Everyday I'm Thriftin 2/3

Meredith Leigh, a 21 year old Temple University student is a regular thrift store shopper. "Since I’ve come to college, whenever I go shopping I go to the thrift store first to see if I can get what I need there." Leigh said. "All the time, I love them, I could stay in a thrift store forever. I dedicate long amounts of time to ‘thriftin’."

Many people have coined the word thrifting, as the activity itself has become a regular thing for college students on a budget. To people like Leigh, it is an enjoyable shopping experience.

"On the weekends, when I get my paycheck, I’ll go check out the thrift store on 22^nd and Market or the one around the corner from my house on 17^th street." said Leigh. "When I am stressing out it is the ultimate shopping therapy because I don't have to freak about spending huge amounts of money."

On average Meredith spends $30 dollars and it buys her around 10 items depending on the thrift store.

"My new favorite ones are the Salvation Army’s and Goodwills. Some of the Philly Goodwills can be a trek but they have the best deals" said Leigh. Simular to many thrifters, Leigh doesn’t mind spending time searching for things in the huge random lots of the Philadelphia second-hand stores because she finds her buys to be worth it in the end.

When discussing shopping second hand, there is a clear distinction between the Goodwill and Salvation Army shops and the vintage stores, such as Buffalo Exchange on Chestnut Street, a main shopping avenue in Philadelphia.

“Buffalo exchange has all the brand names that you would want but that’s not so important to me.” Leigh said on the issue of vintage. “On a special occasion I would still shop there though. I like how you know no one else will have your dress, and no, I don’t care at all that it’s been worn by someone else before.”

The taboo of used clothing has subsided a lot and almost completely in most avid thrift store shoppers like Leigh.

"Usually I bring them home and wash them first, other than that I don’t think twice about it.” Leigh explained. “Probably wouldn't use a bathing suit or underwear, but anything else I don't care about. I share clothes all the time."

When looking around at the college campus, one would be surprised how much of their wardrobe is actually from a thrift store of some sort. Leigh says this trend coincides with the hipster trend, but it isn’t why she personally is a religious thriftier.

"There are so many hipsters always swarming the thrift shops, but being a broke college student makes these stores the best place to get reasonably priced clothing which is actually pretty good quality.” Leigh said. “It’s not like buying new things that are cheap and cheaply made. I find good clothes at these shops that last me a while.”

Leigh's recent favorite finds.

Leigh will continue to make her rounds at the local thrift stores, occasionally looking out for special vintage items when she has a little more money in her wallet.