I was born with the thrifting gene. It was passed through my mom directly from her mother, my Grandma – Queen of the Thrift Store. I grew up hearing stories of Grandma finding cribs and high chairs and clothes for all of the pregnant ladies in her neighborhood and at church. If someone needed to find something on a budget, they’d call my grandma to keep her eyes open. Most of the time, she’d deliver the requested items (along with a few extra blankets she’d found and a pair of knitted booties) the next week.
I don’t know if it was my grandma’s influence and enthusiasm, or if it was simply something I was born with, but I rarely get as excited as I do when I come home from the thrift store with a bag (or two or three) of fantastic finds.
Take yesterday’s shopping trip for example. With two camping trips coming up, and summer on it’s way, I needed some extra sleeping bags and flip flops for everyone. And of course, I’m always on the look-out for clothes for me, because I never buy myself clothes at the mall. It’s always nice to start the season off with a few new items.
Since Grandma is now gone, I have taken on the Queen of the Thrift Store title. I was thrilled to come home yesterday with everything I was looking for and more for just $76. I got two sleeping bags in great condition (one is Eddie Bauer), a swimming suit for Reese, the exact pair of jeans I was looking for (brand, style, and size), 5 shirts for me, a ton of yarn for making hats and headbands, two plush towels to replace the spares that are looking embarrassingly old, shorts for two of my kids, two DVDs, and 6 pairs of sandals – all in great condition.
Tips for making the most of out of your thrift store shopping
- DO stop by the thrift store regularly. Because the inventory changes by the hour, you’ll be more likely to find what you need if you make short trips on a consistent basis.
- DON’T be discouraged if you make a trip to the thrift store and don’t find exactly what you’re looking for.
- DO be familiar with brands that you like and quickly scan through racks for tags and colors that you like. Check sizes and prices after that.
- DON’T figure it’s a deal just because it’s at the thrift store. I’ve seen expensive items priced for pennies and worthless items priced too high.
- DO know the sizes for everyone in your family. You never know when you’ll come across something perfect (or something that might have been perfect if you only knew the size).
- DON’T pass by a great deal just because you don’t need it right now. If it’s something you know you’ll use (say, a coat for next Winter) then grab it up – most likely you won’t be able to find it when you’re looking for it in a few months and you’ll regret it (speaking from plenty of experience!).
- DO check to see if your store has a discount day. My favorite store has customer appreciation day (25% off) every Monday and you can use a loyalty card to get the same discount every Thursday. On yesterday’s receipt, I saved over $24.
- DO save up things you’ve grown out of to drop off at the thrift store when you go to shop. You save an extra trip out and clear up some space.
- DO wash everything when you get home. No explanation needed.
What are your best tips for making the most out of thrift store shopping?
Disclosure: This post was written by me and sponsored by Coupon Castle – Everything up to 75% off. All thoughts, experiences, and enthusiasm for thrift store shopping are my own.
© 2011, Food Fun Family. All rights reserved.
These are great tips. I need to visit again.
I go often and that’s how you find good stuff. I just posted yesterday about the lovely vintage vanity I got at Goodwill. Furniture that I can spruce up is the first thing I look for, then I check the tablecloths and pillowcases for white embroidered things and lace. I look for pretty frames, and then check the skirts and dresses for vintage prints and cute cotton skirts.
It is also a great place to go for costumes for the kids. It’s easier and cheaper to cut a vest out of an old thick shirt or jacket than to make one yourself. We’ve made princess dresses from old prom dresses and Jeanie costumes from silky pajama pants.
Before I leave the store I walk past the book department for classics and poetry books to add to my collection, and also atlases, music books, or other books with vintage graphics for art projects.
I love thrift store shopping. My mom and my aunt would take us kids to a church thrift store where you could fill a brown paper bag all for $5.00. Oh what we could squash into those bags!
My advice for thrift store shopping – BE OPEN. You will never know what you will find. That’s half the fun.
I love the tip on checking prices and looking out for really good deals.
One day when I was in one of our local stores I saw a picture frame I really loved. I went to check the price and it was $15, too much for a frame, but that not the bad part. The store sticker where it came from said normal price was $9.98. Needless to say I pointed that out to the owner as they were never going to sell it for that price.
Thanks for the tips. I haven’t shopped at a thrift store in a long time but agree that taking clothes that one grows out of to a thrift store can help to save a lot of space. It also makes room for the new stuff that you bring home from the thrift store, so there is a give and take cycle.
Great tips.
Some people are so good at finding awesome things for bargain prices. My sister is one of them. When I have tried, I couldn’t find anything so I gave up. I used to like yard sales though, back when I had a little fun money.
I am horrified by Thrift stores. You have to have vision too. The ability to see past the clutter. Never had it, never will. When I was in college, I would take my roommates with me who had “the gift” and they could pick out the cutest outfits from across the room. I was in awe then, I am in awe now. Congratulations to you.
This is timely. I just spent a little time today at thrift stores…I was on a mission to find something that would work for my 3rd grader’s VIP project on Frederick Douglass. He wants to dress up as Frederick Douglass. I’m cool with that, but it should be an interesting transformation for my blonde haired child. ;-)
I found a suit, custom made in Japan for a young adult, that will work great. It’s a little big, but that just adds to the fun of it all. I did actually buy a new shirt for teenager, a skort for first grader, and another sport coat for son that will just fit him next fall. BTW, our thrift store carries misc. new items which are surplus from Target usually. Spent $3 on that cool shirt for my teen.
Most of my thrifting is for home decor. My best tip is just to look at an item’s potential instead of its current state. I’ve got some really great things in my house that started out pretty ugly, fixed by a little spray paint or fabric.
Love, love, love thrifting! Great tips, Lolli.
These tips are fantastic. I love thrift store shopping.
I love thrifting! I just made the rounds at my favorite stores last week and got some awesome deals. It’s so satisfying!
I’d say be willing to travel to a nice suburb outside a major city. Here in the Philly area, anything that gets donated in the city gets picked over & sold at trendy resale shops (cool stuff, more than I’m willing to pay for secondhand tees). But go outside the city limits to a tony neighborhood and there’s TONS of great stuff- because they’re decluttering but not buying!
Wow you made out! Just all those sandals are awesome. I need to go thrifting with you. I haven’t been in ages. When I was in high school that was were 90% of my clothes shopping was done. Those were great tips Lolli, most of those can be applied to garage sales. I passed up on an antique once and smack myself whenever I think about it.
I’d say be willing to travel to a nice suburb outside a major city. Here in the Philly area, anything that gets donated in the city gets picked over & sold at trendy resale shops (cool stuff, more than I’m willing to pay for secondhand tees). But go outside the city limits to a tony neighborhood and there’s TONS of great stuff- because they’re decluttering but not buying!
Also, always check the store website… sometimes they sell things in bulk that aren’t worth the time for them to clean & tag because of small tears or missing buttons or whatever.
Great tips Lolli…We have a new resale Boutique in town that I am dying to visit…and a new Goodwill. I also stop at Garage Sales once in awhile. Thrifty can be fun. (:>) But I never find great bargains. It looks like you really scored!!!!
Linda @ Truthful Tidbits
I am not a thrift store person, probably because I never find anything I like. True,, maybe I should stop by more often. :)