By Felicia Czochanski
January is a time for a restart. A blank slate that opens into a full 365-day span of opportunity. 2023 is set up to be a good year, according to the Chinese Zodiac. This states “things will finally start falling into place after a two-year period of struggles and hardship. Life will take a positive turn this year, and your efforts will make you proud of yourself.” After the last few years, heading into a new year with this foundation of hope is important, and makes room for the fun things in life that may have been put on the backburner for the last few years. One of these could be exploring new creative outlets, drawing from second-hand inspiration found at Goodwill®.
When I’m looking for creative inspiration, stopping by Goodwill is usually at the top of my list. This is partly because you never know what you’re going to find. The thrill of uncovering some treasure in the racks like the perfect statement piece to complete an outfit for a big event, or a bucket list designer item makes every trip worth it. On the days when I’m looking to be inspired, I’ll start in a section of the store that’s not my usual go-to, the home goods and books section. While this isn’t my normal first stop, I always find something special here, that makes me want to know the item’s backstory. This could be a set of unique saltshakers, mismatched plates that look like they’d be perfect for a tea party, or vintage cookbooks that look so well-loved, you can’t help but wonder how many wonderful meals they guided a family to make.
A common New Year’s resolution surrounds food – whether your goal is to eat out less, cook from scratch more, or learn to cook something new, there’s nothing like drawing inspiration from second-hand cookbooks. Goodwill has awesome selections of these could-have-been family heirlooms, which may even include recipe notes or edits, or sometimes hidden pieces of paper with new recipes written out too. A challenge for the new year could be to pick some up at your local Goodwill store and make a new recipe from them each week. You never know, you might find a new family favorite recipe!
I love shopping second-hand items like books and cookbooks at Goodwill because nearly 80 percent of the Goodwill network’s collective revenue from the sale of donated goods supports and grows local community-based programs and services. Knowing Goodwill will only sell items in reusable condition helps with shopping for used goods, and knowing you’ll be able to donate anything excess later on for others to purchase and use. Shopping at Goodwill supports a nonprofit dedicated to supporting your local community, versus buying the same items at retail price and supporting a corporation.
As you look ahead to your goals for the new year, don’t overlook those that can be both useful and fun. Checking out well-loved recipes can help get the whole family inspired to help cook, and some might be kid chef-friendly too. Who knows, your goal might be so successful it turns into a new hobby, not just for you, but for the whole family.
Find a treasure in the Goodwill books section? Share your haul with us @Goodwillintl for a chance to be featured in a future blog.
