Thrifting for a festive Lunar New Year celebration

Bowl with yellow dragon motif

Since moving to the Central Valley, I haven’t observed Tet or Lunar New Year with vibrant community celebrations. Growing up with a huge extended Vietnamese family, I have to admit that I miss the New Year brouhaha — the sound of older relatives cackling as they gamble, the feel of thick red envelopes padded with … Read more

Treasuring hand-me-downs and re-gifted pieces

Heart pendant necklace in a vintage tray

I’ve been in a real John Prine phase lately, and one of my favorite discoveries is “Souvenirs.” One reason why I love the thrift store is because I am constantly fascinated by the history of the objects that end up there.  Objects can never be experiences, of course, but it stirs something in me to … Read more

Thrifting for stationery

Rilakumma planner

Flashback to what seems like an entire lifetime ago, I worked as a junior marketer at a stationery e-commerce in my early 20s. While I eventually left that post after a year, it was there where I developed a lifelong appreciation for stationery, especially fancy luxury stationery. There is, admittedly, a lot of frivolity and … Read more

Thrifting by theme: How to thrift for the perfect pieces

Duck trinket

I approach thrifting like a treasure hunt, staying open to all of the wondrous possibilities that the thrift store holds. That said, I do find it useful to go into the store with some kind of mental framework for picking out pieces. It helps me avoid the all-too-common pitfall of hoarding stuff just because it’s … Read more

10 Thrifting New Year’s resolutions for 2024

Duck

My overarching ~thrifty~ goals for this New Year are to shop secondhand whenever possible and to cut down spending on things that don’t serve my lifestyle. As a self-employed writer, my income can really go through feast and famine cycles, so I like to be frugal even when I have ample savings. Shopping secondhand is … Read more

Thrifting kitchenware, tableware, and glassware

Teapot

I’m in a season of my life where I take immense pleasure in — perhaps even love — cooking. Just last week, I scoured my local Indian supermarkets for spices and whipped together a hearty potato chickpea spinach curry and chicken tikka masala. (Thank you, Food with Chetna!) Similar to gardening, preparing ingredients helps me … Read more

Thriftmas: Thrifting for Christmas decor, books, clothes, and more

Christmas books

Merry Thriftmas! Christmas is simply the most wonderful time of year at the thrift store. Christmas paraphernalia pops up at secondhand shops like clockwork after Halloween. I think this happens because holiday cheer is mostly concentrated in November and December — by mid-January, everyone is pretty much over the yuletide spirit and desperate to declutter … Read more

Thrifting on Small Business Saturday

Dog plate

Miraculously, I avoided Black Friday shopping altogether this year. While you don’t see hordes of people trampling over each other to clear out 80% off retail sales anymore, I still feel overwhelmed at big-box stores during peak holiday business hours, even in my sleepy part of northern California. I wasn’t going to subject myself to … Read more