The entire system feels like a financial torture chamber right now.
And this week has brought a bit of a double whammy.
The RBA has increased interest rates again, putting more pressure on households already watching their budgets closely. At the same time, the new rules around card surcharges have changed the way businesses recover the costs of accepting electronic payments.
For consumers, the message is that card surcharges have gone.
For businesses, the cost of accepting those payments hasn't disappeared. It still has to be absorbed or recovered through the way they price and run their businesses.
And when you're already watching every dollar, it can feel like there's nowhere to move.
So what can we actually do?
Start with what you already have
Selling your wardrobe is not going to solve the bigger problem. It won't.
Eventually you run out of things to sell while the bills keep arriving.
But it can be a very good place to start.
If you've got clothes, shoes, bags or other things sitting around that you no longer use, turning them into some extra cash is one practical thing you can do right now.
You're taking something that has been sitting unused and turning it back into money.
And then something interesting happens when that money stays local.
Where your money goes matters
When you spend $40 with a person at your local market, that $40 doesn't simply disappear.
It becomes income for another person.
They might use some of it to buy something from another local seller. They might spend it at the café afterwards. They might use it to pay a local business, buy groceries or put it towards their household expenses.
The more we spend with local businesses and people, the more opportunities there are for money to circulate through the communities we actually live in.
That's particularly important when money is tight.
When households are under pressure, we're all tempted to look for the cheapest and easiest option.
But the cheapest price isn't always the whole story.
If we can buy something we need secondhand for less money and that money goes directly to another person in our community, that's doing two things at once.
We're saving money. And we're helping someone else earn it.
This is why I love markets
A market is a very simple economic ecosystem.
One person has something they don't want anymore.
Someone else wants it.
They meet. Money changes hands.
The seller makes some extra income. The buyer gets something they actually want, often for considerably less than buying new. And then they both go home.
There is no enormous supply chain required. No new product needs to be manufactured.
The clothes already exist.
The people already exist.
And the money can move between them.
That's why I don't think thrifting is just about getting a bargain. It is be a genuinely practical response to a time when household budgets are under pressure.
And if you're already a thrifter, I want you to do something for me. Bring someone with you!
Because if more people start buying secondhand, more people can start selling secondhand.
And if more people sell, we can create more markets.
And more markets mean more opportunities for people, particularly women, to make money from things they already own.
That's the bit I keep thinking about.
More people buying. More people selling. More money circulating between actual people.
October is looking very good for a wardrobe clear-out
If you've been thinking about selling, this is your sign.
THRIFT CLUB · BARDON BOWLS
Sunday 11 October · 8am–12pm
69 Bowman Parade, Bardon
FREE ENTRY
Our brand new market, with indoor air-conditioned stalls, shaded outdoor spaces and beautiful secondhand fashion.
GOLD COAST FASHION MARKET · TUGUN
Sunday 18 October · 12pm–4pm
Tugun Village Community Centre
414 Coolangatta Road, Tugun
$3 ENTRY
RACK MARKET · NEWSTEAD
Sunday 25 October · 9am–1pm
Stratton Bar & Kitchen
3 Stratton Street, Newstead
$3 ENTRY
So if you've got things sitting in your wardrobe that you're no longer wearing, sell them.
Click here to book a stall.
And if you're not selling at the markets, shop at them.
Because right now, where we spend our money matters. A lot.
See you at the racks. xo