5 Things I Will Only Buy Used (and 5 I Will Not)

There are now things I have discovered are so much smarter to buy used that I will never (ever) buy them new again. Here is my top 5 list:

1. Clothes
• Jeans are a hard thing to find used but with enough perseverance you can find anything at a thrift store and as most fashions are revivals of previous looks you can even be more authentic! + Halloween Costumes! 
2. Sheets
• So much cheaper to find sheets used. I recently upgraded to a California King bed that I inherited in a move and I was a little worried about finding sheets for this gargantuan. Lucky me I got the last set at St. Vincent de Paul's! 
3. Books
• Why would I ever want to buy a book again? I visit the library and second hand book stores for my literary needs. Where I thought it would be difficult was in University but I've usually wound up sharing a textbook with a few other people to avoid buying my own. 
4. Dishes

• Vintage and antique dishware can be found for pennies compared to newer items. You can often get a full set of dish't in perfect condition for less then the cost of a plate at the retail store. And super cute too! 
5. Designers
• Consignment! When I lived in Toronto my friends and I would save up for our yearly trip to the outlet malls in Niagara Falls. Not any more now that I have discovered the miracle that is consignment stores.  Not only do I find beautiful pieces, they are also wayyy less expensive then even the outlet prices will ever be. Take that big industry!

We all have our lines that we just wont cross, here is a list of mine when shopping at the thrift store and how I have become creative in finding alternatives

1. Pillows
• I still have not been able to get over the idea of buying used pillows that someone else has drueled into at night before you. Still what is a locavore to do? I have managed to inherit the pillows I currently have but it leaves me searching for a more sustainable solution to newer ones.
2. Shoes
• Ok, I will buy shoes like  high heals or flats used but maybe not walking shoes or Birkenstock's that have been worn in enough to remember their previous owner's steps... 
3. Underwear

• I will not buy underwear second hand and as a consequence am running very low on my supply. Instead I had these beauties hand made by my dear friend at Wolfe & Hardy Co. It may cost a bit more, but totally worth it in the long run. 
4. Makeup
• Used makeup just dosn't seem sanitary...On a recent trip I found this local homemade makeup company and I love the stuff I picked up! Check it out if you are in Seattle- Atomic Cosmetics
5. Hair Brush
• Dido with hair accessories 

Happy hunting, 

Melanie XX

"Everything I buy is vintage and smells funny. Maybe that's why I don't have a boyfriend." -Lucy Liu (and probably me too) 

Cracked!

I'd like to think I take care of my stuff. I've had my laptop going on 5 years, I still have cloths from high school and I've been wearing the same winter jacket since 2006. My motto has always been if it ain't broke don't fix it, so I am not frequently replacing things even when they have minor defects (like my iPod that doesn't have an on button anymore). My cell phone is a 6 year old iPhone 3g, for our 5th anniversary I bought it a new case even though it hasn't done the internet for the past 3 years so it hardly deserved it. It has definitely fallen before, survived 2 dips in the toilet (and subsequent rice baths), countless slip and falls and who knows how many times its been roughed up, but it still makes calls so I keep it around. So you can imagine I was quite upset when it fell out of my pocket last week while I was biking and the screen cracked! As if it wasn't enough of an issue reading the screen with lines all across it (I probably could have lived with that), the glass is now falling off in little pieces...I am thinking finally something has to be done. Hence the problem, if I replace the screen the parts can be purchased from a local business but will obviously be straight from China OR I can buy a used phone. I usually like to fix what I have instead of buying something new, but what is more local? HELP!!!!???

I've also been thinking about batteries lately, I will eventually need them, what do I do? What happens when Angela needs new bike parts? Some things you just can't get used... can you? This is where the limitations of a local lifestyle come into play, it's go big or go home in my house right now but I am not sure how long that will/can last!

XX Melanie

"To find better means of fixing the brain, we first need to achieve something more fundamental. We must understand how it works." -Sebastian Seung