The Art of Thrifting.

What is “thrifting?” According to Microsoft Word 2007, it's a word in the English vocabulary that does not exist. Squiggly red lines grace the bottom of the letters, trying to annoy me enough to change the spelling to simply, “Thrift.” However, I dare say "thrifting" IS a word. I will add it to the dictionary in Microsoft Word 2007, so it believes me as well.

Much better, squiggly red lines have vanished! I am the squiggly line vanisher!

No, but seriously, what is “thrifting” and how does one actually go about doing the act of “thrifting?”

I started thrifting because I had little money to spend on clothes as a teenager/college student. I remember my first amazing thrift store find. Back in highschool, I was invited to go to a local schools' dance with my friend Andrew Howe. I had nothing to wear and knew that I, nor my parents had extra cash to spend on an expensive formal dress.




On my way home from work one evening, I decided to pull into a local thrift store in the off chance someone might have dropped off a formal dress. I was skeptical and frankly, a little repulsed by the “old person” smell that wafted into my nostrils when I opened the door. However, I figured “What the heck do I have to lose?” I walked through the hallways of the thrift shop to a room titled “Formal Attire.” I slipped through the entrance and started digging though the mostly-WAY-out of style dresses that were hanging along the walls. Nothing was hung up in the right place and everything seemed tattered and musty. THEN, I suddenly spotted burgundy fabric and a tag that said “Davids Bridal.” I pulled the dress out from between two denim jumpers (still don't understand how those qualify as “formal”) and gasped. This dress was STUNNING and it was a size 2. MY SIZE. I snatched it and ran to the little curtained off dressing room area. I slipped one foot into the silky material, another foot and then zipped up the back of the dress. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and honestly could not believe what I saw. That dress was gorgeous. I knew that it was worth well over 100 or 200 dollars and that it was a find like no other. I quickly slipped out of the dress, threw my clothes back on and ran with it to the register. 6 dollars. I got that dress for 6 dollars. I dare say I felt like the most beautiful 16 yr old princess wearing that dress and I must have received a dozen complements on it. Nobody ever would have guessed I found that dress sandwiched between two denim monsters.

Lucky find? That time? Absolutely.

However, that lucky find was the catalyst...

Side note, I always spell that word wrong. “Catalyst.” Such a weird word. I need to come up with a way to remember that there is a ridiculous “Y” sitting in the middle of it....

Anyways, that lucky find was the catalyst to my absolute love of thrifting.

It sparked a creative/treasure hunting streak in me. I suddenly realized in that moment, I could spend a fraction of the cost my friends spent on their clothes/decorations and still have it look just as great. Sure, it might take a little longer, a little more dedication...but the thrill and the satisfaction would be completely worth it. 

Needless to say, I was completely hooked.

As I started becoming more and more familiar with thrifting and the local consignment shops and antique stores, I also started to pick up “tips and tricks” and slowly I became much smarter in the “Art of Thrifting.”

I wanted to write this note to share my tips and tricks. It's by no means an absolute guide to follow, but at least it might help you get started in this fun way to save money and get satisfaction from your shopping!

1. Thrifting isn't for the easily intimidated.

I hate to break it to you, but you're going to have to get used to spending a lot of time (especially as you first start out thrifting) digging and searching in consignment shops. You're going to have to return often if you want to see results (simply because the good stuff goes VERY quickly) and you're going to get disappointed when you spend a lot of time and energy and then turn up with NOTHING that works. If you're afraid of any of these things, then maybe you should take up a different hobby. But, if you're an adventurer, don't shy away from treasure hunting and are dedicated...this is the hobby for you!

2. Get to know the layout of the land.

Do a quick Google search for Goodwill's, consignment shops, Salvation Army stores and other various thrift shops in your area. As you visit them, you'll begin to see which ones are better and more often stocked with modern/newer clothes and furniture. You can begin to narrow down the thrift stores you go to most often. Try and hit up the thrift stores you've had the most luck with most regularly. The ones that are “hit and miss”... simply visit those up every once in awhile when you're in the neighborhood. You don't want to completely leave these thrift stores out because sometimes people will drop off that hidden "gem" once in a great while. But, simply, don't count on it. Use your time wisely, by going where you know you'll at least find “something.”

3. As mentioned above. Go regularly. 

Now, I'm not going to tell you what “regularly” means for you, simply because I don't know your schedule. But, I can tell you with certainty, the more often you go, the more you will be able to tell what stuff is new and what stuff has been there awhile. Another point I need to make is that when you go regularly, you don't need to spend an insane amount of time in the store. If you were just there last week, you can pretty much glance quickly through the racks and know if something is new or not. If you're not a regular customer to the stores, you're going to spend HOURS surfing through things each time you visit...and it's going to be very overwhelming. So, basically, go often.

