over a toaster actually

because a toaster oven was too big and extra for bread (I have an oven)

and the bread toasters are single use

and I don't have the counterspace for single use items

so I toast my bread each morning in the panini grill

it makes great paninis

you can also do other things with a panini grill:

reverse bacon egg and cheese/ vegan tofu wrap/ steak negimaki/ grilled reuben pocket/ mango sticky rice cakes

grilled salmon and vegetables

bacon, pizza, even a whole chicken

steak

The best thing about a panini grill re: cooking steak is

IT COOKS FROM BOTH SIDES !!!!!!!!!!!

If you grill tofu sticks you only have to flip it once !!!!!!!!!!!

[5] Microwave

Original price: ?? a new microwave = $100 to $230

Thrifted price: $10

Source: facebook group for uni students

I had to include a visual of it (stolen from the internet)

because I had to illustrate how vintage it looked

(In that now taken down listing they sold it for $35)

For something so cheap this is so functional

that every day I'm just amazed and grateful at

how this beautiful machinery is still just chugging on

I don't think I would have the same sense

of daily gratitude for a completely new microwave tbh.

I'd probably resent every day that I spent $50+

on it and expect it to live up to my standards idk

It was made in the era of tv meals and microwave cooking

When items were made to last

And my fave part is they have specific buttons for:

- popcorn (okay, normal)

- frozen dinner (sure, makes sense for the time)

- reheat (yep)

- baked potato (this is oddly specific for me but I guess people love potatoes)

- rice (you can COOK RICE in a MICROWAVE?)

- soup (sure)

- fresh veg HARD (what)

- fresh veg SOFT (wait what)

- frozen veg (look, this is the 3rd setting for veggies what)

- fish, seafood (dear lord who cooks seafood in a microwave but ok)

- ground meat (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

- hot dog (yes, a whole setting, a whole button JUST for the hot dog)

[Honourable mentions]

• Really cute bell sleeved blouse

• Really cute floral summer dress

• Really cute short shorts that are too scandalous to wear in public bc I have long legs but are perfect for hot summers at home so I expose as much skin for sweat evaporation thank you

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also when I buy used I'm always like

SO GRATEFUL

that the previous owner treated an item

so lovingly and carefully that it's in mint condition

and to have donated the barely used item

to charity so money can go towards people in need

and tHEN

I CAN SNAG AN AMAZING DEAL AT A FRACTION OF THE COST

vs. when i buy from amazon

and it's not 100% perfect

im like fuck you 1 star, bad review, was smelly

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Note: None of these are affiliate links I am simply providing *evidence* for my claims of how expensive things are :)

I used to do Amazon Affiliate links but it ridiculously flopped relative to my previous Ebay affiliate stint so I am reflecting on my marketing strategy shhhhh. Might also blog about that later.

Towards a capsule wardrobe

Disclaimer: I am very very very far from this goal, but here is a) what I envision, b) what I had before today and c) what I just swapped to.

WHAT I ENVISION

• a capsule wardrobe that fits for work and casual

• every top can mix/match with every bottom

• have 1 special occasion piece that I rewear (probs black)

• have 2 of my fave summer dresses (note: that don't require special bras, i.e., not off-shoulder)

• one pair of boots (for winter + for fall + for rain)

• (when I move, have only minimal amount of stuff to move :0)

WHAT I HAD

tops

• work tops: primarily blouses and work shirts, I have an obscene number of work shirts now that I entirely only partially like. these were hung up in my tiny tiny closet

• other tops (pj tops): I too have an obscene number of tshirts

• other tops (sweaters and non-pj tops and dresses?): this "other" category of "miscellaneous" things that were NOT bottoms and specific to different contexts was all mixed together. needless to say, this wasn't working.

• the problem: other than the separated work tops, the rest of the "indoor" (i.e., pj) tops and "outdoor" (i.e., would wear in public) tops were folded in my below-bed drawers but mixed together. however, I found that instead of having the time to refold things every week, I would just leave it in one large pile and pick clothes out from the large pile, or from the drying rack loool

bottoms

• my other "below-bed" drawer contained "bottoms", which ranged from pj bottoms (mostly leggings), neutral jeans, flamboyantly coloured jeans (including light blue, pink, and purple)

socks

• i have one whole sock drawer and this sparks joy because they're all cutesy and i mismatch them.

• I don't fold my socks I just yeet them anywhere in the drawer. this only works because I've defined my entire personality on mismatched socks so I no longer do the ~konmari fold to match them up anymore

• i like mismatching the socks because I'm inserting that 0.2 ounces of chaos into my life when for the rest of my outfit i gotta be prim and proper.

