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Here is a really neat article that was forwarded to a natural foods co-op list that I am on in our local area:
Nothing New Here -- And That's the Point: In California 10 Friends Eschew Consumer Culture to Live Secondhand
I thought this was pretty interesting and I have not heard of the term "compactor" before to describe frugal living. These compactors have their own Yahoo Group as well.
Our family is quite accustomed to secondhand living since as we live on a tight budget. My eldest daughter and I are thrift store shoppers and we buy most of our family wardrobe at the local Goodwill. Most of the clothes we buy at the Goodwill are brand new and sometimes even come with tags because department stores donate in bulk to the Goodwill and receive tax deductions. Since we have been shopping at the Goodwill on a regular basis over the past few years, it is almost a culture shock for us to consider shopping at the mall.
For example, this week I turned 33 years old and for my birthday my mother-in-law sent me a $25 check. My daughters and I went to the local Goodwill and we were able to buy:
1 dress for our 4 year old which was a high quality, handsewn dress
1 brand-new with tags Aeropostle sweater for our eldest
1 brand-new Lord and Taylor long-sleeved t-shirt for me
1 brand-new Lane Bryant ribbed turtle-neck sweater
1 brand-new t-shirt to wear under my cardigans
1 like-new dressy long-sleeved t-shirt
1 like-new denim skirt
Each week, the Goodwill runs a special of 50% off of a certain color tag. So a few of the above items I was able to buy for $2 each. What a blessing and a bargain!
In contrast, a good friend recently blessed us with a $40 gift certificate to American Eagle. We buy AE clothes at the Goodwill sometimes and I have been pleased with the quality and durability of the items. Since we have not visited an AE store in the mall, we browsed online to see what we may be able to find. We were pretty shocked to find that we will only be able to pick up one sweater with $40. Wow, I cannot imagine shopping at the mall. It is just too expensive and not practical at all. I am really thankful for the gift card though and we are going to use it to buy my husband a new shirt for his upcoming job interviews. His employment is ending on December 31st and we are not certain yet what doors the Lord will open up for him to secure a new job. So he is busily preparing for interviews.
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