4. If you're looking for a particular item in mind, you might as well forget it.

I've been lucky a couple of times and have purchased items that were EXACTLY what I was looking for. Take this dress for example, I got this for 8 dollars at Goodwill.

However, I'm also very aware that often times I will go with an item in mind and come home disappointed and empty handed. You'll save yourself a lot of grief and disappointment if you simply go thrifting with no expectations. Think of it as treasure hunting. You never know what you're going to find! If you really are in a time crunch and need that little black dress ASAP, hit up your 2 favorite/reliable thrift shops...but if you don't find anything by the end of the second store, hit the department stores. You don't want to completely run out of time to get your dress because you were searching through all the racks at 37 Goodwills. Be a smart shopper.

5. Early bird gets the worm.

That's right folks. If you want that Banana Republic pencil skirt before Sally over there finds it, get your butt to the consignment shop first. From my experience Monday and Tuesdays are the best days to shop. Espeeeecccaially in the early afternoon. From my experience (and some people may disagree) most people drop off their unwanted articles over the weekend. Monday (early morning) is spent organizing the new articles and they begin to put everything out Monday afternoon. By Tuesday evening, most of the new articles from the weekend have been put on display. Now, this isn't a golden rule to follow (simply because I've found some great stuff on Friday that wasn't there on Tuesday!) But, it may be a guideline, like I said, to help you get started!

6. Bee-line it, baby.

As soon as you walk through the doors, walk straight to the racks of clothes that are new and haven't been put on the regular displays yet. Most often you'll at least find one article of clothing that is pretty awesome on those racks. After you're done with the new racks, Bee-line it over to the dressing room “return” rack. You'll find that a lot of people like the same stuff you like, but for one reason or another, it didn't fit them right. Snatch the good stuff before somebody else tries it on.

7. Sizing almost always means NOTHING in thrift stores.

“But it says that this section of shirts are Larges...I wear a Small!” I don't care, look through them. You'll find that sizes are often mixed up in consignment shops. I found a pair of over 100 dollar Diesel jeans (size 3) mixed in with the size 16 jeans. SCORE! Why? Because nobody else was willing to dig outside the lines.

8. Don't let your eyes be bigger than your style.

I've experienced this many times. Often times the thrill of wanting to find something awesome for a low price makes our brains foggy when it comes to “Do I really want this?” Try it on and if you don't LOVE it, put it back. Don't rationalize with yourself, even though it's 3 bucks...are you going to actually wear it? If you're not going to wear it, that's still a wasted 3 bucks. That could be a coffee with your girlfriends!

9. A little bit a lot a bit, adds up.

This tip goes along with the last tip. Just because you're saving money by spending less on each item...doesn't mean you're not spending money. Don't let the thrill of buying things cheaply suck you in too much. Keep close tabs on what you're spending. A $5 dollar shirt here, a $6 dollar pair of pants here and a $12 dollar piece of furniture 4 times a month is still $100 bucks. Hold yourself accountable and don't get sucked in to this way of thinking. Honestly, people can become so enthralled with the thrill of buying things so cheaply, they either become hoarders or they get in major financial trouble. Money is money. Spend wisely.

10. Barter!

Say you find a trench coat you absolutely adore... BUT, it has a giant problem. The zipper is broken! Walk up to the manager of the store and say “How much will you give this to me for, it's damaged.” More often than not, they'll give it to you for a serious discount (A discount on top of a already discounted item is AWESOME!) You can still buy the coat and get the zipper replaced for a FRACTION of what the coat would have cost originally. Don't be afraid to do this with undamaged merchandise as well. You have not because you ask not.

11. Know your rights as a student and senior!

Did you know that Seniors and students (with an I.D) get an extra discount at thrift stores? Well, now you do!

12. Be slightly skeptical...of the shoes.

Now, this may be a personal opinion, but I don't often buy shoes from thrift stores. You never know who's feet may have been in that pair of heels, so use your discretion. It's not as easy to wash a pair of shoes as it is to wash a shirt. I will always consider shoes with the tags on them (happening more often these days because department stores now have deals with thrift stores to drop off their unsold merchandise!) and will always consider boots (because you can wear socks in them) but, it's rare that I will buy a used pair of flats or heels unless they look like they've never been worn AT ALL. Maybe I'm crazy, but it's something I've always stuck by.

13. Germs be gone!

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS wash everything before you wear it. Always. Enough said.

14. Have Fun!

Thrifting is something I thoroughly enjoy. As I've gotten better, my enjoyment has increased. I get such satisfaction from hearing a friend say “WOW! I love that top!” and then being able to say “$4 bucks at Goodwill!” It's a sense of Pride. 95% of everything in my closet has been bought second hand. I know I can look and feel just as great as anybody and be wearing a complete outfit for under 10 dollars.

I look forward to the day I can furnish my house the same way I furnish my closet with clothing! 

So, to wrap this up, I hope this blog post is helpful and that you learn to enjoy thrifting as much as I do!!

Love you guys!