Tips on getting the best deals, staying organized, and overlooking the clutter!

This post is inspired by the people in my life who hate shopping, namely my mother and my husband. My mom is the list maker of all list makers. She makes her list, goes into the store, and leaves with only the things on her list. She hardly goes clothes shopping. She’d have to dig through racks and racks of clothing to find what she is looking for. My mom is a Quick Shopper. My husband is not a list-maker (he’s an item forgetter, sigh). He goes into the store trying to remember what to get (forgets at least one item, bless his heart) and leaves with most of the items he intended to get. He also does not go clothes shopping, but this is because I do it for him. My husband is also a Quick Shopper.

It is no secret that even the best of thrift stores are unorganized. I have talked with several Quick Shoppers who have said that the main reason they don’t go to resale shops is because they hate having to sift through the mess. For folks who already hate to shop, thrift stores can seem daunting. This post is for those people who understand the importance of thrifting, but have a hard time convincing themselves to actually go. It is also for those who are maybe new thrifters looking for ways to save even more cash. Here are my tips for finding the best deals, finding your specific needs, and not getting lost in a thrift store.

When To Go

EVERY DAY! Kidding. But really you should go often, especially if you are looking for something specific, new merchandise gets put out every single day at most thrift stores. When you go, you should go in the morning if you can. That way the best of the new goods aren’t swept up by the time you get there. Statistically (in my experience), the best time to go to Goodwill is on a Monday morning. A theory is that people most often clean out their homes on weekends, not during the week. So thrift stores get an influx of donations on the weekends (also most people work on week days and aren’t able to bring donations), therefore they have to put out new merchandise to make room for all the new donations in the back.

Color Tag Sales

 

Another thing to consider is tracking their color tag sales. You have to go rather frequently to get good at this, or you can call ahead of time. Most thrift stores offer sales each day on a tag of a specific color. Sometimes these are based on the value of the items (example: Yellow tags are items generally worth $2-4) and sometimes it is based on the section the items are in (example: housewares are marked with blue tags.) whether you’re looking to save even more money or looking for a specific item, calling about color tags or knowing their schedule can really help.

Where To Go

Know your resale shops! And know which ones offer the best selections on the items you are looking for. Consider shops that specifically resale what you are searching for (Furniture, Electronics, Clothing, ect. ). If you are not looking for specifics then it is a good idea to search all of your local thrift stores, you can use this site’s tracker to do that, and look for their social media accounts. I have found the best sales through social media. Like or Follow their page and you’ll be able to see when they post about their big 50% off sales! I will admit to you that I have gone the day before their big sale, found items that I wanted, and then hoarded them all together within their respected sections. I went in bright and early the next day, collected my piles, and got them all for 50% off.

Ain’t no shame in my thrifting game.

Clothing

My number one tip for rummaging through thrift store clothing is to bring inspiration. I pull up my Pinterest page when I go and look for specific items or colors or patterns. This way I don’t lose sight of my personal style in the mountain different textures and patterns. If you have time, check every rack because you can always find hidden gems at thrift stores. Also, sizes are super ambiguous and you may find something that fits you perfect but is listed as two sizes too small. I grab more than one variation of an item on my list and at the end I pick which is my favorite. This way I know that I got the best version for the look I wanted! Remember to always always double check the buttons and zippers for good working order!

Clothing That I Always look to Buy:

Men’s Shirts : I look for high quality men’s button-up shirts in size medium for my husband. He wears these for work every day, so they get worn out rather quickly. It is tricky to find them in good enough condition (for him and his high standards, lol). So I am always on the look out for these shirts and try to buy one each time I go. If he doesn’t like the pattern or if it doesn’t fit quite right, I will try to re-purpose the ones with nice patterns. There are a TON of ways to reuse a men’s button-up shirt if you know how to sew!

Baby Clothing and Shoes: Baby and Children’s clothing is something you should also look through every time you go (If you have kids). Children grow SO fast, that I’ll never be able to justify the prices of new baby clothes. I mean, the sizes are in three month intervals for goodness sake! Your baby will grow out of it in THREE months, don’t pay $10+ for every baby t-shirt. This same tip applies for maternity clothes. Although I will say that I bought a single pair of maternity jeans new when I was pregnant and they were easily my favorite maternity purchase. (Apart from my body pillow). I wore them for several months after I had my baby because they kept everything nice and snug. I never bought second-hand maternity jeans so I can’t speak for their elasticity (they might be real stretched out..) so try them on!

Housewares

It can be really overwhelming searching through the housewares section of a thrift store, especially if you don’t have a vision in mind. I used to just collect things that I thought were interesting or cool. Before I knew it all of my bookshelves were overflowing with random items. My home actually began to look like a thrift store. I like the boho-eclectic look so it has been a serious challenge for me to not buy every funky thing that pulls at my heart strings.  I’ve learned to look for items with similar texture or color. This will prevent the over cluttering your home with random mis-matchy pieces. (Unless you love that look, then do your thing).

 Here’s what I did:

I got on Pinterest and made a HOME board. I searched a few different styles that I liked and pinned them in this board. Afterwards I went back through and looked at what textures and colors were most prominent. So when I go to thrift stores I look first for those specific textures (amber glass, wicker, wood, and copper) and colors (navy, mustard, orange, green). Then determine if I *need* that item or if I already have one similar. Of course if I have the time (If Oliver is being chill) I will skim through everything just to see if there’s something I might absolutely love that doesn’t fit. I make exceptions and this adds character and an eclectic feeling.

Another great thing I’ve learned is too overlook imperfections in color. If something is faded or just the wrong color altogether, consider painting it. This won’t work with everything of course, but most things can be repainted or touched up.

Housewares that I Always look to Buy:

Glass jars: As I delve into more sustainable living practices I have learned that you can never have too many glass jars. They are great for bulk grocery shopping, canning, storage, packing lunches, ect. I literally donated ALL of my plastic tupperware. Because its impossible to find matching lids and they were always falling out of the cabinet and taking up too much space. And I have found that my glass jars can do everything that tupperware can do, but better! They normally have the same lid size, with slight variations. When in doubt I can always use a cloth and a rubber band. No to mention they are way prettier to pack things in than plastic mis-matched tupperware.

Baskets: These I can never seem to have enough of. They are great for an attractive storage alternative, gathering garden clippings or flowers, picnics or toy stage on day trips!

Cloth bags: We ditched plastic bags a while back and only recently did I acquire enough cloth bags to collect my entire grocery store trip purchases. But I still keep an eye out for attractive cloth bags so that if I give a gift to someone, I can give it in a nice bag. These bags won’t get thrown away after a single use and can be re-purposed or donated. Also, I’m still constantly searching for smaller cloth bags for produce at the grocery store.

Frames: Picture frames can be used for all kinds of different DIY projects (Put them around your light switches!). They can easily be sanded and repainted, and metal ones can be cool too. I always get a little rush when I see a funky-shaped picture frame.

Share your Thrift Wisdom

I truly hope this helps anyone out there who is apprehensive about thrifting. Get out there and brave the clutter, you will find that it is worth it!

Do you have some golden thrift store tips or hacks? Share them with the rest of us, will ya?! You can comment below or email me! Don’t forget to subscribe for more about thrift stores and second hand shopping!

Stay Thrifty,

Megan@ThriftingAdrift