An Episode of Sparrows

It was my lovely cousin Lauren's 22nd birthday yesterday. We had a super awesome morning drinking tea in a bookshop/cafe then inevitably wandered into the local op-shop before parting ways. We both came away with a golden haul; me with some sweet shirts and a ridiculously red teapot (perfect alliteration objects) and Lauren with a cool blazer/shirt that she would never normally wear, deciding that it was a good thing to branch out a little.

(book and soy snacks bought separately)

We were happy with our venture. It was extremely satisfying.
And so, here are five reasons why op-shopping is more fun than normal shopping, just in case you weren't sure:

- It's all a "bonus".
Shopper's remorse can hit you particularly hard if you have gone out to a shopping centre for something in particular, struggled to find it and then ended up buying something ridiculously overpriced that you're not even sure you like out of exasperation. That would suck. And that would never happen at an op-shop. Every time I go into one I have the mindset that anything good I find is a bonus, which means I leave happy every time- even when I haven't found a thing.

- The price tags are negotiable.
When was the last time you went into a 'normal' shop, looked at a price tag and obviously hesitated, only to have the shopkeeper swoop over and offer it to you for half the price because they're "not sure why it's so expensive anyway"?? Exactly. (NB: this happened today with the teapot.)

- It's cheap. And you're recycling.
As someone who feels guilt over the slightest thing, op-shopping saves me twice. Firstly, it's crazily cheap, so there's no spending guilt. Sometimes I can find four shirts that I really like for less than the cost of one in a bargain bin in a normal shop. Which is awesome. Secondly, you're not adding to the already overwhelming amount of stuff in the world, but reusing something that's been pre-owned. And although that is a tiny thing, I think it's good. It's also a big plus knowing that when you shop at a charity op-shop you're helping someone in need, so that's three reasons actually.

- You find stuff you can only dream of. 
Like that book you've been dying to read, for $1. Or some jeans you actually like, for 1/100 of the price of a General Pants purchase. Or a signed copy of the original Scandal'us album (remember Popstars?). Or a sexy Demis Roussos LP to adorn your walls (these last two were both found by Ryan, who has a knack for finding terrible albums).


- It takes a bit of imagination.
This is something we worked out yesterday, and I think it's one of the main things that makes op-shopping so enjoyable. You are constantly having to exercise a little imagination. There are no posters in there showing you how to wear this season's line, no reviews to match the many dog-eared books. You have to try and imagine if it is something you can somehow use/wear, and this is a skill that you can definitely sharpen, young grasshopper, with practice. Sometimes your imagination will lead you astray, and that kind of ugly/kind of cool shirt that you thought you could do something with is actually just ugly once you take it home. But even then no harm is done, because that same shirt can be donated back to the shop and maybe someone else's imagination will be able to see it as a lovely thing. And that is the beautiful circle of op-shop life.