I started thrifting my clothes in 2017, my sophomore year of high school. At the time I enjoyed painting and re-designing thrifted clothes, and it became a hobby of mine. As I researched different ways to design the clothes, I learned how important thrift shopping really was. In the age of fast fashion and changing styles for each season, consumers are quick to buy new clothes for every season. This can cost between $60-$300 depending on where you shop. I am a broke college student and I definitely don’t have an extra $300 lying around for when I want to buy new clothes. When I go to a thrift store, I am able to buy a lot for little. For example, I went thrifting the other day and got 3 shirts and a pair of jeans. At a normal department store that would cost me around $100, but at the thrift store it was $14! Crazy right?! I am someone who likes to change up my closet a lot, and I am able to afford it by thrifting my clothes. You can also find designer and high-end clothes at the thrift store for significantly cheaper than they would be in a department store. I was able to find a pair of Lucky Jeans (which are normally priced at $40-$70) and got them for $5. Although thrifting is great for your wallet, it’s also great for the environment! Thrifting helps the plant by reducing chemical pollution that is put into the environment by creating and buying new clothes. Because the clothing items already exist, the finite resources used to create the clothes. On average, each consumer throws away 70 pounds of clothing, and globally we produce 13 million tons of textile waste each year. Thrifting would reduce that because 95% of textiles can be reused and re-worn. Aside from the environmental impacts of thrifting, I love creating outfits from the cool clothes I find in the thrift store. There are some pretty unique and funky pieces of clothing that can both elevate and change your style. My style definitely developed through the fun clothes I find at thrift stores. If you ever have the chance to go thrifting, I totally recommend!