MPR News with Angela Davis

Cheap Week: How to spend less on buying stuff

thrift store interior with sign that says thank you it's thrifted
MPR News host Angela Davis talks about how to spend less money on clothing and household items. Secondhand summer dresses and tops are on display at the Nine Lives thrift store in St. Paul.
Courtesy Nine Lives

How can we spend less without giving up the stuff we need?

Maybe you're furnishing your first apartment, replacing a broken toaster, looking for clothes for a growing child or trying to put together a professional wardrobe for a new job.

MPR News host Angela Davis wraps up her “Cheap Week” series with ideas for saving money on the clothes we wear and the things that fill our homes.

She and her guests talk about how to stretch your dollar by shopping secondhand at thrift stores, consignment shops and online resale sites, and how to get and give away things for free through neighborhood “Buy Nothing” groups.

A woman in black outfit and silver belt stands with a woman in a pink print shirt
Anna Thompson (left) owner of a sustainable fashion and thrifting Instagram account, and Roxanne Sanchez, co-owner of Nine Lives thrift store in St. Paul, show off their thrifted outfits at MPR News headquarters in St. Paul on Monday, July 6, 2026.
Nikhil Kumaran | MPR News

Guests:

  • Roxanne Sanchez is co-owner of Nine Lives thrift store in St. Paul, which opened in 2024. She’s also an administrator of her neighborhood “Buy Nothing” Facebook group and had a previous career as a costumer for television and movies.

  • Anna Thompson is a Minneapolis mom and digital marketing strategist who loves to shop at thrift stores and online resale sites. She runs the sustainable fashion Instagram account @annazzon and previously worked as a personal stylist for Arc’s Value Village thrift stores.

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Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.