Steve Clark

  Savvy shoppers know that thrifting is a great way to get unique goods at affordable prices. But there’s more to thrift shopping than being thrifty! Here are five great reasons to visit your local thrift store in Destin, FL , today: #1: Save time and money Who doesn’t love getting a great deal? If you want to stretch your budget, thrifting can help you get more for your dollar. You can find fantastic bargains on gently-used and even new goods when you choose to thrift shop! Instead of driving to multiple stores for clothing, shoes, accessories for the whole family, as well as home décor and other goods, you can find everything you need in one place. That’s smart shopping! #2: Protect the planet Did you know? The average American throws away approximately 80 pounds of clothing and textiles each year! Part of the problem is “fast fashion” — new clothing that is made quickly and cheaply. Because it’s so trendy and sold at a low cost, most people only wear fast fashio...

  Are your closets the least-loved spaces in your house? If so, you’re not alone! Closets tend to be a catch-all for items that don’t have a home, keeping them out of sight and out of mind. But what happens when your closets are overstuffed? It’s time for a closet cleanout! Luckily, tackling a cluttered closet doesn’t have to be a chore. Follow our step-by-step guide to keeping your closet clean and organized month after month! Step #1: Bring everything out into the open You can’t clean out your closet if you don’t know what’s in your closet. Start by taking everything (yes, everything) out of your closet and laying it on the floor or bed. Then, begin to sort your belongings into piles to keep, store, or donate. Move quickly, so you don’t give yourself time to second-guess your decisions! Step #2: Edit your wardrobe As you touch each clothing item, it’s helpful to ask yourself questions to determine what you really want to keep and what you’re willing to give a...

  There’s nothing like a fresh start, especially in the spring! If you’re like many people, now is a time when you like to clean and clear out any clutter you don’t need anymore. But while you may be eager to shed your winter wardrobe this spring, don’t just throw your clothing out—donate it! Donating to thrift stores in Panama City Beach, FL is the smart way to clear out any clothes you don’t want or need, and it offers some significant benefits to you, the environment, and your community. Here’s a closer look at three big benefits of donating your clothing: Keep your home clutter-free We all want to maintain a clean, organized home, but sometimes it’s easier said than done. If your closets are overflowing with clothes, shoes, or accessories that you don’t wear anymore, make life easier by donating them ! Clearing out your closets doesn’t have to be a lot of hard work. Just keep a box in your wardrobe and add any items that you don’t want, need, or wear. Clean and ...

  Buy less and go slow Be a minimalist and use mom's cast-offs until you find something that you really like. Buy Used And of course, buy used furniture. "Estate sales, flea markets, and secondhand stores can be treasure troves of quality, previously owned furniture." These days, one can add online auction sites as well. It holds its value better Used furniture holds its value much better than new as well, or even gains in value if you catch the trends; when I downsized I had to sell some classic mid-century modern furniture that I had bought for a few hundred dollars; it had all become so trendy that I received many times what I paid for it. It can take a beating That patina of age hides a lot. Since our kids were born we have eaten every meal on our dining room table, a big old 50s office boardroom table. It has been dented, banged, burned and chipped but it still looks good. The leather top of my desk has 50 year old cigarette bur...

  Who hasn't made a bad choice at the clothing store? You know how it goes – you see something that looks good on the mannequin, but doesn't feel quite right on you, and you buy it anyway. Or maybe it's a great deal on the clearance rack for something that's less-than-perfect, but you can't resist "saving" that much money. The item ends up languishing in your closet, taking up space and sparking guilt every time you see it. You wish you'd spent your money on something else.  It doesn't have to be that way! Expert mender Kate Sekules comes to the rescue with a fabulous list of "magic shopping questions" in her new book, "MEND! A Refashioning Manual and Manifesto" (Penguin Random House, 2020). While the book teaches how to repair one's own clothing, Sekules understands the importance of making smart clothing purchases in the first place. She offers many valuable pointers, some of which I'd like to s...

  If you are a parent, you know how quickly your kids can go through their toys. Once a toy breaks, or when a new toy craze hits the market, it’s out with the old and in with the new. Considering Americans buy more than $18 billion worth of toys annually, you’re not alone. As kids get older and their interests shift, a mountain of unused, broken and obsolete toys is often left in their wake (usually stuffed into the closet or under the bed). This fast turnover can make avoiding the garbage bin particularly challenging, even for the most environmentally conscious parents. But apart from putting the old and broken items out on the curb, what other recycling and donation options exist for toys and toy waste? Donating Is a Rewarding Option Donating functional toys to the thrift shops in Destin, FL for reuse should always be the first line of defense. Apart from shelters and child care centers, the most obvious and accessible donation options are thrift sto...

  Capsule wardrobes are a hot topic these days. The urge to declutter one’s closet and simplify one’s style is shared by many people. There has been a surge in blog posts and slideshows striving to help overwhelmed individuals determine their colors and essential looks, but unfortunately, many of these focus on what must be added to a wardrobe in order to make it complete. In many of these cases, creating a capsule wardrobe – supposedly an act of minimalism – is actually quite expensive. Earlier this year, I wrote a post called “4 steps for creating a capsule wardrobe,” in which I outlined an approach used by fashion blogger Caroline at Unfancy. One of my readers complained vehemently: “How is buying new clothes every 3 months ‘minimalist,’ in any sense of the word? Buying 4-8 new items each season is another way of saying that you throw out 16-32 garments every year, correct? That’s MAXIMALISM. Minimalism would be to buy your 37 garments, making...