For
the frugal woman/house wife/homemaker
Yes, the local Op-shop or second hand
clothing/bric-a-brac store is a wonderful gift from God to my family and
me. God bless all those people who
buy a new wardrobe every season and then send it to the Op-Shops!! =D
Because of them, my Heavenly Father provides
my family with good quality, lovely clothing, hardly used, for a fraction of
the price of what it would cost new in the stores!! Yes, my God is good. He always provides in so many different
ways. I have been a “stay-at-home mum” since
motherhood and God
has always provided for my little family. Since all we have belongs to God, so does our
budget. So, as a wife and homemaker, God has
challenged me to spend His money His way, wisely, and to
trust Him for everything. He tells us in the Bible in Mathew 6:33,
“Seek the Kingdom
of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything
you need.”
MY JOURNEY
- In my early years of
marriage and babies, I was oblivious to the reality of Op-shops and their
advantages. God provided me with
clothing in the way of many gifts of bags of second hand clothing for my family.
Sometimes I would find them on my doorstep. This was wonderfully FREE! God taught me that all these gifts were from
Him. I have since learned to also pass
on my second hand clothing to others, not feeling embarrassed but reassuring
others that it is indeed provision from God and not from me.
Second hand clothing was such a blessing when
funds were low in the first years of marriage. It does seem a shame to put children in new clothing when they are going to crawl and climb all
through the yard and totally wear them out!! =D
HOWEVER
I
later discovered Op shops and their benefits, which was wonderful,
as my children were growing and helping in the selection
of their own wardrobes. At
first, I was so excited that I bought everything I needed at
cheap prices, or at least I thought I needed it. I soon found
that just because I was buying second hand clothing, did
not mean that I had to settle for worn out looking clothes.
I
SOON DISCOVERED OPSHOPPING WAS AN ART,
AN ACQUIRED GIFT!!
A
practiced and trained eye, can find good quality, practically new clothing. Then
it is a bargain, but only if you
need it.
THE GIFT OF
SUCCESSFUL OP-SHOPPING
So, I am going to
share with you some tips about successful Op-shopping, from what I have learned over the years. Don’t waste your money in an Op-shop. It is possible to do this and that defeats
the purpose of shopping there in the first place!
• Know what you are in need of and write a list, just like any other shopping, and have a Op-shop budget in mind.
• Make a short term list for immediate needs and a long term list for things you can wait for.
• Have a list for wants too. God likes to give us good gifts, even wants.
• Only look for things on your list.
• Get individual members of the family to look for certain things, possibly their own needs. This is an opportunity for training them in good style and honing their skills at finding good quality items.
· You
will find that your children will find things that you miss. When they are older, your
children can start looking for other members of the family while they are looking for themselves. Going through lots of old clothes can be tedious and this saves a
lot of time in the shop. There are many
times that we walk into an Op-shop, only to walk out a few minutes later
with nothing. When you stay disciplined
and stick to your list, you can quickly see if what you want is there or not.
- Gather
all your items together before you try on any clothes. Changing can get very hot and bothersome, so
get it done in one sitting.
- Have the whole family try-on clothes at the same
time. Calling Dad, Mum, son or daughter to look at the tried on clothing, from
the other side of the store, can be rude or just time consuming.
- Get
to know your local Op shop stores and their pricing habits. They have cycles in their pricing and
great sales on certain days.
- Get
to know the staff too. If you are a
Godly, pleasant
family the staff will remember you and be
very helpful.
- At
certain times of the year, the Op shops bring out very dressy clothing. This is often around
festive times of the
year. Look out for these, you will pick
up some stunning gear.
- Don’t
be limited by the fashion of today’s culture. Be creative. If you are looking for long skirts, you can sew two together for $5
to $15.
Shirts
can also be prettied up with lace from another item. Neck
lines can be brought up with a small pleat or two and embellished with buttons etc. See: www.godzgear.com.au/#!blog/c243l An
item may look tired but it may have some lovely buttons that you can recycle. Buttons are expensive to buy new, so is lace.
- Large
pieces of fabric can be found in near new bedspreads and doona covers. Curtains can be made from
these or children’s
clothing. Let you imagination soar.
- Sometimes
higher class suburbs tend to have classier clothes in
them. You may have to pay a little more, but you will get what
you pay for and look smashing for a fraction of the new
designer label price.
- Don’t
be tricked into thinking that just because it is an Op shop, that
everything is a bargain. It is not! Know your new
prices. Op shop volunteers can be a bit
out of touch with realistic prices and can overprice and charge you more than
new prices.
- Some
things are not worth getting second hand.
Sort this out for yourself and invest in these items by paying full
price for new quality. Reasons could be hygiene, the need for a good fit,
durability, quality etc. Examples
are: underwear, socks, some shoes, knitted items (they fluff up and look tired
quickly), hats, sleepwear, hair accessories, aprons, nappies, bedding, etc.
- If
you are a busy mum or just wanting to make the most of your time, have others
that you trust look out for you when they are Op shopping. Friends who have time love to help and bless
you in this way.
- Pray. Never under estimate our Heavenly Father who
provides so well for us. He may just
provide for you through an Op shop. It
has happened before, to me and my family many times. God will lead to you to
certain items. Listen to Him and Op shop for
His glory and with His leading. He
tells us in the Bible, in Galations 5:25,
“Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives"
That means Op shopping
too!! =D
Mrs
Evelyn Hair
