90% of My Possessions Are Thrifted: Here’s How Much Money That’s Saved Me
Written by
Laura Bogart
Edited by
Kristen Mae
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As a lead editor at GOBankingRates, Kristen Mae knows more than a thing or two about living frugally. Every day, she works on the content that helps readers like you learn how to save money. But her passion for blending frugality and creativity goes beyond her day job: Almost everything she owns is thrifted — from clothes to furniture to cookware.
Her commitment to finding a good bargain has helped her save big over the years. Between shopping at outlets like Goodwill, Plato’s Closet and Style Encore — and occasionally spotting a high-quality item on the roadside — Mae estimates that she’s saved about $40,000.
GOBankingRates caught up with Mae (which wasn’t too hard, given that she was a Slack message away) to ask her how she got started thrifting and what she’d recommend for other people hoping to save money the same way.
How She Got Started
For Mae, thrifting began early in life. Growing up in what she calls a shaky financial situation, she began “scrutinizing price tags from the moment I could read” and started dabbling in secondhand shopping in her teens.
“Now I have this brain block inside me that won’t let me buy something new if I know I can thrift it for half the price or even less,” she said. She sees making purchases as opportunity costs: Sure, she could spend an extra $150 on a new nightstand which is probably made out of medium-density fiberboard, but she could find a solid wood piece on Marketplace for only $50.
“That’s $150 I’m not investing in my retirement accounts,” she said. “I want that money invested. It’s way more important for me to be able to retire early than it is to have a brand new nightstand.”
Flexibility and Ingenuity Are a Hallmark of Thrifting
Part of the reason Mae has been so successful as a thrifter is because she’s willing to be flexible and expansive in her thinking. Aside from electronics — which she mostly buys refurbished through sites like Reebelo or eBay — nearly all of her belongings are thrifted. That even includes her kitchen table, which she found on the side of the road. Though it had seen better days and was painted an unappealing green, Mae stripped it and refinished it — a project that paid off quite literally, if you think about the money she saved by not having to buy a new kitchen table.
“Only my couch and bed are new,” she said. “I did get really lucky because the woman I bought the house from was moving into an assisted living facility and left most of the furniture. Some of it I sold and replaced with pieces that fit my style better, but I kept a lot of it, like a really cool vintage record player.”
Advice for Future Thrifters
After hearing Mae’s story, you might be inspired to save big through thrifting. She offers some practical advice for finding high-quality items.
“For furniture, go for solid wood. Look for signs of quality craftsmanship like dovetail jointing,” she said. “Solid wood is sturdy and lasts for a really long time, and it’s easy to refinish or paint if you want to switch up your style.”
When it comes to accessories, Mae recommends leather bags for the same reason: durability and longevity. But above all, she wants aspiring thrifters to trust their taste and get what they like. There are plenty of places to hunt for whatever suits you, from Facebook Marketplace to garage sales to thrift stores.
That said, Mae does draw the line at certain items. “I tend to avoid ‘soft’ goods that can’t be washed, which is why my couch and mattress are both new,” she explained.
Thrifting Pays Off — Literally
Beyond saving tens of thousands of dollars over the years, Mae points out one more major perk to thrifting: resale value.
“Another cool thing about thrifted furniture is that most of the time, you can sell it for around the same price you bought it, so you don’t have this pressure to keep something you’re tired of just because you paid a lot for it,” she said.
By combining practicality with personal style, Mae has turned thrifting into a lifestyle that not only saves money but also gets her a step closer to her biggest financial goal — early retirement. With a little patience and a lot of creativity, you might be surprised at how much you can save, too.
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