Still finding treasure at the Salvation Army

Before up-cycling became a word, I was scouting thrift stores and garage sales for treasures. Back then my friends and I didn’t know we had a carbon footprint in need of reduction. The appeal was finding something valuable at a bargain price.

It was the best feeling to find Guess, Polo, or Lacoste clothing for a few bucks at the Salvation Army. And if we couldn’t find anything with a popular logo on it, we snagged a good used flannel shirt or a warm sweatshirt to wear around the farm.

Now my teenagers enjoy thrift store shopping just like I did at their age. They find things to wear to school and they have also discovered that thrift shops are a great place to find used clothing for farm work. Speaking of farm wear, the farm look has even become a clothing trend (i.e. old Pioneer seed coats, hats, or anything with an out-of-date logo on it).

Holiday sweaters are also popular for ‘ugly’ sweater days and parties. (Keep in mind that ‘ugly’ depends on your perspective and try not to be offended if a young person in your life asks to borrow the Christmas sweater you wore last season.) According to the manager of the Aberdeen Salvation Army thrift store, “We can’t keep Christmas sweaters on the shelves.”

Meanwhile I still haven’t outgrown my love for shopping second hand and I probably never will.

When I saw a grouping of used neckties this past January, I knew the pop of color and fun designs would fit well at our son’s upcoming graduation reception. Glancing over the shelves of knick knacks, I