a thrifting, reading, and gardening diary
Stacey Nguyen 
When I first started avidly thrifting in college, I mostly paid attention to clothes. This singular focus continued throughout my mid-20s. Clothes, I figured, I could resell or donate again, but thrifting home decor like sentimental trinkets and kitchenware felt more permanent, like I was settling into place. For the first few years that I … Read more
While I’ve never really identified as a hat person, I’ve taken to hats this year, incorporating them into outfits beyond my backyard gardening getups. Throughout this past summer, I alternated between a navy Cal cap and a bow-embellished straw hat to keep cool beneath the oppressive San Joaquin Valley summer sun. With time, I grew … Read more
Do you feel extra pinched for money these days? I almost wept while picking up a carton of eggs at Save Mart the other day. The inflation struggle is real, and even thrift store treasures can cost a pretty penny if you don’t know how to score the best deals. I’ve cut back a bit … Read more
Beyond the thrill of a great deal, there’s a lot to love about thrifting. Of course, there’s the fact that buying secondhand leaves a smaller carbon footprint. For me, personally, I love the idea that a vintage item at the thrift store had an entire life of its own before I crossed paths with it. … Read more
Autumn is a gloriously overstimulating time of year at the thrift store. Everything is a smorgasbord of jack-o-lantern neon orange and muted pumpkin pie filling burnt orange. Nylon puffy jackets and woolly vintage grandma sweaters are back on display. In the background, you might hear half-working Halloween animatronics playing on a loop while Adele belts … Read more
I’m not sure where time has gone, but it’s somehow mid-April already! Gray skies and mild breezes are still afoot, but those dreadful downpours are finally behind us – I hope. The unpredictable weather has posed a sartorial challenge for sure. But it’s also been a fun creative challenge to assemble thrifted spring outfits for … Read more
One of my biggest barriers to ever becoming a true minimalist is my love for hoarding physical media. I’m incurably obsessed with secondhand shopping for CDs and DVDs. Holding a tangible CD or DVD case in my hands makes me feel like an archivist of a waning culture. (And when I’m collecting cassette tapes, a … Read more
My love for plants hasn’t waned over the years, but I have become more mindful of what I bring into my home these days. To put it plainly, I don’t want to overspend on things that could, you know, wither away with enough neglect. Unfortunately, novice plant enthusiasts can unwittingly drop a lot of money … Read more
What I love about wicker baskets is that they’re somehow both down-to-earth and fanciful. On the one hand, they have a humble texture that reveals its age with time. But on the other hand, doesn’t it feel kind of whimsical and romantic to use a woven basket when you could simply toss your stuff into … Read more
The Central Valley is so spellbinding this time of year. Just outside my window, pinkish white flowers envelope treetops and lightly carpet the concrete roads like tufts of snow. Actually, I recently learned that people in my area refer to the almond blossoms as the Valley’s snow. Isn’t that so beautiful to think about? To … Read more
