Good Things Come To Those Who Thrift!
Posted on August 19 2026
This week I am sharing an article from eco warrior Hayley Crawford @trashtalkingmama who is passionate about reducing waste, finding simple ways to live a little more sustainably, and loves thrift shopping.
By choosing pre-loved rather than buying new, we're giving things another life and helping to reduce the demand for new clothing and the fast fashion industry that has swept across the planet.
Hayley has two great thrifting finds to help you find stores and throwing barging - Op Spot and Re:Circle.
From Hayley - Trash Talking Mama ......
Good things come to those who thrift because when you shop secondhand, you don’t find things, they find you. I have had two great finds recently, related to this topic, which I am keen to share this month. Firstly, there is a brand new app called Op Spot which aims to make shopping secondhand as accessible and appealing as buying new.
Op Spot lists all the op shops in your area with a map view or a clear list of their location and opening times. The idea is that app users or the store workers can upload pictures of their current wares so you can view ahead online. If you’re like me, you will have come across bargains that you don’t necessarily need for yourself but want to spread the word to divert this treasure from landfill. You just take a pic and upload it to your wall for the rest of the Op Spot community to see.
One of these shops is my other recent discovery, Re:Circle Whangaparāoa, which is a consignment store in Coast Plaza, where items are sold on your behalf. Have you ever wished you could offload your unwanted goods in a retail style setting and have someone else mind the store and process the payments? Here you can book a stall for however many weeks you choose and pay a weekly rate as well as commission on items sold. Sales will show on your online profile, notifying you that you can add more products to your rack or shelves. There’s a variety of shelving units to choose from, including lockable glass cabinets for valuable objects and if you only want to sell a few articles you can use their ‘per item’ option.
For more information go to Re:Circle.nz or ask in store (branches are also in Onehunga and Hamilton) where you could pick up a preloved bargain as a customer - stall owners get a discount. And don’t forget to download Op Spot from your app store to check out all the other local opportunity shops, find your preferred one or plan your next thrifting adventure.
Hayley shares her eco tips of the month over on Instagram, along with lots of practical ideas and inspiration for reducing waste in everyday life. She is definitely worth following if you're looking for simple ways to make a difference without making life complicated.
You'll find her on Instagram as ‘Trash Talking Mama’ — @trashtalkingmama on Instagram
Op Spot info on Google but you can download and install from your App Store