I consider myself a pretty discerning thrifter, but I let things slip through the cracks from time to time. Sometimes, I’m so eager to pick up a cool thrifted find that I don’t pay attention to the actual item I’m buying. (Especially if it is […]
Lifestyle
Thrifting for Christmas presents this year
I’ve resolved to thrift for Christmas gifts this year. After years of burning money on Black Friday impulse buys from online sales, I’ve decided that I want to pamper my loved ones with thoughtful, high-quality gifts this time around. I’m trying to make Thriftmas happen […]
Setting up a reading journal
No, I don’t have a reading journal for school — I’m just a grown woman who really likes to document her literary escapades. At the end of last year, I channeled my inner geeky fourth grader and started keeping a reading log in a slim […]
Exploring thrift stores in Modesto, CA – a tour down McHenry Avenue
I know I’ve become a small-town mouse because a trip to Modesto is a big city excursion for me. As much as I love shopping around the thrift stores near me, I also like to venture out of my tiny nook in the Central Valley […]
Thrifting in San Jose and Livermore, CA
It’s been a minute since my last Bay Area thrifting trip — about a year, to be exact. Since I have fantastic thrift stores near me, I haven’t felt particularly inclined to make the drive up to the South Bay. Still, it’s always a fun […]
Cleaning and conditioning thrifted leather handbags
In the early days of the pandemic, I found a knockoff Prada(?) faux leather bag at Goodwill for $4. After a few solid years of use (and many compliments, I might add), a handle ripped off, and I was forced to search for a new […]
Going on used book shopping adventures
Hands down, one of my favorite things about living in the Central Valley is the Great Valley Bookfest. I came across it while coming back home from a date a few years ago, and I’ve been making an active effort to attend every year! (Is […]
Curating a gallery wall with dog-inspired art
Once I fall in love with something, I fall in love with it hard — attribute this tendency to my Venus in Libra, if you will. I absolutely went bonkers with all things dogs once I became a pup parent. If you sift through my […]
Thrifting for vintage treasures: My recent thrift finds
I’ve been an avid secondhand shopper since, well, forever. I grew up piggyback riding my dad at the West Wind Capitol Flea Market every weekend and later discovered the magic of thrift stores and consignment shops in college. On my first day of college, I […]
Brewing jujube tea from homegrown, sun-dried jujubes for the perfect autumn beverage
When I worked in downtown Oakland in college, I’d occasionally return to my quaint Berkeley studio with a huge plastic bag of jujubes from Chinatown. I never really ate jujubes growing up (we were really more of a longan family), but I decided to pick […]
