A love letter to Dig & Save

I was supposed to write this post on Wednesday, but oops, it was half-price clothing day at Dig & Save. Research first!

Let me tell you about my favorite place in Madison. The Capitol? Nah. The shores of Lake Mendota? Nope. 5 Star Korean BBQ? Good guess, but no. Hands down, my #1 destination spot in town, the first place I take all my (like-minded) out-of-town guests is … Dig & Save. That’s right. A thrift store. But not just any thrift store. A thrift store outlet, if you can believe such a paradise exists.

It does, my friend, it does. True story—when my mom and my aunt came to visit, they went every day they were in town.

You know that Macklemore song Thrift Shop? That’s pretty much what this place is—a warehouse-like space filled with rows and rows of bins overflowing with mounds of clothing, all tossed together without rhyme or reason. Not segregated by size or gender or … decade. Democracy at its best! You’ll find swim separates jumbled up with footed pajamas mixed in with ’80s suit jackets with those puffy shoulder pads, Halloween costumes, and A LOT of Badger gear. And that’s just in the front room. You learn a lot about Americans by sifting—nay, digging—through these bins, first and foremost that OH MY GOD WE ARE A FICKLE AND WASTEFUL PEOPLE.

Also, companies really like to print their logos on clothing … and employees really don’t like to wear those clothes.

Did I mention everything is $1.25 a pound? Except on Wednesdays when everything is $0.63 a pound? There is nothing quite like the feeling of rolling up to the register with a shopping cart heaped with clothes and having the clerk say … $14.51. I weep with joy. I don’t think I exaggerate when I say I might never have started Live Beneath Your Means if I hadn’t moved to Madison and discovered this nirvana.

Certainly, Dig & Save is not perfect. There could be more parking, for example. In so many ways large and small, though, the principles I’ve learned shopping at Dig & Save underpin the very ethos of LBYM:

Flexibility

The cardinal sin of shopping at Dig & Save is looking for something specific. A good friend of mine who also happens to be an aficionado of the store once went in needing 20 Christmas vests for her husband’s entire department. This did not end well.

Instead, you have to be open to whatever God hath provided. Dig & Save’s full name is, in fact, Society of St. Vincent de Paul Dig & Save Outlet. Great t-shirt, but no one in the family is a Medium? They will be someday! Those aforementioned Halloween costumes … in July? Ninjas are always in style.

Being flexible also has the added benefit of expanding your style comfort zone since $0.63 a pound—I only shop for clothing on Wednesdays—is a pretty low-risk fashion investment. Without Dig & Save, who would’ve known I could get away with wearing culottes (they are from Uniqlo so they are cool)?

Patience

I conservatively estimate the amount of pure junk at Dig & Save to be ~97.8%. The frog to prince ratio is high. If you stick it out, though, if you treat digging like a meditation, running the fabrics through your hand, working all the way to the bottom of a bin, and embracing the journey, you will be rewarded.

Also, I now understand why people like panning for gold.

Not Giving a Crap What People Think

I get a lot of compliments when I wear anything I got at Dig & Save (i.e. everything I wear). Maybe because a lot of the clothes are so different from the various permutations of black top + black pants that used to comprise my wardrobe. Maybe because wearing these finds, I walk with an extra spring in my step—a certain je ne sais quoi that invites comment.

Actual conversation last week:

Them: I like your outfit.

Me: (gleefully) It weighs 20 oz! (Translation: It cost $0.78!)

You Can Get Better

I’m not gonna lie. When I first went to Dig & Save, I made a lot of rookie mistakes. Even $0.63 a pound isn’t a bargain if you’re never going to wear something. I was so excited by the prices, I went a little overboard. Over time, though, I’ve gotten much better at shopping there. I only buy high-quality items in good, if not excellent, condition.

A small stain or rip? Don’t worry—someone out there is KonMari-ing their closet right now. Come back next Wednesday.

Gratitude and Generosity

Perhaps the best part of shopping at Dig & Save is how it kindles a sense of gratitude and generosity. Designer Mom jeans—not an oxymoron!—for less than $1? What a wonderful world this is. I’m not gonna lie. A lot of the things in my life right now, three to be exact, are ravenous takers—takers of my energy, my money, my attention. Dig & Save gives … and gives ABUNDANTLY, so much so that I will often buy lovely things simply because I think they deserve a home.

That home might be yours!