It was a pleasure to interview Poppy from the incredible Instragram page @PoppyJulesFinds about her new book, “Your Thrift Era,” which I loved reading as its packed with solid advice, actionable tips and heartfelt insights about the hobby she and I share in common. “I worked hard at a day job to fund a high-end wardrobe,” she writes. “I was the type of girl to wear a new dress for every occasion.” The book is also part memoir, explaining her leap from fast fashion to a more sustainable and mindful way of shopping, and is a delightful read end to end.

Please enjoy this extended version of our interview that wouldn’t fit in a single caption.

Oh yes, and buy the book here (or click the image)!

Q: In your book you talk about how an addiction to online shopping kickstarted your love of thrifting—but then your thrifting eventually led to overbuying as well. How did you overcome overbuying, and what advice do you have for thrifters to avoid turning it into another kind of shopping addiction?

Poppy: At first, the low thrift prices blinded me to the clutter I was creating in my home. Then I noticed that I was feeling overwhelmed by the amount of stuff. But what really made me want to change was when I saw that the endless sea of toys and clothing bursting out of drawers was also affecting my kids. I ended up experimenting by boxing a bunch of stuff up and saw that they seemed to engage in deeper, more meaningful play when they had fewer options. Getting dressed in the morning was easier for them, too. 

Now I am very intentional and question myself before I bring something new into our home. So my advice would be to not let the low prices at the thrift store blind you into buying something. Really think about it if you actually need the item or not. I used to get caught up in the idea of an item even though it wasn’t realistic for my lifestyle.  At the end of the day, it’s still consumption and sometimes it might be best to leave that item for another person that needs it. I’m definitely not perfect and still make the odd silly purchase, but my house and mind feel a lot calmer by always aggressively editing down my thrift hauls.

Q: Your book mentions that you love how thrifted items have a story behind them, whether we know it or not. I am fascinated by this idea, too. Have you ever discovered a story behind something you thrifted that brings you extra joy?

Poppy: Years ago, I thrifted a kid’s storybook that I happened to own when I was a child. When I opened it, I saw that it had my first name inscribed in it. I don’t have a specific memory of writing my name in this book but I like to think that it could be the same book from my childhood. I thrifted it in the same suburb I grew up in, very close to my old neighborhood as well. Especially since my parents downsized all that stuff years before I had kids. So it’s like it found its way back to me so that my own kids could have their turn with it. It’s really amazing to think about how many times these items possibly get passed around between families.

Q: Can you talk more about thrifting as a coping mechanism? I suspect a lot of us can relate, and I love how candidly you embrace this in your book.

Poppy: I really engage almost all my senses (OK—maybe not taste!) but besides looking, I’m also feeling because you can tell a lot about quality by examining the fabric and construction of an item. I’m even listening because sometimes you might hear the wheels of a new arrival cart coming out. It’s a real life treasure hunt for me, so I am locked in. I’m also cross referencing my mental checklist of what I am thrifting for that day. I think sometimes when we are going through a lot we just need to do things that keep us present in our bodies. And then of course, the dopamine hit you get from finding something feels great.

Thrifting is still one of my favorite pastimes for all the reasons above, but I also work out and do yoga as other practices to remain in the present. I think as long as it’s not your only coping mechanism, it’s a great option.

Q: How long did it take you to write and edit the book? Was there anything you had to cut that you wish you could have kept?

Poppy: I used to write a lot of long instagram captions of thrifting tips, and about a year ago I decided that maybe a better way to share them would be within an actual book. This also coincided with me quitting my job to be at home with my three small kids as well. I worked on it sporadically during nap times and early mornings while my kids were asleep. My sister-in-law Bonnie helped me with editing. Sometimes I wish I could add more to the lists in the book, like “My Best Finds,” because that’s always changing.

I want my kids to have a sustainable future, so I thought this could be my small way to make a bigger impact for them. I also want to hopefully empower other families to have a “richer” lifestyle by leveraging all the secondhand options and thrifting tips out there. Part of the reason why we can afford to live on one income is because of my thriftiness.

Q: You write in the book about learning to “just appreciate” something and “leave it for someone else to love,” aka not always buying everything you like that you see. When I re-donate something I bought recently, sometimes I fear I’m overbuying thrifted stuff. Does this happen to you? 

