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Do you have that friend that always looks so cute in her second-hand clothing? Ever wonder how people do it? Well here are some tips to successfully shopping thrift stores. It truly is an art form. I have been thrift store shopping all my life and it wasn't until the past few years I realized the art of it. Today, I am going to give you some tips on how to shop successfully.
1. Don't go looking for something specific. You can easily get discouraged from thrift store shopping if you go in looking for something too specific. This is not like going to the mall and saying I'm going to get this particular shirt in this style. Thrift stores do not guarantee that they will have any specific item at any given time. Go to browse and you never know what you will find! It is like a magically land of misplaced clothes!
2. You have to dig. When you are bargain shopping you have to be willing to take the time to dig through all the things they have. Between those 50 ugly grandma sweaters from 1975 there is a beautiful gem hidden. It takes time patience and determination. Go through each section of your size and scavenge each rack. Also go to a size bigger as well, just because it says a medium the clothes are pre-owned and worn so that medium might actually fit like an extra small now. Also, a good reason to go to bigger sizes you may find something fabulous that can spark your creative juices to create a Pinterest project to make something fabulous!
3. Check for sales. Yes, thrift stores like many other retail stores, have sale days. My local Goodwill stores have 2 days a week where all clothes are 50% off. Now when you are on a super tight budget as I am you love to save as much money as possible. Next time you are in your local thrift store ask them if they do sale days. Sometimes they even have calanders of events they have. Also, many stores have websites with their sales posted on them. I know my local goodwill does. Do a little Google search and see what comes up you will be shocked the number of days thrift stores run sales!
4. Don't limit yourself to one store. If you limit yourself to one store you take the chance of not finding as many deals. Within 30 minutes from my house I have 20 different thrift stores. I try to hit each of them at least one time a month and more if times permitting. Do not miss out on an awesome deal because you are not willing to expand your horizons.
5. Go often. The true trick to thrift store shopping is going often. Many thrift stores put new merchandise out daily. So, try to hit up the store as often as possible to find the best choices. I am also guilty of hiding things in the store to come back and get it on their sale day. Careful with this because they change things frequently and sometimes find your hidden item and put it back for other shoppers.
So, hope this tips help out my other frugalistas out there! I know learning things have helped me learn how to thrift more effectively! Also, remember just because it is previously worn doesn't make it bad. Happy thrifting friends. More posts to come with pictures of outfits I dug through the thrift stores for!
