Thrift Stores Help More Than the Poor

Where most people look for the nearest mall in their new communities, I look for the nearest thrift stores. I've been patronizing thrift stores for years, but it wasn't until recently ,when I started volunteering at my local thrift store, that I realized just how much is offered there and how much you can save. I also learned how thrift stores are helping the poor, besides offering used items at bargain prices.

If you have kids that are going back to school soon, don't think you have to give in and buy the latest designer clothing at the finest stores. In fact, just this weekend I saw a special on TV about the Dilly Sextuplets of Indiana, where I learned the Dilley kids have shopped for their back to school clothes since they started school. Recently, their parents, Becki and Keith Dilley, have been home schooling them. I have to commend this wise mom and dad of six, as not only are they giving their time to teach their kids, but they're also teaching them a valuable lessons in values.

The Dilleys are teaching their sextuplets that clothes don't make the man (or woman.) In other words, they're not giving in to name-brand clothes, but shopping at thrift shops. With six kids, it's probably imperative you do shop at thrift shops, but I see it as a blessing. These kids are growing up with the right values. My heart was warmed when I saw how these teenagers, who just turned 14, didn't balk at their parents shopping there. I believe this experience will pay off in later years, as they probably won't buy into the lie that "you can't be happy without the name-brand label or shopping at the trendy stores."

I've also learned that you don't have to be poor to shop at thrift stores---Most folks who shop in them just have a desire to stretch their money and live on a budget. Many are middle class---they just believe in saving money.