🛒 to be patient, to thrift ♻️
Thrifting is a practice of patience! - 30 random things at age 30
Whenever I need something, my first instinct is to thrift it.
Why buy new when I can reuse existing items at a fraction of the cost?
Photo frames, decorations, kitchenware, furniture - you name it. I love my collection of mismatched hand-me-downs.
The choice is pretty obvious: A brand new plastic frame priced at CAD$75+ tax, or a vintage wooden frame priced at CAD$3.99
I know what quality feels like in a sea of polyester plastics. The laundry tag can quickly confirm my hunch! With clothing items, I prefer cotton, wool, silk and other types of natural fibres. Polyester and nylon can be great for sportswear, but I generally avoid these. I also avoid buying clothes with complex washing instructions. I do one dry cleaning run a year, it is not realistic to buy clothes that I simply cannot care for.
Long before stepping into the thrift shop, I developed a list with clear criteria and expectations on what I am looking for. Training myself to shop intentionally, to only buy something if it is EXACTLY what I need.
On weekends, I might hit up estate and garage sales. Going on the final day of sales always means I would get a wicked discount on whatever's left! Digging through boxes with an open mind. Even in broken items, I consider the potential for a DIY-fix/upcycling project.
Thrifting can be a consumption trap too.
Capitalism has normalized the need to consume more and more. There are no bounds to buying new and newer things. To me, thrifting is a practice of patience - to set deliberate boundaries between me and the capitalist economy. It must be about reducing production and refusing to buy into multibillion corporate propaganda.
I could purchase dozens of secondhand clothing that I never wear. Or immediately discard all broken items without trying to repair them. Buying secondhand does not automatically make me or my lifestyle more sustainable.
Always halt to question why I "need" something, when do I need it by, and how can I address this need by using available resources. Even while understanding my individual actions will not alone alter the exploitative status quo, I am becoming mindful about my habits and make conscious decisions on what I spend my hard-earned money on.
There is no ethical consumption in capitalism. However, there will always be ways to reduce harm.
📝 Reading List 📝
Eileen McGinnis
Lauren Mullen and Kate Huun
Welcome to Kong Girl Socialist's Yum Cha 飲茶 series — a flexible short-form blurb where I drop mini essays, reflections, and commentary.
Afternoon tea is a daily ritual of many Hongkongers! Not only to physically sip hot tea while munching on a snack, Yum Chat are social activities to 吹水 chit chat with your friends 🫖
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