By LEAH FREDRIKS
Sheridan High School Student
The Sheridan Student Column is brought to readers by Sheridan High School’s 10th grade English class, taught by Abby Williams.
Did you know that according to data gathered by the U.S. Census Bureau, only 16 to 18 percent of Americans per year will buy something from a thrift store?
Thrift shopping is starting to become a more popular form of shopping, rather than buying from chain stores or suspicious websites. Going thrift shopping has many benefits, such as reducing waste, saving money, and finding cute things. It’s the best form of saving the environment and getting cute clothes at the same time.
Thrift shopping doesn’t have to be just going to your local Goodwill and looking through a rack of old T-shirts with holes in them. One search on the internet and you can find stores around you with things in great condition that are second-hand.
You can also find stores with specific items you like, and it doesn’t have to just be clothes. You can thrift decorations, furniture, and even appliances that fit your style at good prices.
Thrift shopping is one of the best ways to help the environment. Making brand new clothes uses hundreds of gallons of water and a ton of energy. According to my.neighbor.org, it takes at least 400 gallons to grow enough cotton to make one shirt, and at least 1,800 gallons to make one pair of jeans. Buying second-hand would help to slow down the production of some of those clothes and save that water.
When clothes get thrown away in landfills, it takes months for them to break down. According to cincinnatigoodwill.org, “In the United States, individuals throw out 60 to 80 pounds of textile waste each year.” That is an incredible amount for a single person to waste. It is so easy to just find a few thrift stores near you that you can buy clothes from that you like and are much cheaper than they would be at retail stores.
If none of the other benefits of thrift shopping interest you, consider the fact that it saves you massive amounts of money. Buying something second-hand doesn’t mean it’s going to be bad quality or not work; however, it does mean it’s going to be considerably cheaper than it was before. The website hennepin.us says, “You can often find second hand goods up to 50% cheaper than you could if you were buying new.” Even thrift stores have sales all the time that make the items even cheaper than they were.
It’s crazy how easy it is to save a ton of money, find cute new things, and help save the environment all at the same time.