Welcome back, y’all! I’m a biiiiiiig thrift gal. I love thrifting! Half of my closet is actually thrifted clothing, but you’d never know that unless I told you. Truth is, most thrift stores aren’t these dirty, grungey places that they used to be in the past.
You can often find some awesome stuff in thrift stores and in today’s post, I’m here to tell you all about how I do it and how to make the most of your next thrifting trip!
1. Go in with an open mind
Thrifting is all about being open-minded because you never know what you’re going to find. Don’t go into a thrift store with the mindset that you won’t find anything cool, or if you find something cool, it won’t be in your size, so on and so forth because you’ll find yourself easily discouraged before you even get inside!
Always go into a thrift store or a secondhand store with the mindset that you’re going to come out with at least one cool thing, and usually, it’ll happen!
2. Do your research beforehand
Not every thrift store is the same. I’ve been to thrift stores that rival high-end retail stores, while other thrift stores I’ve been to are just one step away from being shut down by the health department. Doing a quick Google Search beforehand can help get you to understand what kind of store you’re about to walk into.
Reading Yelp and Google Reviews are incredibly helpful, especially if the store isn’t a quick drive from your place. There’s nothing like driving over thirty minutes to go to that really good store that everybody’s raving about, only for it to be closed, or not actually that good according to other people.
3. Don’t be afraid to get things you might have to fix
Remember, this is a thrift store and not a normal retail store. Therefore, not all of the articles of clothing are going to be good to go after a wash. Some things could have a hole in the sleeve or a torn collar, but that’s nothing a needle and thread can’t fix!
If you prefer not to buy things you have to mend, that’s totally okay too! Most thrift stores will have good quality items, but some stores will put out clothes that need a little TLC.
Admittedly, if I do buy something that needs to be mended, I hand it off to my mom, but there are plenty of YouTube videos if you want to learn to do that on your own.
4. Buy those funky patterns
My absolute favorite shirt of all time is straight from the 80s or 90s. Every time I wear it, I get all sorts of retro 90s hipster comments and I love it. I got it from a thrift store almost four years ago and it still looks just as vibrant today as it did when I got it.
I am a really loud person, so I’m almost always attracted to loud and bright patterns! You should totally take a chance on those louder patterns if they’re not your usual cup of tea.
Metallic pants? Try them on! Highlighter pink crop top? Try that on too! Thrift stores, especially ones with a lot of vintage items, are great places to find stuff like this.
5. Find a way to save even more money than you already are
I know at my local Goodwills, every Sunday they choose a new color of the week, in which all those items will be fifty percent off the entire week. They also have senior and military days, where you can save around twenty-five percent on your purchase.
At other thrift stores in my area, there are days where things are a $1, your entire purchase is a certain percentage off and other good deals. Some even offer coupons found online or in the local paper.
You’re already saving quite a bit of money, so why not try and save even more on top of your savings! Figure out when those half off days are.
6. Get dirty (maybe)
Not all thrift stores are kept immaculately kept. Some are dirtier than others. In these cases, grab a pair of gloves, take a deep breath and start digging. I will admit, going to stores where you have to dig in bins and boxes is not my cup of tea, but every so often, I will do it.
I grab my favorite pair of gloves and dig through the bins. All the stores around me keep their items in decent condition, but I know this is not the case around the country and world.
Sometimes that next fashion gem is at the bottom of a box, if you know how to look for it.
God, there’s nothing like thrifting. Do you enjoy thrifting? Let me know in the comments below!
Until next time,
I’ve always had trouble with my thift visits , these are great tips. I’m definitle going to try them!
Great tips. I buy a lot of my clothes in the three thrift stores in my town. And bonus: if it doesn’t work out, I only spent a few bucks!
I usually do a good thrifting session every couple of months- but granted, we are spoiled for good, curated shops in Amsterdam. I really loved reading your post, and was nodding along to so many points you were making, Great tips!