Thrift Store Adventures

In the past few years, I have developed a passion for shopping at thrift stores. In the past when I heard the phrase “thrift store”, I would think of smelly stores, old, outdated clothing, and unorganized racks of clothing that I certainly did not want to spend the time and energy going through. While some of these things may be true – thrift stores can have a certain musty smell, and sure, you’ll find outdated clothing and have to sort through a lot of it! I’ve found, though, that it’s totally worth the time and effort, especially with how expensive quality clothing is these days. You can get find really great deals on the clearance rack at department stores, but thrift stores are guaranteed to give you low prices on everything!

Goodwill is my personal favorite thrift store, although Salvation Army is pretty awesome, too. Both have different pros and cons. Generally, almost all clothing at Goodwill is $5 (a few designer pieces of clothing may be a bit higher). Every piece of clothing has a colored tag, and each week a certain color is 50% off. For Salvation Army, I’m pretty sure they have 50% off on select items Wednesday-Sunday. Goodwill organizes their clothing by size, and Salvation Army by color. Salvation Army does not have a return policy, but Goodwill has a 7 day return policy.

So, if you’re thinking about joining me in my thrift store adventures, here are a few tips!

1. Go when you have a decent amount of time. If you’re looking for something specific, like a sweater in a certain size, look through all of them! If you just sort of skim through a few here and there, you may miss a great piece of clothing! I know this can be time consuming, but if you’re like me, you’ll be able to fly through a whole rack of sweaters in no time J
2. Bring a friend. Bringing a girlfriend along who knows your size and taste in clothing can be helpful because you can look for clothing for yourselves, as well as for each other!
3. Don’t give up! If you don’t find anything the first few times you go, don’t get discouraged. I remember feeling that way the first few times I went, until one day I got a DVD player, a cute pair of heels, and several pieces of clothing all for around $20!
4. If shopping at Goodwill, try going at the beginning of the week. The 50% off color starts every Sunday, so the earlier you go, the more great deals you’ll find!
5. The return policies aren’t the greatest, so only buy an item if you really like it! I’ve done this so many times. I’ve bought a piece of clothing that I liked but didn’t love, but I bought it because it was so cheap. I wear it a few times, and then it ends up at the bottom of my clothing pile. Don’t do this!
6. If you try thrift store shopping, and decide that you like it and think you’ll go on a regular basis, take advantage of the Goodwill savings card. It costs $10, but saves you 10% on every purchase for 1 year. You also get 25% off on your birthday!

So, while thrift store shopping may take a bit of effort, it’s well worth it! You really can have a large, stylish wardrobe without breaking the bank!