Firstly, I would like to thank whoever invented thrift store shopping. You are an angel sent from above. I love you, but my “broke college kid" wallet loves you more. Also, a huge thank you to everyone that owns thrift stores. Y'all are the real ones.

Thrift store shopping is often looked down upon by many people. Some believe it's gross to wear other people's clothes, and I totally understand that. It's not for everyone. I totally believe you should CLEAN THE CLOTHES before wearing them as well, but I think it's neat to find treasure in other people's old belongings.

As a kid, I too looked down on thrift stores, and absolutely hated when my mom would take us with her. I would always find something I absolutely loved, but I wouldn't ever get it because I was too afraid of what other people would think of me. I remember having this one pair of super cute shoes that I had gotten at a local thrift shop. I absolutely loved them. I wore them all of the time, but I also remember always being self-conscious and not wanting people to see where the price was drawn on the bottom.

It's funny looking back now. I was so afraid of what other people would say that I let the cutest items slip through my fingertips.

Now, as a freshman in college, I absolutely love a good thrift store find. It's a cheap way to style your wardrobe, and the greatest thing is that retro is the biggest trend right now. It's so cool to find cool T-shirts and flannels. You can find super cute pants and shoes to dress up and style. It's so neat to just be able to turn someone's old dust collectors into trendy fashion styles.

I love thrifting for so many more reasons other than just the price tag though.

Thrifting allows you to give stuff a second chance. I love that about it. Something that someone else was done with and didn't care for anymore, can now be valuable to you.

Not everyone has the same style. I like the diversity that you can find at thrift stores. You can find something that was made 30 years ago that is now back in style. I love that you can even find men's pants that fit today's trends.

My favorite trend in today's time is thrift flipping. I love finding cute outfits on Pinterest, going to the thrift store, finding similar styles, and making it on my own. Whether it be just cutting off jeans into shorts or totally transforming a dress into an outfit. I love that thrifting allows anyone to get crafty whether it's your thing or not.

I think it's really cool how you can totally transform an item of clothing to something completely different. A good friend of mine, Josh Henson, is the best “thrift flipper" I know. He works absolute magic with each item he works with. The picture for this post is actually the before and after of one of his creations. Go check out his page on Instagram: @fashionbydaddi

Thrifting is not only fun and an adventurous way to get out of your comfort zone, but it's also beneficial to the world around us. It keeps 700 million pounds of used goods from filling up our landfills each year. It is a stable source of revenue for local charities. It helps people save lots of money each year on clothing and accessories. I love helping others, and thrifting and donating is a great way to do so.

Thrifting should be acceptable to everyone's whether you participate or not. Thrifting is such a fun adventure for so many people, and it should be. It allows you to find all sorts of cool items and articles of clothing that are often not available in stores. It's exciting. I'll forever be thankful for thrift stores, and I'll forever continue to thrift and flip.

Thrifting is uplifting.

Grab your besties, go to your local thrift store, find yourself a super cute outfit or 5, and ROCK IT, GIRL! You'll be thankful you tried it out, and you may even get addicted.

Happy thrifting you guys!