Thrifty Thursday

I love me a good thrift store. In fact, most of my clothes come from thrift stores. "I love your shirt, Jade, where did you get them?" Thrift store. "That dress is so cute, where did you get it?" Thrifted it for $3.99. "That jacket is so nice, where did you get it?" Thrift store on a 50% off day. I have scored many amazing deals during my thrifting adventures. Here are ten tips for buying clothes at a thrift shop.

1. Check the label. The very first order of business is to check the label. This is your first test to see if it is worth buying. Look for well-made clothes with a reputation for hardiness. 

2. Shop in the right area. More affluent areas mean more people with money and thus better odds of finding quality stuff. Some people consider thrift stores and used clothing shops nasty, dirty, unorganized places. Some are, most are not. Explore your community to find the best shops. Once you find a goodie, you will be hooked. 

3. Check the quality of the material. This is connected to #1. A high quality fabric will stand the test of time over a cheap fabric. 

4. Look for additional discounts. Is there a certain color tag or type of item on sale? Is there a sale day coming up? Who does not love saving even more money? I particularly love 50% off days. That Banana Republic dress that costs over $100 new just a season or two ago with a tag for $9.99 is now $5. ThankyouverymuchIwilltakeit.

5. What to avoid:

- Clothes with lots of embellishments - First, they are hard to maintain anyway, but nearly all clothes with sequins, heavy stitching, etc. have a shelf life and likely ended up at the thrift shop for a reason...

- Damaged clothes - Check for holes! Check for stains! If you do not have the ability to fix it yourself, do not waste your money. So examine your items thoroughly. 

- Trends of yesterday - Tracksuits. Crocs. Giant belts. Jeggings. You know...stuff you should not be wearing.

- Shoes can be hit or miss - everyone's feet wear differently. I only buy shoes if they are new or practically brand new. 

- Underwear. Come on now...

6. Make sure you launder your finds properly. Always check each item's laundering tag and give them a good refresh. 

7. Now this might seem obvious, but if you do not wear it, do not buy it. You do not save money buying something that just sits in your closet. 

8. Thrift shops are the place to buy kids clothes. It is crazy to buy a baby nothing but brand new clothes since they grow so fast. My son might wear a onesie once or twice before he outgrows it. Therefore, he wears mostly thrifted finds. I do not feel so bad about him wearing a onesie or pants or something a handful of times if I paid $1 for it. Plus, many times his clothes end up with the day's "leftovers" on them...

9. Regardless if you thrift or not, one of the best fashion tips anyone has ever given me is to get a good tailor. If you wanna look exceptional, it must fit just right. What a tailor charges for minor alterations depends on where you live, but it is almost always worth it considering how much you paid for the item. If you got the item for a steal and add $20 for tailoring, you now have a perfectly fitted piece of clothing for a fraction of what you would have paid new. 

10. Thrifting is a great way to recycle someone else's items, but if you go shopping without an idea of what you are looking for you could end up spending much more than you planned for...or looking around forever. Maybe that is part of the fun, but having a couple items in mind will focus your outing more. Related to this, one thing I do - to keep myself from becoming a hoarder - is I must bring a bag of items to donate when I go thrifting. Stuff in, stuff out. 

Have fun!