Thrifty People ROCK!

Good Wednesday morning!

So, last Friday I went to this little bar here with a few guys that I work with on the trading floor. We started talking about this one guy we work with, Bucket, and what an idiot he is! haha.. He was fined $10,000.00 by the Grain Exchange and also suspended from trading for 10 days for making a very stupid mistake.. actually, were not sure it was a mistake. I dont know all the details of the ordeal.. but those are the basics. Now, Bucket (not his real name, obviously) makes very good money being a local trader here. He also fills paper for my company as well as other firms on the floor. So, all the firms pay him a flat rate PER contract he trades AND he also trades for himself... Are you following me here?? Let's say he made $200,000.00 last year. (Im using that as just a general figure.. I have no idea what his annual income may be). Bucket is 26 years old.. and has done very well for himself for his young age. Bucket is also a thrifty kind of guy... meaning he lives off as little money as he can and im sure he saves or invests the rest. He also shops at the Goodwill for his clothing, or takes hand me downs from deceased old men. He even knows what days to shop the Goodwill to get better prices!! I think it's hilarious and at the same time.. awesome.

So, anyway, as these 3 guys and I are talking about all of this, when one of the guys, Travis says something to the effect of "Bucket shops at the thrift stores. That's a bunch of BS cause he has money to shop at regular stores and pay full price for clothing. Thrift stores are for the poor people who cant afford to buy new clothes and he should stay out of the thrift store". My eyes opened quite wide at this point because now I had to step in and defend thrift stores and the people who shop them. I replied, "I shop the thrift stores. I like to find good bargains and I dont care what label is on my clothing and I dont like to pay a lot of money for my clothing. I also go to garage sales and buy clothes". Travis tells me that I can afford to shop regular stores as well, and I should stay out of the thrift stores too.

Now, how the hell does Travis know what I can and cant afford??? And even if I had money to shop the "Name Brand" stores, I still wouldnt. Who laid down the rules that thrift stores are for the poor? I look at thrift stores as one large garage sale with nothing but bargains available to any shopper who wants to buy. Thrift stores WANT everyone to come in, rich, poor, middle class.. they dont care. This is a business that suits anyone that wants to spend the time looking for the deals. Who says that the "poor" even have money to shop there anyway?

I wanted to knock Travis out for saying that. He stuts his Ralph Lauren, Polo wearing ass around all day thinking that he's the BOMB and has the balls to say something about us thrifty people? Bucket may have the money for regular retail stores, but he prefers to not waste money on the material things. He really doesnt care what brand name is stitched into his clothing (like that lame ass horse travis wears on his shirts). He would rather spend his money elsewhere.. and I think that's smart of him. I think in 10 years, the Bucket will have more money than Travis (or maybe not..!!)

I havent been to the thrift store in a while. Mainly because it just doesnt fit into the budget right now. I have plenty of clothing, shoes and purses to last me a lifetime and that's usually what I walk out of those stores with. Im thinking about having a garage sale this fall to unload some of my crap... so I can go buy more crap! haha.

Well, I wanted to share that story with you because it really bothered me that someone could be that ignorant to say something so lame about how one spends his or her money. If you havent been to a thrift store, you should check one out. I would recommend The Unique Thrift Store (in MN). It's my favorite and they have a huge selection of used crap! :) And you dont have to be poor to shop there.

~PEACE