Thrifting

While we were on vacation, Ariel and I, along with the friends we were visiting went shopping. In case I haven’t said it 100 times already, I hate shopping. However, I’ve been known to shop if it’s a good thrift store and If Ariel comes with me.

You see, thrifting isn’t really shopping. Thifting is more like treasure hunting. You drive to a part of town where the rents are cheap. You enter store that looks like it hasn’t been painted it the last decade, or two. First, the smell hits you. If it’s nauseating, you turn and leave. If it smells like Great Aunt Millie’s house, you’ve hit the jackpot. An important fact to remember is that 99% of the stuff in the store is dreck. This is where the treasure hunting comes in. You have to find the one percent. I’m not skilled at this. You’d think that with Dutch blood and a tight pocketbook, I’d have the necessary skill set. I don’t. But Ariel does.

For example, I grab a couple of pairs of jeans. They fit. I look at Ariel. She says, “No. Those are Mom jeans.” I say, “But I’m a Mom.” Ariel says, “Not that kind of Mom.” I say, “Yeah, but—” Then, Ariel plays her trump card, “Dad will not like those jeans.” And she’s right. My friend hands me a pair of pants—they’re my size, they’re hip, a very good name, and cheap--$3. The pants were keepers.

My thrifting forte is shoes and purses. I found a cute pair of backless red heeled sandals for $3. And I found the mother lode in purses. First, you have to ignore the purses that should have been put in the garbage. Then you have to pass by the ones that are so big that they ought to have been labeled “luggage.” Finally, you have to steel yourself against the styles that were popular in the 80s and 90s. Then, you can find a brown, leather Tommy Hilfiger purse that’s never been used for $3.50. You can also find a deep red leather, snakeskin patterned purse that matches the cute red heels for $3.50. And then, when you hem and haw over whether you really need it, your precious daughter says, “Let me buy that for you.”

See, this is why I take her thrifting.




Here are the red heels. 

One more bit of news, my YA novel, Screwing Up Time, got another five star review on Amazon. Yay!