So, how was the *oh! horror!* of having a Monday Monthly Mission centered all around shopping?! Haha, who says going green can’t be fun?

Although my bed rest kept my thrifting to a minimum, I was able to pick up a few awesome items this month. And of course, all the clothes and baby clothes I bought were gently used. But it’s not about me – I want to hear about you guys!

How did this month go for you? Were you able to remain entirely secondhand? What kind of goods did you get and how did you have to alter your habits? And most importantly, are you going to try to keep it up indefinitely???

I’d really love to share the thrift store love, so please please please:

1) Send me pics of the pillage! If you scored something amazing that you’d like to share, email me a picture (you don’t have to be wearing it if you don’t want to) at info@bonzaiaphrodite.com Please include your first name and the city/country you found it in.

2) Send me the names and addresses of the BEST secondhand stores in your city, and maybe a brief description of why they’re so rad. I want to compile a list of the greatest thrift stores across America (across the world??). So send me all the top secret hot spots you know of in every city you’ve been to. Send your thrift stats to info@bonzaiaphrodite.com

Itty Bitty Bonzai is a collection of tiny tips and tricks for living a life more mindful. Small actions, collectively and compounded, become a powerful force of change.

#17

So the holidays are over and you’ve got a pile of greetings and gift cards, on display and collecting dust in a corner of the living room. But they’ve got to come down eventually, and unfortunately most will find their way into the rubbish bin.

Of course you, diligent Bonzai readers, would never trash that precious card stock, I’m sure. We’re all recyclers here, are we not?

But what about doing one better? Instead of tossing them in with the newspapers and tomato tins, why not hold on to them for later use? Simply remove that pretty (and valuable) front! (leaving the back, inscribed with your relative’s well wishes, to recycle) Now you have a brand new post card, a clever thank-you note, or a lovely gift tag!

You can also wrap a gift in simple brown paper (re-use a paper grocery bag), then tape the recycled card front to it, to add a festive image.

So save your holiday cards for the next years festivities! But don’t forget to save other cards throughout the year – this works equally well for Valentines, birthdays, and beyond!

BONZAI!

This month we’ve pledged to shop entirely secondhand, foregoing the mall and frequenting thrift stores instead. I’m thrilled by the enthusiasm over this mission, with tons of readers happily signing on. So tell me guys: how’s it going?!

Alas, we’ve been a bit waylaid here at HQ. Being on bed rest certainly puts a damper on shopping trips. Still, I managed to sneak off to the gently used baby boutique in my neighborhood, and picked up a few super cute essentials, as well as some much needed cloth diapers for my slowly growing collection. And just this past weekend, Damian took some of my store credit (trade-in value) at one of the local shoppes, and found a pair of mint condition Lucky brand jeans for 1/5 the cost of a new pair. Lucky is his favorite, so this was quite the cause for celebration!

Since this mission is all about thrifting, and anyone who shops secondhand knows the joy and the thrill of the hunt, I thought it might be fun for us to really share the love. Here’s what I’m thinking:

1) Send me pics of the pillage! If you score something amazing that you’d like to share, email me a picture (you don’t have to be wearing it if you don’t want to) at info@bonzaiaphrodite.com Please include your first name and the city/country you found it in. At the end of the month I’ll post all the pictures, and we can all revel in the glory of the secondhand goods!

2) Send me the names and addresses of the BEST secondhand stores in your city, and maybe a brief description of why they’re so rad. I want to compile a list of the greatest thrift stores across America (across the world??). So send me all the top secret hot spots you know of in every city you’ve been to. At the end of the month I’ll post a master list, and I’ll continue to update it periodically.

I hope this mission is treating you well – it’s a fun one! Happy hunting, and may the thrift store faeries sprinkle their pixie dust all over you!

On the first Monday of every month, we take on a ‘mission’ – a shift or habit or inspiration – to work on together. There’s strength (and support) in numbers! On the last Thursday of the month, we reconvene to see how far we’ve come.

#9

I’ve written quite a bit in the past about my idea of ‘Ethical Sartorialism‘. A huge component of the ES lifestyle involves buying almost exclusively secondhand – a seemingly daunting task to many style mavens. But now I’m putting the challenge to all of you!

Pretty straightforward: no buying new textiles. No new clothes! Stay out of the mall! Avoid the big box store!

If it sounds difficult, here’s some inspiration –
1) The Year Of Living Thriftily is a blog by an uber-fashionista who vowed to shop exclusively secondhand for an entire year. She’s got a great sense of humor and there’s lots of fun fashion pics, too.
2) The Uniform Project tracks one girl as she wears ONE dress for an entire year. An interesting exploration of abundance, and this chick has mad style.

So if you’re not shopping at your old retail standbys, where will you get that blazer you need for work or the perfect cocktail dress for your new hot date? Well, you’ll have to be a bit more resourceful. But thrift stores and secondhand boutiques are awesome, often undiscovered, treasure troves! I suggest you get to know your local spots and try to visit often.

You can also do a lot of secondhand shopping online, from Amazon to Ebay to Etsy, these sites offer great opportunities (especially if you’re into vintage).

And what about me? Are you wondering how I’ll participate if I already live this way?

Well let me tell you, if you think thrifting is hard, try maternity thrifting! I’m big and pregnant now and it’s a challenge keeping myself styled. I’m also in full-on baby prep mode, which unfortunately means a lot of consumption – from baby clothes and blankies to bibs and burp rags. I’ve got a lot of stuff to accumulate here!

So, I’ll be working doubly hard to make certain I stick to my principles. All the baby textiles I purchase will be secondhand. That’s my challenge this month.

And what about you, my wonderfully well-dressed friends? Are you with me? Do you choose to accept this mission?

BONZAI!

I think this is going to be the shortest wrap up ever.

After investing a minimal amount of energy into the setup, I finally ’sat down’ to give it a try. With a little apprehension and a little bit of doubt, I did what I needed to do (NOT doo-doo, haha) . . . and then reached for the cloth.

Okay, the second I actually did it I was like, “wait, really?” It was a similar feeling as when I switched to cloth pads. As in, WHAT THE HECK TOOK ME SO LONG??

May I be blunt?
1) Cotton *feels* a lot better than scratchy paper.
2) It’s really a relatively dry affair, if you know what I mean. There’s very little that’s actually transfered to the cloth. There’s no associated odor and cleaning them is just not an issue.

So all in all, I think this is one of the easiest, one of the most successful missions to date. I don’t know what I was so afraid of, and there’s no way I won’t keep doing this. I encourage you all to give it a try!

BONZAI!