Benjamin Franklin was a smart man!

“Waste neither time nor money, but make the best use of both.”

“Be studious in your profession, and you will be learned. Be industrious and frugal, and you will be rich. Be sober and temperate, and you will be healthy. Be in general virtuous, and you will be happy. At least, you will, by such conduct, stand the best chance for such consequences.”

The concept of Thrift goes way beyond saving money, beyond finding a bargain, beyond being green.  Way beyond.

Thrift can be applied to every aspect of your life from the foods you eat, the relationships you develop personally and professionally, the entertainment you choose to enjoy. Thrift is a path that can guide you to a happier and more fulfilling life, a life that makes a difference.

Recycle, reuse, re-purpose… all concepts originally voiced by Mr. Franklin almost 300 years ago.  And while he admitted that he found it difficult to live up to these ideals, Franklin found that “doing well by doing good” offered the best path to success. Follow these Franklin philosophies and help those in need in our community, simplify your life and generate funds for charities that support families and children in crisis in our area.

• Reuse.  When you donate your gently used clothing, housewares and furniture, electronics and books to Impact Thrift Stores, others can reuse these items, giving them another life. Our stores are full of these treasures! The items that are donated to us that either do not sell or don’t make it to our sales floor are responsibly recycled and as little as humanly possible ends up in land fills.
• Recycle.  Donating and reusing is a form of recycling… but did you know that virtually all of the clothing and soft goods donated to Impact Thrift that do not sell are responsibly recycled?! We also recycle metals and electronics when possible… again… as little as humanly possible ends up in land fills.
• Repurpose.  We have crowned ourselves the “Queens of Repurposing”.   If you donate it, we will find a purpose for it, perhaps in combination with another item or two and a little glue for good measure!  And we’ll show you how we did it… so you can create it yourself!

In honor of Mr. Franklin’s birthday on January 17, Monday, January 16 through Sunday, January 22, 2012 is designated National Thrift Week.  Thrift Week is a public awareness campaign to celebrate ideals of being green, responsible consumerism, and smart saving…. in other words… Living a Sustainable Life.

Click here to learn more about Benjamin Franklin, the man and his philosophies.