I do feel a tad guilty when that happens because of the waste of money and the clutter it created before I re-donated the item; however, I usually temper that guilt with the fact that I know I have saved an incredible amount of money overall through my thrifting—so a few “bad buys” is OK. I think as I get older, I just try to be a bit kinder to myself and do better next time. Taking pictures of funny things at the thrift store to show my friends and followers has also helped me appreciate things instead of having to bring them home with me.

Q: Is there anything you’d like to add?

Poppy: I fell in love with thrifting because it’s the most sustainable option, besides using what you already have. With the rising cost of living, it’s even more important now. Thrifted items are often better quality than what’s in retail stores, and a thrifted outfit is much cuter than anything from fast fashion.

This is the re-re-reboot of my popular onesheet that was originally shared on Reddit. I made the first one in early 2020…which we all know was quite a different world once March arrived. Please let me know if it is helpful to you as you embark on secondhand shopping around town!

And as always, if your time is tight, call the store first to confirm they’ll be open and/or accepting donations.

To save this to an iPhone, press and hold on the middle until a menu appears, then choose ‘save to photos.’ Alternatively, select the bookmark icon on the bottom toolbar of your phone’s browser and choose ‘add to home screen.’

Parental anxieties can damage kids’ relationship with food

_{(The below completed story, assigned to me by Optimum Wellness, is posted here with permission from my editor. It’s been held indefinitely as Covid has affected many magazines’ page counts, but I wanted to get it out there as I really enjoyed this one!)}

By Sarah Protzman Howlett

As parents, it can be a tall order to foster positive body image and a healthy relationship with food in our kids when both are sore subjects in our own lives. The new book “A Parent’s Guide to Intuitive Eating” by pediatrician Dr. Yami Cazorla-Lancaster helps parents navigate these confusing waters using the principles of intuitive eating, a so-called “anti-diet” that eschews food restrictions. In the book, Dr. Yami outlines five pillars she says will help parents cultivate adventurous, joyful meal times for everyone at the table, no matter what hang-ups lurk in your past.

Honor hunger and satiety

Parents should decide what food to serve and when, Dr. Yami says—and then? Shhhh. “After you’ve presented the food, your job is done,” she says. Steer clear of any goading: Come on, have another bite! Don’t you want more? You didn’t even touch your broccoli. If you want dessert, you have to eat your… are all counterproductive, she says. Instead, let the child know they will never be forced to eat but that they must use manners, perhaps remaining at the table until everyone is done eating. Parents who are fearful their child is too small or too large seem to struggle most with this one, Dr. Yami says: “When a parent is anxious about a kid who is larger or more robust, or is very lean or petite, they’ll start urging a few more bites and so forth,” she says. “In other words, intervening when the child should be using their own intuition.”

Emphasize whole-plant foods

This phrasing intimidates many parents, Dr. Yami says, because it conjures images of salad and little else, when in reality plant-based eating is much broader. Think beyond mere leaves and create meals around the foods kids almost universally love that also happen to be plants: potatoes, corn, fruit, etc. Plant-forward meals decrease the risk of chronic disease and increase longevity, she says, and are packed with fiber and antioxidants. Avoid restrictive diets, especially ones that forbid foods widely considered healthy, she says: “The Paleo diet eliminates beans and whole grains, which are very health promoting and support the gut microbiome,” she says, “and fad diets like Keto can be incredibly dangerous for kids because of the lack of macronutrients. We can have carbs and fat as part of delicious, abundant meals.”

Establish a positive environment

Dr. Yami urges filling your home with health-promoting foods, making sure what’s available matches the messaging: “If you tell your kids to eat fruits and vegetables but there are chips everywhere, you’re not giving the brain and the eyes an opportunity to make those things part of kids’ consciousness,” she says. Further, examine what body-image messages your kids may be absorbing, through TV, social media and films, or hearing talk about dieting or body size—be it yours or someone else’s. “You may be telling your kids ‘all bodies are good bodies’ but have a magazine that says LOSE 10 POUNDS on the cover,” she says. “You put the culture into your child’s brain.”

Be flexible

Parents should feel free to honor the cultural importance of, for instance, cake at birthday parties, candy on Halloween and chocolate bunnies on Easter—again, without additional commentary that can instill guilt. “When they eat their cake, don’t give them the side eye or say something like, ‘I think you’ve had enough,’ ” she says. For older kids, Dr. Yami advises candid conversations about sugar, salt and fat—and how we as humans are naturally driven to eat those things because they taste good. For parents with younger kids, the temptation to forbid sugar can backfire once a child goes to school and sees other kids enjoying such foods in moderation. Denying access to sweets or other foods deemed “bad” can lead kids to hoard food, binge or hide candy wrappers in their pockets, she says.

