Well it only took me 2 years to find our local Salvation Army, yeah sad but true! It is not in an area I usually go and prior to me knowing the main part of town, map quest just confused me.
So me and hubby went and took a look and I was so disappointed! Our Salvation Army is not a store and is only there to offer services. The store is in another town 30 miles away that we rarely get to because gas is usually an issue for anything more than local driving.
I am use to rural areas having very limited resources but this particular rural area seems void of everything and is starting to really frustrate me.
That being said, we have NO Thrift stores which I would really think would be beneficial to this area. We had one when we first moved here but a new owner took over and took the thrift out of it and made it a high priced novelty store. He lasted 6 months if that before he closed doors and resorted to trying to sell his high priced items at a perpetual yard sale in town.
Some real down falls of this undeveloped area has been
Now I do love my rural areas as there are many positives as well but I would really love some second hand stores within driving distance!
Some Positives are
I still want a goodwill or salvation army store here though!
Going off to pout while I finish our yummy pork tenderloin roast , mashed potato's and carrots for dinner!
So me and hubby went and took a look and I was so disappointed! Our Salvation Army is not a store and is only there to offer services. The store is in another town 30 miles away that we rarely get to because gas is usually an issue for anything more than local driving.
I am use to rural areas having very limited resources but this particular rural area seems void of everything and is starting to really frustrate me.
That being said, we have NO Thrift stores which I would really think would be beneficial to this area. We had one when we first moved here but a new owner took over and took the thrift out of it and made it a high priced novelty store. He lasted 6 months if that before he closed doors and resorted to trying to sell his high priced items at a perpetual yard sale in town.
Some real down falls of this undeveloped area has been
- decent Internet service, as it was for almost 2 years we had nothing but dial-up as high speed did not exist in our area.
- free video rentals from library-nope they charge and only have about 30 horrid horrid choices as it is like Austin Powers kind of stuff.
- no thrift stores- hangs head in total sadness
- For the first year we had a walmart that closed at 9pm and no food, a year ago we got a Super Walmarts that offered food and and open 24 hours so no longer a down fall
- Not any real choices of where to shop
- high winds most the time- that's what happens when the land is flat, flat, flat, flat!
- no choice for phone service- we have one choice which is Frontier which BITES BIG TIME and over charges on a monthly basis, been a huge headache for us
- closed minded small town mentality-enough said there! LOL
Now I do love my rural areas as there are many positives as well but I would really love some second hand stores within driving distance!
Some Positives are
- Low crime
- friendly farmer neighbors
- slow pace of life
- no traffic
- wildlife out your door
- everything closes at 5pm ( except our newer Super Walmarts of course)
- quiet
- great fishing spots
- low cost rentals and housing prices
- foraging opportunities
I still want a goodwill or salvation army store here though!
Going off to pout while I finish our yummy pork tenderloin roast , mashed potato's and carrots for dinner!
Do any of the local churches have thrift stores? I know some of the churches in my area operate small thrift stores which tend to be really cheap (even compared to Goodwill or the Salvation Army). The only downside is they tend to be open only one or two days a week. It is just a thought.
ReplyDeleteNo not that I am aware of, guess most folks in this area use it up , wear it out and repurpose! LOL
DeleteGuess I will just have to make a point in going to the other town every other month for thrifting.....
Ah. That makes thrifting more difficult.
DeleteI enjoy your blog and admire your efforts to live frugally and eco-friendly.
Your supper of pork tenderloin sounds delicious. :]
Perhaps a thrift store/consignment shop is just the business idea you've been looking for! Maybe just have it open on Saturdays? Or something manageable like that
ReplyDeleteI guess there is no "perfect" place to live. If you're close to stores, thrifts, etc. you probably don't have a ton of space to farm and/or garden. We are close to a lot of grocery stores, thrift stores, everything we want, but we only have space for a moderately small garden and have to drive to green spaces to hike, etc. City dwellers have the ability to live car free but of course can't produce much food for themselves.It's all a trade off. I bet you're right that people in your area use it up and wear it out! One thing you could do is maybe make a yearly day of it...research an area with abundant 2nd hand stores and do a day trip!
ReplyDeleteliving in the countryside does mean giving up certain things, so you can have other things.
ReplyDeleteWhere we live we didn't have the regular high speed internet from the major companies. However after asking around at neighbours we have found a local company who provides high speed internet and has great service.
I agree with Shannon, research the town and do the day trip. I also find that there are an abundance of garage sales in the country as well.
Gill in Canada