HELLO HELLO! Welcome to Andi’s Guide to Thrifting! Come, have a seat and settle in for a fun time!

Everyone (or at least everyone I know) loves thrifting. I mean, what’s not to love about finding a unique piece of furniture or a name brand dress for $5?? Who wouldn’t love that? On the flip side, though, thrifting can be tricky and overwhelming if you don’t know where to start or what you’re doing. I may not be an expert, but here are my tips and tricks to get the most out of going to the thrift store.

Before You Go:

1. If you don’t absolutely love it in the store, don’t buy it. This goes for shopping at regular stores as well and it’s key to any shopping trip. If you’re feeling iffy about something, it’s best to put it back.
2. On the other hand, if you absolutely love a piece of clothing you’ve found, think for a minute about what you could wear with it. What outfits can you create with this item? How will it fit in with your wardrobe? Same with a home decor piece. Does it match with your decor theme? Do you have room for it? If you can’t think of at least a few outfits for a piece of clothing or figure out how a decor item will fit in your home, it’s best to leave it in the store.
3. Lastly, be prepared to get a little dirty. Not literally–but you have to be willing to do a little searching. Looking through racks of clothing can be tiring, so come prepared. Be ready to look high and low for those treasures!

Thrifting is half luck and half preparation. Knowing what to look for when you go in is important!

Places to look first:

1. Dresses: I always head for the dresses first in a thrift store. It’s the place where I find lots of good pieces. And I happen to wear dresses more often, so it’s more practical for me to look there.
2. Next I head to Coats & Blazers. There are so many hidde gems in the coats section. I’ve found beautiful pea coats for $5 or rain jackets for $10. It depends on what time of year you go, but the jackets usually have something great for you! Same with the blazers–you never know what name brand you’ll find!
3. After coats & blazers, I head to housewares. I look for unique, practical items. Best things to look for: mirrors, good frames (if you don’t like the picture, you don’t have to keep it), baskets, etc. And keep your eyes out for cool mugs (I totally wanted to buy that Starbucks mug)!
4. Finally, I will look through sweaters and see if anything catches my eye. I don’t always find anything good, but it’s always worth a look.

Places to skip:

1. Shoes: I know some people wouldn’t skip this but I don’t know about you, but I know how sweaty my feet get so I feel weird about buying shoes that other people have worn. I know, gross to think about, but just my humble opinion! If the shoes are unworn or look barely used, I will take a second look, but mostly I just give shoes a quick glance.
2. Blouses: Sometimes this is worth it, but often times not. There’s just so many, it’s hard to go through all of them, so I just kinda glance over them and don’t look too hard. Sometimes, it’s not worth the effort.
3. Blankets/Bedding: I think we all know this, but it’s best to skip on this and buy new.

Tips

1. Look in sections a size above and below your size. Things constantly get put back incorrectly and you never know what you’ll find.
2. You don’t have to look at every single item on the rack. Let you eyes do the work! Glance through and take a look at items that catch your eye. That way you’re not stuck looking through every single piece of clothing. Save your energy!
3. If you’re looking for oversized sweaters and flannels, take a look in the men’s section! I’ve found fun sweaters and a really nice Christmas flannel before. Worth a shot!
4. Don’t skip the tablecloths! Sometimes you will find a cute pattern that speaks to you and you don’t have to pay full price (I hate paying full price for tablecloths).
5. Find out when the thrift store is having sales! Often times, there will be special deals on different colored tags. For example, green tags might be 50% off or all tags but white are 50% off.

Outfit details: Sweater | Leggings | Shoes

I hope this helps your next thrifting outing! Let me know what tips you have for thrifting!