That Difficult Second Post (About Second Hand)

One of the things that I want to talk about in this blog is our obsession with always having new. I'm as big a fan as the next person when it comes to shopping, and buying, and new new new, but ultimately, I know it's not good. It's not good for my wallet. It's not good for factory workers working in horrendous conditions. It's not good for the environment to be constantly churning out new products and discarding the old. We all know this.  

But there is some good news and again, you know this: there are alternatives to the endless parade of newness, that are easier on your wallet and the environment, that still provide you with something different to wear/ use/ show off to the neighbours about. Yea, yea, you've got it, I'm talking about second hand.

There is a whole plethora of ways to get this second-hand-but-new-to-you fix (we could call it "SHBuNTU" for short, but that's not as catchy as "it's vintage darling")... Charity shops, vintage fairs, carboots, eBay and swap shops to name but a few.

One way that I've become increasingly aware of, since having had my people-kitten (yes, that would be how I refer to my child) is Facebook groups. Cue the really bad quality picture I hurriedly took on my phone.... 

 

I know it's a bad photo, but look at what's in the photo if you can see past the pixelated blur. This is a couple of photos of outfits I put together from a huge second hand bundle of clothes I recently bought for my son for 12 - 18 months, from someone who was selling through a Facebook group.

All I need to buy my son now is some socks, and some properly fitted shoes.  All the clothes I bought are good quality, in good condition, and are the kind of style I like to dress the people-kitten in.  Some items (like the grey jeans in the picture above) still have their labels on.  This has got to be a better solution than heading straight to the shops myself, buying everything new, while elsewhere someone throws away a load of perfectly good clothes.

If you're interested in buying from Facebook groups, then these are my top tips:

• Always ask to see photos of items first
• Don't send money to someone without seeing the item in person
• When you go to view and pick up the item, if you're unsure then take a friend with you.  They can give their opinion on the item in question.
• At no point are you under any obligation to buy.  If you aren't happy with it, you don't have to buy it
• Look over the item thoroughly before you part with your cash - you may not be able to get a refund later

Well, hopefully this post hasn't bored you to tears. Who knows, maybe I'll write something else tomorrow.