• this system works

intimates

• yes, I'm going down into the deets

• if this bothers you, you 100% can skip this section

• although there's not much to say, I also just pretty much yeet my underwear in the front half of my intimates drawer and my bras folded and tucked away at the back

• idk if you see the theme of "yeet into drawer and don't fold" but keep that in mind. you'll hear more about it later.

shoes

• I didn't change anything re: shoes but will document here anyways

• I have a moderately reasonable amount of shoes

• flats (3x pairs): they're indoor shoes left @ lab, work, and practicum locations for the winter. my third pair's sole occasionally flaps open but I've taped it back together shh

• running shoes (1x pair): for normal day to day casual wear + if I ever work out, idk

• rainboots (1x pair): my second pair since moving here because I keep buying cheap ones. this one is a boxing day sale from forever 21, worth $10. these keep breaking and leaking and honestly I just gotta buckle down and invest in a pair of good ones.

• snowboots (1x pair): also a cheap pair, got them for $30ish dollars from the men's section (tangent: BECAUSE PAYLESS ONLY SOLD "fashion boots" for women and I wasn't about that life, I'm gonna get my degree and avoid getting a concussion from slipping on ice tyvm). These are weird because they leak but only if the temperature is >-1C and puddles are in slush /semi-melted format. They do not leak if it's below -1C. So, I actually wear my rainboots in the winter if it's in the single digit negatives.

• AS YOU CAN SEE THERE ARE SOME CRUCIAL FLAWS IN ALL OF MY SHOES but for now I'm just gonna make a mental note to save up for the next sales

WHAT I JUST SWAPPED TO

pjs

• all my pj items are now in one drawer, unfolded. unfolded, because no one cares if my pjs are wrinkly, and apparently i care very much about having to fold clothes and I'm about reducing that resistance and increasing efficiency more than ~appearances for something that no one is ever gonna see

• tops: mainly old tshirts, tshirt dresses, tank tops. all stuffed in a pile to the left. tank tops are middle-ish and tshirts are left-most so I can decide by temperature

• bottoms: mostly shorts and leggings and sweatpants, thrown into one pile but lowkey "gradient" style, with winter bottoms closer to the front and summer pjs closer to the back so I pick the warmer ones first and if desperate and laundry not washed, i'll wear the stuff towards the back. when summer hits the switch will be easy, I'll just push the pile to the front

• I actually borrowed this from my bf, who literally only wears white shirts and misc pj pants at home and has one (1) drawer for pjs. my pj tops are more varied but it doesn't matter if they match anything cuz im at home so this is a similar idea

work shirts/ sweaters/ dresses/ commonly worn bottoms

• these are now all hung up, so that even though they're in one location, it's easier to pick them out, and also easier to organize when I first put them in

• specifically, items go straight on the hangers when I first dry them out of the washer, and then when dry, I can insert them quickly into the sequence visually

• order goes: work shirts, "outdoor" sweaters, dresses (summer -> winter), my 3 most commonly worn pants + dress

• I think this is the beginning of my capsule wardrobe, because almost all items here pair with the pants

• there's some odd sweaters that are lowkey pilled/ very strange that probs won't sell on poshmark and probs won't even be thrifted, and I still like them moderately and will wear them to lab, so I'm keeping them for my casual days of writing/ grocery shopping

less commonly worn bottoms

• "the outdoor" bottoms, mostly jeans. now in the drawer that used to be just for bottoms.

• it's actually incredibly empty now but I still sorted them into columns

• column 1 (jeans I'll wear): jeans I moderately like but have small flaws in them, e.g., frayed ends (unprofessional), ripped jeans (too cold for <0C), blue jeans (weird jean texture).

• column 2 (formal/work bottoms): my backup skirt, my summer skort, dress pants. these are all work/prac wear that I don't wear as normal for various reasons (e.g., weather)

• column 3 (???): technically same as column 2, holding only one pair of really warm work-appropriate pants. they won't stand against other clothes and keeps pushing other ones over so it got its own column. the system isn't perfect lol

• column 4 (jeans that do not spark joy): pink jeans, purple jeans, light blue jeans, and the pair of high waisted jeans that constrict breathing because I am no longer as skinny as I was in 6th grade but I love these pair of jeans

• realistically, column 4 is on its way to being donated or sold on poshmark but I have yet to emotionally part with them (the high waisted pair) or I have to upcycle them in some way (the purple jeans have a hole in the crotch so I'll need to turn it into a bag or something)

• these are all folded using the konmari method because I won't be refolding these often and it helps to see what I have and what needs to be moved on into its next life as a donation or upcycled item

socks & intimates & shoes

• no change

• I have a couple of bras that have lost the wiring in the wash (for reals) and I want to get them recycled and I think one way is to donate them in the boxes because what's not sold is recycled (supposedly), but also find it really gross to donate a broken bra and want to do it in a way that it entirely skips the "potentially resold" phase. I'll have to look into how to recycle textiles at some point.

