Thrift Finds: June Edition

As I mentioned in this post, it’s been awhile since I’ve done a “Thrift Finds” post – partly because once my summer capsule wardrobe was set, it felt like I should quit shopping for warm weather clothes.  That’s part of the point of a capsule wardrobe, after all; you confine yourself to a certain set of clothes to help you realize that you need fewer duds than you think. (The punnery.  I die.) Continue reading “Thrift Finds: June Edition”

Thrift Hacks: Running Shorts Rehab

Even though I rely on running for my primary exercise, I haven’t been running very much the last, oh, month or so?  (Maybe 6 weeks.)  I blame it on being dark when I get home and sometimes cold.

Lucky me, days are longer and temps are warming up a bit—time to pull out the sports bras and the running shorts!

Only the tie on my lovely thrifted baby blue Adidas shorts was broooooken, which made them a little hard to keep up.  I posted briefly about their rehab previously but thought I’d go into a little more detail now in honor of it being running season again.

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Yes those are POCKETS!

 

These beauties, also thrifted, came with 2 pairs of ridiculously long shoelaces that, when in use, make the poor shoes look like a little girl with one of those GIANT bows in her hair (if you grew up in the South you feel me):

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I don’t usually keep extras like this sitting around when I know I’m not going to use them (they get donated to keep my house from getting cluttered up), but for some reason I kept these tucked away.

So when my spouse suggested I use the extra laces to fix my broken shorts instead of tossing them in the donate pile, I went for it.

 

The side seams go all the way to the top of the waistband, so the first thing I did (after removing the broken tie) was cut a small slit on either side of the seam so that I could thread the pink laces all the way around.  You can see the slits where the two small sections of pink laces pop through on either side:IMG_1216

Then I tied the two pink laces together (yes I could’ve used the white pair but what fun is that?), attached one end to a safety pin, and scrunched it through the hollow part of the waistband, jumping over the side seams at the slits on either side.

Et voilà!  Shorts back in action.

Now I just have to get *me* back in action, ’cause I got a 5k to run over these serious Atlanta hills in April and it ain’t gonna be pretty if I don’t train.  Wish me luck!

 

Have you ever used one part of a thrift to fix another?  Do you tend to get rid of bits you’re not using right away or store them up for just such an occasion as this?  Do you thrift workout wear? What’s your favorite secret for jump-starting your workout routine?

Scroll down to share!

And click here for tips on thrifting your workout clothes and to check out my (mostly thrifted) workout capsule wardrobe.

 

 

Ask Leah: Thrifting Workout Gear & Underwear?

Ask me a question! (6)

A few weeks ago reader Whitney asked on my Facebook page:

I’m wondering- what do you do about workout clothes/underwear? I spend a lot of time in both and while I don’t like buying brand new from a lot of the companies, those are items that-when used- just have that “ick” factor I can’t get past.

“Ick” factor is an understandable worry for many folks who have thought about thrifting, whether workout/underclothing or not.  The mantra I share with them is one I borrowed from Bea of Zero Waste Home:

A washed secondhand undergarment is cleaner than a new one from a department store.

Click here or here for some really GROSS/toxic reasons why this is true.  (If you are a true germophobe, the “ick” factor of new clothes may permanently scar you, so it might be best to take my word for it.) Continue reading “Ask Leah: Thrifting Workout Gear & Underwear?”