Thrifting for Men

I started thrifting alone as a way to pass time while I waited for my husband to finish up a class he was taking. Soon I found that thrift trips are even more fun with a friend along for the ride. But I didn’t ask my husband to come Goodwill hunting with me for a long time thinking that he wouldn’t really be interested. How wrong I was! He embraces the magic of a good thrifting trip just as much as I do, and has even found several of our all-time favorite second-hand purchases. I know he’s not alone, so today I thought it might be fun to focus on thrifting for the fellas!

Image via GoodwillNYNJ.wordpress.com

Every guy should have at least one good blazer. You never know when you’ll need it for a special event or an interview. But, my gosh, finding one that fits well and will last is shockingly hard! Thankfully, there’s Goodwill. Nicole of Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey, Inc. (Astoria) knew that was just the place to take her boyfriend when he was in search of a blazer. They ended up going home with two classy brand name pieces and saving $200 from the jackets’ regular retail price!

Image via DinasDays.com

Dina from the blog Dina’s Days found similar success when hunting for an outfit for her mister. She had more than just a blazer to search for, though. Her friend had challenged her to recreate the above look on the left using only what she could track down in thrift stores. It was a cinch! She found the shirt and blazer quickly at her local Goodwill and conquered the pocket-square no problem with a little DIY action. Et voila! A stylish men’s look with very little time and money invested.

Image via ThriftingDenver.org

Now that we’ve gotten our fix of fancy man-style, let’s move on to something that most guys would be much more excited about: DIY Man Cave décor. Nate over at Goodwill Industries of Denver (Colorado) created a super simple art project with VHS box covers. I love the 007 theme, but equally adore the fact that these covers could be swapped out to include any six movies! Maybe try your guy’s top six movies of all time, stick with a franchise like Nate did, or six films starring his favorite actor. The one great décor tip I take away from this project is: Obsolete objects make for great crafting supplies! Check out the full post for instructions on how you can make this yourself.

What does Goodwill do with the dollars you spend in their stores? They do a lot of things! One is to help individuals with barriers to employment find job training and placement. People who have participated in Goodwill’s career services have gone on to work with competitive employers including the Internal Revenue Service, General Electric, General Motors, SE Johnson, Whirlpool, and the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines. If they’ve ever bought some classy menswear from Goodwill, I’m guessing they’re getting good use out of it with jobs like those! Happy thrifting!