My children love thrift stores and their friends love it too. My daughter Little Pie Golightly loves receiving hand-me-downs from her big sister Poe. These notions of children wanting only new things is a retail-based strategy with the sole intent to drive sales to meet predicted quarterly gains on the stock market. My girls love thrift because they can afford it and they know it is good for the planet.

When we were young our 50-cent allowance had spending power. It really did. How sad it is that today a $5 allowance buys squat or junk that falls apart the day of purchase.

Take the children thrifting. They can buy sweaters, CD’s, purses, books, jeans, jewelry, scarves, shoes, dresses with their own money. The children are empowered and they learn healthy purchasing practices.

Children want their own purchasing power. Adults want it too. Wouldn’t it be a bummer if there were loan officers in the corners of stores ready to receive applications? We kind of have that already. “Oh, that card didn’t work? Well, let’s try this one.” If the second doesn’t work, then fill out an in-store application for a store credit card and get 10% off your purchase. It amazes me how creditors are willing to take money we don’t have.

Many years ago when Poe was four, she received $5 from a grandmotherand was thrilled to have her own spending money. Stupid me took her to a discount retailer. (Before I re-discovered thrifting.) Our shoulders slumped and our hearts sank we saw the prices. I ended up supplementing Poe’s shopping money and it sucked all the joy out of making her own purchase. It really did.

It was before this store grew a dollar section but, a lot of that dollar stuff is unnecessary. Do we buy this stuff out of honest necessity or is it bought because it costs a buck and so few things do today?

Let’s teach our children how to spend as you go. Give them a healthy sense of purchasing power. If they always have to borrow from mom and dad then they’ll grow up borrowing.

If grandparents must give them obscene amounts of money to buy a birthday gift, children will grow up spending obscene amounts of money.

This is one of the hardest parts of parenting. Your children are always watching and learning lessons you don’t think you’re teaching. Remember that when you go shopping. And, you may be surprised to learn that they’d rather be thrifting.

I would be honored if you clicked here read about The Thrifty Chicks Petition I started for an American National Thrift Store Month. I will be researching other online petition options for those not on Facebook. It you have experience in this area and wish to help, please contact me. My contact information is in the box below.