🗨️ thrifting in the midwest

This past week has been very busy and very fun. I spent the weekend between catsits in Milwaukee and Chicago, mostly just wandering around looking at interesting buildings…and thrifting!!

Milwaukee (and Chicago) have AMAZING thrift stores! Even the Goodwills have great stuff for decent prices– compared to California Goodwill prices, anyway. And the selection is really good! I did quite a bit of shopping.

I’m currently working on building up a wardrobe of mostly-natural fibers (linen, silk, merino wool, a little cotton) because I find them most comfortable to travel in. I’m also determined to not buy any new things this year (except for stuff like toothpaste), so I really wanted to find thrifted items.

Unfortunately, most of the stores I’ve been to this year have been sparse on either fabric, size, or style choices, but in Milwaukee and Chicago I somehow hit the jackpot. I didn’t particularly look for name brands, but I’m familiar with the ones that do linen/silk/whatever so that’s what I ended up with more of. I made sure to stick with either 100% natural fabric, or blend with other natural fabric (so like linen/cotton and not linen/modal).

My haul:

I also got a book (travel memoir set in India) for $2!

Total cost: roughly $100. If I’d bought these things new I’d definitely have spent closer to $500-700, if not more! Yay, thrifting!

As a bonus, linen and silk pack down very small, so I think I’ll be able to fit more clothes into my suitcase than I currently have with my mostly-cotton/polyester clothes. And they’re lighter than cotton, too, so maybe I’ll ease up on some luggage weight as well!

I’m not 100% sure I’ll be bringing everything with me on my next leg, but I’m going to be wearing and testing these things this month to see how I like them. I may also be dying a few pieces as I don’t like the original color and luckily natural fibers dye well.

In other clothing news: I finally ditched the trail runners I’ve been struggling to wear comfortably for 2 years. I think they were meant more for actual running, and not just walking around a city for 5 hours. They constantly make my feet/legs hurt and I hated to wear them.

I’m currently just going around in my Teva sandals (super comfy) and once it hits winter temps again I’m tempted to just put on a pair of wool socks and call it good.

The new-thrifted shoes (white Keds) are fine for short walks but I got them mostly for style/photos– the trail runners make me look like I was going hiking up a mountain every day and tbh I’m just not that outdoorsy. The new shoes, plus the new clothes, should move my “look” closer to an urban setting, which is where I mostly travel anyway. I figure if and when I need actual hiking shoes, I can borrow some.