By now, you've probably heard about the trend that has taken TikTok, Insta, and just about every social media platform by storm. We're talking about thrifting, and one Redditor recently broke down just how beneficial this trend can be for your wallet.
Spoiler alert: They saved almost $1,000 last year by buying over half of their new clothing secondhand.
Knowing they needed a wardrobe overhaul, the Redditor decided to track every clothing purchase they made, noting whether it was new or secondhand and just how much they saved shopping secondhand.
So, let's break it down. Our OP aimed to purchase 75% of their new (to them) clothes secondhand. While they didn't quite hit the mark, their findings were still pretty impressive.
"All told I made 39 clothing purchases, spending $1,135 on $2,110 worth of clothing," they wrote.
In the end, they saved $975.60, or more than 45% saved over their entire year. If you're into numbers, you can even look over all their data.
This experiment in thrifting didn't just benefit the Redditor's wallet, either. Thrifting also helps the planet. According to Earth.org, the fashion industry produces 100 billion garments annually. The industry produces between 2% and 8% of all heat-trapping carbon pollution, per the UN.
On top of that, a lot of the clothing being made ends up in landfills. In fact, over 100 million tons of textile waste end up there.
As if all of this isn't a good enough reason to try thrifting, the Redditor also explained how their experiment sparked a passion for secondhand shopping.
"In addition to saving way more money than I expected, I also learned that I get way more emotional satisfaction out of a secondhand purchase than I do when I buy something from a firsthand retailer," they wrote. "Money and sustainability reasons aside, I think some of this was due to the thrill of the chase and for once not just being [able] to get what I wanted instantaneously for a change."
Other Redditors not only applauded the effort but also the attention to detail that went into the post.
"Love this and thanks for the write-up!" one person wrote. "It's so impactful to see how much you truly save by going secondhand."
"I treat thrifting like a scavenger hunt, so much fun when finding awesome deals especially when it still has a retailer's tag on it," another commented.
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