I love thrift store shopping. I’ll get back to that in a moment.

As part of my quest for detoxing my house and gorgeous routines (some people may have beauty routines, but as a princess, I have a gorgeous one 😉 I’m learning how to make my own soap. As a side note, if you want to find a place where hippie Pagans, right-wing Christians, vegans, primal foodies and wacky survivalists all meet and play nice, look on Internet-landia for DIY/detox sites like soap-making. Except for the occasional outbreaks between the ideologies of no-meat, no-grains and eat wheat because the Bible says so, we get along like, well, like collaborating paranoid people who think the big companies are all out to get us and chemicals and GMOs will give us cancer. I fit right in!

Making my own soap requires equipment, and because lye, a caustic chemical, is involved in soap-making,* I’ve read many recommendations that you don’t use cooking equipment for soapmaking. Hence a thrift store trip! I hit up two today, Texas Thrift and Goodwill. Between the two of them, I got a heavy-bottomed stock pot, a 2 liter mason jar, plastic measuring spoons, a plastic measuring cup, loaf pans and, uh, five shirts all for $36.  And, yes, the entire time I was singing the Macklemore song under my breath. I can’t help myself; I sing it every time I go and jump to, “This is f***ing awesome!” every time I find something I need. Or a great shirt.

People-watching in thrift stores is such fun, too. It’s such a blend. The woman picking up Every Single Piece of silverware in the five enormous bins. (I love me some thrift store finds, but that is serious dedication.) The multi-tattooed guy and his five-year-old kid picking out roller skates. (I don’t know what it is about a guy with a sleeve tattoo and a kid that makes me all mushy inside, but *sigh*.) The upscale woman giggling shyly every time someone smiles at her. (I couldn’t decide if the laugh was because she was embarrassed or having a grand old time “slummin’ it.” I like to think the latter!) The young, lovey-dovey couple grabbing basic kitchen supplies. (I got the impression they were outfitting their first apartment. It was so cute!) And, of course, the serious thrift-er who slaps hangers back with alacrity, searching for The Find. (You go, girl.)

This princess always feels good thrift store shopping. Not only is it a royal bargain, but it’s royally eco-smart. By buying used, we both keep things out of the landfill and don’t force the Earth to create something new for us. Plus a lot of thrift shops, like the two I visited today, support good causes in the community. Thrift stores are a win all around!

You know you want to sing it with me now. “I’m gonna pop some tags. Only got twenty dollars in my pocket…” What’s your greatest thrift store find?

* GG asked why I’m using using a caustic chemical if I’m detoxing my house. I have a very good reason: because I have to. Lye is necessary for soap. No lye, no soap. I have more to say about this, but I started writing and it turned into an extra post. So…NEXT WEEK: Soap basics, soaps vs. surfactants (i.e. chemical maelstroms sold as soap), why palm oil is evil (save an orangutan; check for sodium palmate before buying soap!), aaaaaaaand….JAX MAKES HER FIRST BATCH OF SOAP!

~ Featured Image: Goodwill in Normal, Illinois by ParentingPatch