Thrift

It was always our delight in getting to Pembrokeshire coastal cliffs in May. I hadn't hear of the 'leadwort' connection – is it that some plants were regarded as helping against lead poisoning? Certainly seems an apt phloxy-moron! Didn't know about the connection to garden phlox either.

I think of thrift as the best kind of unostentatious carefulness, non-extravagance, bringing happiness and benefit! Rhiannon

An excellent poem, cleverly done. Left me thoughtful. It's our Pick of the Day. Do share on Facebook and Twitter. 

Beautiful thrift (and poem) - I wonder why it's called that?
Also, 'thrifting' is a big thing now, so the connotation with mean isn't so prevalent anymore (or perhaps that's just on Instagram)
Lots to think about in this - thank you Ewan, and well deserved golden cherries

it's thrifting as in thrift store, and becoming universally used - not because you're necessarily saving money, but also better to buy second hand (anti-landfill etc) and 'vintage' (which means 2005 in some cases) insert laughing emoji there (can't do it in comments anymore for some reason)

yes it's a different kind of thrift, but it's not all bad - better than fast fashion. I wish we had good charity shops here - they're all sad depressing places, selling overpriced tired supermarket rubbish.

ah yes, Hebden Bridge would be an excellent place for charity shops - you're lucky to live nearby! there's nothing like a good charity shop - also jumble sales if they still exist - I used to love jumble sales

- AND - sorry to hijack your thread - when I lived in Germany they had these brilliant shops where you paid by weight - that's a thing in England now, but only in big cities I think

They only seem to have a branch in Covent Garden in this country:

https://picknweight.de

I bought some beautiful things from them (in Germany)

This is delightful and very clever. Love phlox-ymoron. Those grassy mounds so typical of alpine plants, cushion bolax included. I think I'm still confused about the true meaning of thrift outside of nomenclature. A perfectly neat and turned out tribute to a perfect plant.

My Dad was thrifty, I think his family were Methodist or something like that. He was always trying not to spend unless he had to. It used to irritate my Mum a lot. One of the moneysaving things was holidays. We used to tumble out of the back of the car, hot, sticky, grumpy into moving air and light. He would always try to park beside gorse. And then, if it was by the sea we would scramble about and he would look for thrift. Thrift made a place perfect. I think it was symbolic in a way. Beautiful and free and tough. But you have to look for it, make the effort.

On the other hand, if everyone was thrifty there would be no bargains left? (Just like there would be no thrift if everyone was stamping about on cliffs beside the sea.) I think this is why charity shops and those wonderful stalls have started selling new tat rather than old quality - because of ebay and etsy. In a way, I wish those who earned enough to buy quality new WOULD, rather than show off their clever bargains, as it means those who need stuff can only get second hand tat?

I brought my son up on ebay, try to buy good things, things we could never afford new. But something that I had not thought of, a class thing, I think - if he wears something which started off very expensive to college, everyone says admiring how much it must have cost, and he says, no, it was £15 on ebay. And everyone is disappointed, they want to hear that something cost a lot, that you had to work lots of hours, save up to buy it? Being thrifty is not seen as a good thing. Buying second hand is a shaming thing. They have no time for worrying about climate change/landfill sites and throw away culture/future (I wonder if this is a kind of luxury? But it should be a necessity or none of us, rich or poor will survive)

So, it can be upside down, some who can afford new, show off how thrifty they are, while some on less money buy new stuff but worse quality that cannot be handed on because it falls to bits.

Bargain hunting is like treasure hunting, a hunt. It is not just about thrift, there is a good feeling when you manage to catch one :0) I see it kind of like tricking fate, to buy something very expensive I should not be able to, just because it is a bit out of fashion.

As so often, Ewan, you have made me think a lot!

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