Thrifting Tips & Tricks!

Hey tenacious cookies! Today I wanted to talk to you guys about thrift shopping, and share with you some of my best finds.

So when many young women here the term thrift shopping they commonly associate it with gross, very worn clothing for people who can't afford to buy clothing from normal stores. But if you don't thrift you're really missing out!

Thrift stores vs, consignment shops

One thing to keep in mind is that thrift stores are very different from consignment shops. Thrift stores are generally much cheaper than consignment shops, but they are also much less selective in what they accept as donations. Thrift stores are also typically run by not for profit organizations. My favorite thrift store is The Goodwill, and in my town we have at least 3 or 4 within a 30 minute car ride. My mom and I usually go to one of these stores each weekend to shop.

What To Expect

The thing about thrift shopping is that, ultimately, it does save you money. However, you cannot expect to find an entire wardrobe. Personally, I use thrift stores to find my very basic pieces, so that I can have a larger budget for trendy, brand new clothes that I will never find at the thrift store. At the end of this post you'll see pictures of many of my thrift store finds. You'll see most of them are very basic pieces, but they are from high quality brands, and these garments make it possible for me to dress well while staying on a budget. I never have to buy sweaters, plain T-shirts, or solid tops from retail stores for full price, which saves me a ton of money in the long run.

How to shop in a thrift store

The first time I went with my Mom I was incredibly overwhelmed. The racks were jam-packed with clothing, and there seemed to be little organization. I was convinced I would not find anything there. After a while, it got easier, and I grew to love The Goodwill. Here's the basic strategy I employ to have a successful experience and to look through everything without being in the store all day.

1) The approach is very systematic. Start at the rack closest to the entrance. If you can, bring a friend or family member that could pick out clothes you would like but isn't the same size as you to prevent competition.
2) Each of you starts out on opposite sides of the rack, and you work your way to the middle
3) First look at the tag on the inside of the garment for a brand name that you like or know is high quality. The brands I usually look for are: Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, J Crew, Loft, White House Black Market, H&M, and Charlotte Russe. If it is not any of these brands I skim right past it without looking further
4) If the brand looks promising, pull it out of the rack and examine it closely. First decide if it's the style you like based on how old the garment looks (Charlotte Russe 2007 is very different than Charlotte Russe 2015)
5) If you still like it, look closer for any irreversible damage (ie large stains, holes, etc). If it doesn't have any problems put it in the cart.
6) Repeat for all racks (or as many as you have time for)
- One thing to keep in mind is that racks are divided based on the type of garment, so if you know you're not looking for any sweaters right now then go ahead and skip the rack.

Tips & Tricks 

1) Many stores (including The Goodwill) have a system where each week a particular tag color means a garment is 50% off. The Goodwill also has a student discount of 10% on the total purchase.
2) Some days are better than others, and a lot of it comes down to luck
3) Really be willing to dig around to find good items, they're not going to pop off the rack at you
4) The dressing rooms are usually a catastrophe, but look closely at what the person before you left behind.
5) Keep an open mind. Don't put back a great find because it smells weird or is covered in cat hair. As long as it's fixable you can look past it.

My Best Finds:

So, since I didn't really know where else to put these pictures in the post I just decided to have them all at the end. Enjoy!

Loft navy shirt

Banana Republic button down

Banana Republic sweater 

New York & Company burgundy sweater

Loft olive shirt

New York & Company pink blouse

100% cashmere sweater

J Crew black shirt

J Crew blue sweater

floral pencil skirt

Loft navy and cream dress

Express pink shorts

Loft blue blouse

Old Navy mint and blue blouse

New York & Company green shirt