Buying New-to-You Stuff: The Goodwill Checklist

The guy who founded Goodwill -  Edgar J. Helms – was the original upcycler. A hundred years ago he asked rich people in Boston to donate their stuff, and he hired poor people to mend and repair their donations. Then they sold the stuff. 

All these years later, Goodwill is still going strong.

I like to take Edgar’s revolutionary idea to the next level and encourage EVERYONE to buy new-to-you stuff. Be radical. Reuse something or take it and make it better. Leave knowing that the profits from your purchases have more to do with helping people than enriching shareholders.

Living in a major metropolitan area with one of the largest Goodwill’s EVER makes it easy to shop there. The store is the size of an airline hanger and I make twice-weekly sojourns to it.

My Goodwill Checklist is crucial and consists of:

-     (a) Items I am always looking for (vintage Mary planters, mid-century modern stuff, trivets,                 trinkets that trip my trigger etc.)

-     (b) Every day items we need (a ladle or platter – buy it new-to-you at Goodwill instead of new           at Target or on Amazon)     

-     (c) Specialty items (stuff I want to decorate with that I may not find for months – like a portrait)

The thing about shopping at Goodwill is that it requires delayed gratification. You very well may leave with nothing. In fact, unless you’re prepared to leave with nothing, you’re not ready to go. This flies in the face of what it means to shop like an average American; be above-average and give it a go.