Beautiful lady,
I’ve been so excited to get back into thrift shopping recently. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until recently. For me, nothing beats the excitement of finding something so different, unique, and in perfect condition. I’ve been finding some treasures lately, and I’ve also had the opportunity to go thrift shopping with friends. As my online audience continues to grow, I’ve started getting questions from people who are really interested in thrift shopping. In this post, I want to answer some questions for newbies and share some of my best practices.
But before that, I want to say something… Welcome to the world of savings! Once you’ve become frugal, it can be hard to ever pay regular retail prices again. But don’t worry! If you really know how to be frugal, you can save money and buy the things you want to splurge on.
1. Be open and go often.
Here’s a thrift store… It’s a second-hand store, but it’s still a retail store! When I go to Target, I don’t always find what I want (…Well, that’s unusual, but still) The same goes for thrift stores. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to a thrift store and found nothing. It happens. Don’t let that get you down or stop you from going there again.
I’ve heard that many people don’t go to thrift stores because they went there once or twice and didn’t find anything. The trick to going to thrift stores is to go there often. I usually go to thrift stores once a week. But I’ve met people who go there every day. Why? Because thrift stores accept donations every day and often get rid of them right away. I’ve had the experience of going to a thrift store one day and finding nothing, but then finding something the next day. This nice shirtJust keep an open mind and go as many times as you like!
2. Become familiar with your size and the material of your clothing.
One thing that really helps when buying clothes at a thrift store is knowing your size. If you’re shopping online, most retailers have size guides that show you how to measure yourself at home. This is important to know because while shopping at a thrift store, you may come across items with the size tag cut off (…I see this a lot in plus size clothing.), pieces with a more vintage cut, or menswear that you would love to wear.
It’s also important to know what the material is. Even if a piece is listed as too small, there’s a good chance you can still wear it if it has some stretch. For example, I usually wear a 2X in tops, but if I want a top that fits better and I find one that has some stretch, I could probably wear a size L. Knowing things like this can help you find even more clothes at thrift stores.
3. Make sure you have hand sanitizer or hand wipes in your car and wrap up any you find.
Before buying a used item, I always inspect it. Look for holes, stains, yesbugs. After you’ve shopped, tie up your finds in a plastic bag and put it in the trunk of your car until you’re ready to wash them. Afterwards, be sure to use hand sanitizer or hand wipes. You never know where your recycling items have been, so be sure to sanitize your hands after handling any items.
4. Always clean what you find first.
One of the questions I got recently was how to clean my thrifted items. As a cleanliness enthusiast, this is a very important part of buying thrifted items. When I buy thrifted items, I always try to choose items that can be cleaned or disinfected in some way. Here’s how I clean most of the items when I buy thrifted items:
clothing
I dry clean 95% of my thrift store finds because I go to a dry cleaner that will dry clean any type of clothing for the amazing price of $2.25. Sometimes I wash a simple t-shirt at home in hot water and dry it in hot water as well.
Jewelry & Pins
Soak it in alcohol for about 10 minutes or wipe it with a disinfectant wipe or cotton swab.
wallet
Wipe down the inside and outside with disinfectant wipes.
Household Goods
Soak in Dawn for at least 30 minutes and then wash twice with Dawn.
5. Enjoy your new creation!
Have fun with your new clothes. One of my favorite things to do is use and wear thrift store finds. Have fun with it. If you get compliments, don’t be afraid to tell them how much you paid for it.
Vintage Top via Triad Goodwill
c/o Madewell Wide Leg Crop Jeans
JustFab Leopard Print Booties
Rainbow Square Sunglasses
Are you new to thrift shopping? Do you have any questions I didn’t answer?
May God bless you.
Source: FabEllis – www.fabellis.com
