Last Thursday, I went thrifting to one thrift shop for some camisoles, a pair of jeans and two pairs of shorts for the summer and came home with 23 clothing items! YIKES!
Just when I thought I was moving forward, I take several steps backwards! It was so easy to revert back to my old ways that I didn't even notice it happen until she rung up the entire pile and then counted each item out loud to check it against the receipt!
I was floored! 23 items! It didn't look like 23 items and even though it was all 40% off, it still hurt my wallet! I returned home dazed, confused, unable to explain myself and more than a little disappointed!
I started to rationalize and put things in piles. I had 4 piles: a return pile, a keep pile, a maybe pile and a "what was I thinking" pile. The return pile only had one item in it.
After I tried them on, I had most of them in the return pile, which was exhausting because then I felt as though I wasted a whole lot of time.
Then I decided to just focus on the "what in the world" pile. Three of them were extra large too big for me! Then I clued myself in, I bought them not for the clothes, but for the fabric! One was 100% silk and cheaper than buying distressed silk ribbon. Another would be good for applique and the last would be good for night scene sewing collage or yoyo projects.
I know it's not a pretty scene, but I did get enough camisoles to last me at least the rest of the year. They don't seem to be making ones with the extra bra type lining, so I bought enough to double up each day for four days and kept 5 other items.
I can rationalize my purchases forever, but...
Anyways, long story shorter, I returned 8 items and found out I hadn't been to the thrift shop in over a year because I was surprised to find they only give store credit now! So now I have money to spare there, which isn't helping my hoarding ways!
The final return pile is on the desk and the "keep" pile is heaped on the chair:
What I Learned:
1. As a recovering hoarder, I now see I have a issues with space and quantity. A little pile that fits into a child seat of a grocery cart is actually a trash can sized bag and not a little pile! And just because it's 40% off doesn't mean it's going to cost $20 bucks at a thrift store anymore!
And I should read shop return policies and only thrift at shops with changing booths because it's such a hassle to return items, like waiting for the store manager for over 10 minutes., their system being down, her reading my receipt with a magnifying glass and typing in the wrong numbers often enough for the line to get long and causing the people behind me to sigh!
And then on top of it all---getting store credit and ending up shopping some more!
2. And what did I buy there today? Five vintage books! I love books. Anyways, I will read them and then list them on my Etsy shops! or donate them to the community library down the street from me.
3, At least on the bright side, I am recycling or reusing and saved some mula, instead of buying new and I did buy 100% cotton and cotton silk blends, since cotton camisoles seem to be extinct at Target.
4. If I go thrifting again, I need a time limit, quantity limit and a dollar limit. It's really difficult for me as a recovering hoarder to stay focused on buying "just" what I need.
Hoarder Inspiration or Desperation? It's a little of both. At least I can most likely resell the books and break even. And after the shock, it's nice to accept my weaknesses and realize I used to shop like this once or twice a week and not bat an eye about it!
Also, even though I figured out that I shop with potential in mind for many of the items, it's overwhelming in the sense, that these projects I have in mind for them have been turning into piles of hoard for years!
And lastly, I have to remind myself that a bargain is not a bargain if I bring it home and it just adds to my pile of hoard! I really need to identify and retract the feeling of "it's not going to be here next week, so buy it now" and change my mentality to "it's okay, how many things have I passed up now as a recovering hoarder and not felt regret?"
Solution? For my shopping? I'm not sure what the solution for me is at the moment, except ban myself from thrifting again and chalk up the store credit as a loss, however I do need a pair of shorts for the summer....
Thank you Etsyians for sharing your stories and helping me realize and focus on the reasons, complications and viscous stress cycles of my hoarding ways!
Thank you Etsy for helping me disperse my ever evolving hoard! 292 items have found better lives and new homes! Check out my new hoard listed daily by clicking on the shop names, VintageToGoEtsy, HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things!
Thank you US, France, Germany, Spain, UK, Mexico, Netherlands, Canada, Poland, Ireland and Ukraine for your visits today and over the weekend. Your visits encourage me to keep going with my HoarderRehab, despite myself!
Related Stories:
1. Remember to find different stress release, besides shopping and soon! Read about my Melt Down six months ago here
2. The aftermath of my Melt Down and using retail therapy as Happy Easy Stress Relief! Read Part 1, here, Part 2 and Part 3, by clicking on the links.
3. How I have difficulties buying "just" one! "What to do when one is not enough and two is too many?" A buying spree fiasco that turned out all right, but now that I look back, it's taken over 6 months for those books to sell. Oh my! I'm seeing a pattern or connection that I need to start managing! Read the story here
4. My first epiphany that my bargain buying was attributing to my hoard, "A Sale, A Bargain, A Deal: A Hoarder's Dream until it turns into a nightmare!" Click on the highlighted link to read it.
Speaking of toothbrushes, I don't even use a conventional one anymore! I'm allergic to many things and the plastic was making my mouth itch, so now I use an organic toothbrush or twig called Miswak. I know if I was still teaching we'd have to try a "battle" of the fittest toothbrush test and compare the Miswak twig with the conventional toothbrush. Here's my pros and cons about it here and an update here. I wish I had found Miswak earlier!