Tell me if this sounds familiar: you’re checking out the DVDs at a thrift store and come across a season of a TV show you love. But do you have this particular season already? You’re not sure, so you take a chance and buy it. When you get home, you realize you already had it.
This could have been avoided with a thrift wishlist. As mentioned in last week’s story, My Thrifted Cabinet, I have a thrift wishlist saved on my phone. I use the Keep Notes app, but any note-taking app will do.
Here are a few items I keep on my list.
The DVD scenario above is a big one. I only recently started getting into buying physical media again. After years of streaming, I decided that owning physical copies of my favourite TV shows was a good idea. The problem is that, with most shows having multiple seasons, it can be hard to keep track of which seasons you have and which ones you’re missing.
My thrift wishlist has a section titled “Missing Seasons” and then lists various shows and the seasons I am looking for. Gone are the days of buying multiple copies of the same season.
Another section on my list is the upgrade section. This section lists items I am hoping to find to replace items I already own, but in a more unique or one-of-a-kind version. My current list includes a new coffee table, a nightstand, kitchen chairs, and various smaller items.
I’m not in a big hurry to find these items, but a glance at my “upgrades” list before entering a thrift store helps me remember to check for these specific items.
A third, and maybe less obvious use for a thrift wishlist is to remind me to look for very specific, but somewhat random items. A battery charger for that digital camera you would like to start using again? New blinds that fit your kitchen window? How about that mug to complete a set?
True, these items can easily be found on Amazon, but where’s the fun in that? The thrill of the hunt is only one reason we love to thrift.
There are many other reasons to thrift. Thrifting helps us keep things out of landfills, for instance. By shopping off your thrift wishlist rather than your Amazon wishlist, you can help keep previously loved items out of the landfill.
Do you have a thrift wishlist? Do you keep one for reasons other than what I mentioned? I’d love to hear it!