Relax and have fun

Dr. Yami says too many parents in her practice deal with crushing guilt and shame over any number of parenting issues, but that tensions run highest where food is concerned. “Parents are so anxious, and the dinner table becomes stressful,” she says. “When it comes to food, parents do not need to be saints or be perfect. Their kid is going to be fine. We are not trying to feed them enough broccoli to get into Harvard.” She says that if a parent is getting whole-plant foods into their child’s diet, to not overthink the rest. Pressure and perfectionism zaps all joy from family mealtimes; she says. “Your kids love you, so give yourself space and time to try different things,” she says. “You do not have to get everything right all the time.”

>> No “bad” foods

In Dr. Yami’s family, no nosh is forbidden. But this cornerstone of intuitive eating—that no food is banned or off limits—doesn’t ignore the fact that some foods pack more nutrition than others. “I call them ‘health-promoting foods’ and ‘play foods,’ ” she says. “Play foods are fun but are probably more processed, and we won’t eat them all the time.” Regardless of what your kids may hear at school—that certain foods are “good” and others are “bad”—parents who reject this rigid way of thinking about food must say so, and say so often. “You can say, ‘Some foods help us feel better and have more health benefits than other foods, but nothing is off limits,’ ” she says. “That gives kids the ability to keep foods on an even platform.”

I’m into clothes but not fashion, if that makes sense. While I applaud the industry’s acceptance of sustainable fabrics like biodegradable mycelium, fashion is still the world’s second most-polluting business, according to the UN, and produces 10% of the world’s carbon emissions. Yet another reason why I love to dress myself in secondhand duds.

I love cute, casual outfits that ever so slightly communicate that I did think about what I put on this morning. Like making my bed, it makes me feel good every time I pay attention to what I want to wear to feel my best.

So while I love clothes, I don’t collect clothes. Not even close. Every year around this time, I eye my closet with what can only be described as suspicion. With the impending change of the seasons and my ruthless “even if it’s cute, even if it fits, if I don’t wear it, it goes” policy, as the days slightly shorten I always start to look at what I wore and what I didn’t over summer.

Needless to say, this year the tradition won’t work. It would be, as my kids say, “No fair.”

Because, of course, Covid. I mean, I didn’t even wear my slightly nicer tops.

Like many of you, we’ve mostly been at home…since March. I don’t have a clue what kind of pandemic family we thought we’d be, but it turns out we are the kind that stays within 90 minutes of our house all summer. I already knew I was an ambivert and a homebody (though I deeply mourned undoing the flights and reservations for a five-week overseas trip), but since we already live in Boulder near inexhaustible bike trails, ridiculously stunning hikes, campgrounds, creek spots and outdoor exercise classes—we didn’t feel the need to “get the hell out of here,” so to speak.

So we stayed, and I wore my same thrifted midi dress, or quick-dry shorts and a tank top. The dress was thrifted but with the tags still on when I bought it, and I’ve worn it so much I’ve already had to mend it once; I tried to reach something waaaay in the back seat and busted a strap. (In a “it does pay to hold onto stuff” twist, I used a box of embroidery thread I’ve had since I was 10 to find the perfect shade to re-tack it.)

I remember the exactly one time I wore a nice dress this summer, in our communal green space for a casual going-away party. Since I missed dear friends’ out-of-town wedding due to Covid, I wore to the going-away what I’d planned to wear at their wedding—only with lacy Toms instead of wedge heels.

So I’m not getting rid of much from summer, and it’s not my norm, but it is my act of hope that I’ll wear more of my wardrobe next summer. I hope that next summer, I’ll blow out my hair and go to dinner, indoors, with gal pals. That there may be a wedding or two. That I’ll have date nights with my husband and wear wedges not because Boulder is fancy, but because we’ll be celebrating: each other, a return to relative normalcy, that we made it.

Here’s to holding onto what we have until we make it.

Thanks for coming to check out my portfolio. It’s a work in progress but I’m excited to have it up and going. I hope to add regular blog posts here, so please stand by.