Thrift Shopping In's And Out's From A Seasoned Veteran

No outfit pictures today (:, I wasn't feeling photogenic and i am not the best at posing as it is so not a good combination. But i did feel like blogging so i decided to finish up this old post i have been working on for a little while and never fully finished. I love to thrift shop for so so so many reasons, i love finding bargains!! My sister gave me the idea for writing about thrift shopping and i know i have gotten some comments from people about not finding to many things while thrifting. I have read a few Do's and Don'ts articles for thrift shopping which i didn't really like. They seemed kind of bossy which i found a bit off putting so i definitely didn't want to write something like that!! What works for some people might not work for others and i am by no means an expert. These are the things i do when i go thrifting and i guess tips to someone who wants get started!!

1) Why Pick A Size

When i shop in regular stores i generally have a pretty good idea what size i am although that might vary a bit depending on the shop. But with thrift shopping and i always say this to everyone i go shopping with (friends, sisters, aunts, my mom) the size on the label doesn't matter. Sizes of clothes can vary soooooo much depending on the brand, where the clothes have been made or how old they are. If i think the item looks like it might fit me i will try it on no matter what size the tag says. I think i have a range of shirts from extra small to extra large in my closet. i love my oversized sweaters :) so trying on something which is a little bigger sometimes looks awesome on!!

2) Try On Everything!!

Haha that might be a bit broader then i actually mean but there is reasoning behind it don't worry. I do this with regular shopping to but this especially applies to my thrifting. When i am searching through the racks if i find something i just kind of like or strikes my fancy for some reason i grab it and keep looking. I generally end up with a massive two armfuls of clothes before i go into the change rooms (Warning only do this if there is no line, people can get a little impatient lol). I often find that items i was a bit unsure of look great after trying them on while others i loved instantly don't.

3) Goodwill or Salvation Armies Are Gold Mines

I love love love the outreach/goodwill store in my town. It is seriously where i find almost everything (except sweaters there are mysteriously none there) the prices are always between $2-$6 unless it is something super fabulous! The little old ladies who run it know me by name now and we always have a good chat when they see me in there, i wonder what they think i do with all of my clothes. Anyways the above stores are where i find my best bargains, because they are non profit organizations which means the prices are cheap cheap cheap and you are helping out the less fortunate which always makes me feel happy. I do like vintage stores and places like Value Village although there prices are generally more then thrift shops (unless there is a sale!) but they are still way less then regular stores. The clothes have already been picked out for you so they tend to be of good quality and it is easier to find a specific item but i like thrift shops better (the thrill of searching gets me every time).

4) Rummage, Rummage, Rummage

The only con with the above tip (although as i mentioned i LOVE this part) is the rummaging and searching through all of the racks at those stores to find some treasures. I know my one sister told me she didn't like thrift shopping because you had to look through alot of bad clothes to find something decent and it was a bunch of work so she would just not bother. Although it can be a bit daunting it is all worth it when you dig up some gorgeous dress/sweater/shirt/skirt etc, for some ridiculously cheap price. I tend to just go to whatever rack i see first and work my way through all of the clothes (yup i look at every hanger, you never know what the front of the item might look like...cute or bad enough to make you laugh).

5) Think Of Things You Are Dying To Find

When i go thrifting i like to have a few things i want in mind like coloured cardigans (so hard to find by the way), a fur coat (still undecided if vintage fur is ok), leather gloves etc. It can often take ages to find the exact item you want but i like to keep it in mind just in case and it gives me some purpose while i am shopping so i don't just end up buying blouses which i love to do :) and end up never wearing them.

6) Try and Try Again

I find it hard sometimes not to get discouraged when i try on loads of clothes and nothing seems to look right and i leave the store empty handed. But i always always go back in a few weeks and check again. I went to the Salvation Army one week and found absolutely nothing and the next i found three of my favourite sweaters and a floral skirt!! That is one of the fabulous things about thrift shopping the clothes are always changing, i hardly ever see the same thing twice in my local goodwill.

7) Never Settle

Thrift stores can be cheap like super cheap. Sometimes i get caught up with just how cheap something of good quality is then whether or not it is my style. I have gotten a bit better at this over the years, especially the last few months with this blog :) i try not to buy something unless i can think of a few ways i can wear the item (if it's not my style i generally can't come up with any) and to never settle and buy some i don't really love. But the odd time i still come home with some random piece of clothing that is not my style or actually a bit hideous (i get the urge sometimes to buy some of the weirdest/funky clothes) and i just shake my head as to why i purchased it.

Happy thrifting everyone!!! now i really do want to go shopping :)

Some other news, my computer is acting really weird again, there is no sound when i use itunes or try to watch videos, internet explorer will just not load at all and it wouldn't start this morning for about two hours (finally on now) i am going to have to make a trip back to the computer guy and get it looked at... again. I have a exam on Thursday (wish me luck!!) so i need to do some serious studying, it might actually be a good thing if i was without my computer, less distractions!! But because of all this i don't know if i will be able to blog to much :( since the stupid thing could completely quit on me at any moment but if it is still working i will take a much need break from studying and take some photos. So i hope everyone has a lovely week and i will be back to blogging soonish!!