THE ENDING

As you can see, it's not very capsule at all, but I'm slowly moving clothing towards a "to sell" pile on poshmark (once I figure out how to find affordable ways to package things to be shipped). But it's a start. And I think the most important shift of this change this week was streamlining my chore routine so that I can focus on doing the things that I actually enjoy. And that's what really sparks joy.

life hack: vegetables edition

k, so you've bought vegetables because you feel like at this point of being an adult you should have some nutrients in your diet but those veggies have like a 0.2 day shelf life and go bad before you commit yourself to eat it all

bonus: it's -20C outside and you're definitely skipping grocery shopping this week and surviving on canned soup and noodles

I have 3 ways I've figure out how to minimize my guilty composting ritual of having to throw out entire bags of vegetables that you thought you'd eat.

[1] Pickled/fermented vegetables

• My fave examples: kimchi, pickles, pickled radish + carrots

• These go amazing as side dishes to rice, or on noodle bowls, and CONCEPT, I put kimchi and pickled radish/carrots in my sandwiches for a fusion twist

• Kimchi: k so ngl I don't make kimchi because unless you live in a diverse city it's hard to get the ingredients for these. It's also like a day-long process to make this so I usually actually just BUY kimchi. I personally buy kimchi from this lady at the farmer's market who grows a bunch of asian garlic and makes her own kimchi

• Pickled radish + carrots: This is actually really easy !!! And maybe takes 30 mins tops the first time. Carrots are also like a few dollars for a bag and vinegar is like $2 for a whole litre here. The ingredients are relatively cheap too!

[2] Frozen veggies

• If you're Gordon Ramsay, don't @ me, make this year the year we normalize buying frozen veggies because sometimes life is busy and hard and difficult and mostly you're just trying to keep your head on

• tl;dr it's okay,,,

• Goes great on noodle bowls tbh, and sometimes I even just microwave it according to the recipe. Look, at the end of a day when my code doesn't run or running 8 participants it's a-okay to just have a 5-min prep meal.

• #validation

[3] Growing vegetable scraps

• I put this third because I think sometimes people over-advertise what you CAN grow and what you can't

• KEEP IN MIND I HAVE KILLED MANY PLANTS IN MY LIFETIME because you can see, if I'm not responsible to buy vegetables on the regular I sure ain't watering them on the regular. bonus: I have absolutely definitely killed a plant that was supposed to be a "steel plant".

• Green onion: 100% of my green onions have survived. They can grow in just water (just change in frequently or it'll just rot) for a while; or you could get potting mix from the dollar store and grow it there. They grow REALLY fast, at least for me. For 5-6 stalks, I grow enough to put in an omelette like maybe 1-2x a week.

• Garlic: 120% grow rate. 120% because sometimes they're in the fridge with no sun or water and they grow anyways, which is kind of rude of them. So I end planting them and eating the shoots, which, full disclaimer, I have no idea if you can ??? There is no proof online that the shoots that grow from the garlic = garlic scape, and, people really shit on growing garlic shoots because the shoots are supposedly bitter. 1) I don't taste the bitterness, 2) it tastes like garlic to me and 3) I have not yet died from it. Disclaimer: that being said I don't want you to die from it so please just pretend I never wrote this long-winded paragraph oops

• Peppers: 62% grow rate. I have grown some from seeds at least 3x, and they have always grown, but never to fruition. Mostly, this is a long term relationship and usually in that long term relationship I have a 2 week period where I forget they're there and they shrivel up. I'm sure you can do better tho.

• Pumpkin: 34% grow rate. I grew some from seeds once and they make these cute long thicc stalks but die very quickly if you try to grow them in a smol pot indoors. 2/10, would not recommend unless you know what you're doing.

• Carrots: 50% grow rate. It doesn't regrow the carrot so you can't eat it but it's a cute plant ngl. I had one shrivel up and just dry out like spongebob from that one episode he visits Sandy the Squirrel though so that was kinda sad.

• Celery: 0% grow rate. Mostly just dried up and died. Probably wasn't doing it correctly. Not fool proof.

• Avocado: is a fruit. Also, 0% grow rate. Every time I save the pit and look up the instructions I end up just composting the pit because the steps needed to grow an avocado? WAYY too complicated for me. Go you if you managed to make this work.

• Basil/Cilantro/other herbs: Never tried but want to ???

Anyways if you have any other suggestions it would be HIGHLY APPRECIATED I hate wasting vegetables.

Ellen's suggestion (updated 2020-Jan-28)

• this is not in any way new or exciting but PIZZA

• pizza is my go to way of using veggie scraps

• make some dough and keep it in the freezer or just use like

• store bought naan or anything similar

• chuck on all the old veggies

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Resources

• Recipe for kimchi from Maangchi (my fave korean recipe youtuber)

• Recipe for pickled daikon + carrots (Vietnamese recipe)

• 25 other foods you can re-grow yourself from kitchen scraps