I don’t know about you, but I’m a huge fan of sweaters. Unfortunately, I’m also a broke college student. I can’t afford to go to the mall and buy a bunch of new sweaters to show off in my #sweaterweather Instagram posts.
Enter thrift stores: a haven for stylish, yet broke collegiettes everywhere. Even if you’re a thrifting newbie, finding that perfect sweater is easy with a few tips and tricks! 1. Venture outside of the women’s section. Don’t be afraid to go look in the men’s or children’s sections. The men’s section is great for finding oversized, chunky sweaters. Also, if you are petite, try looking in the boy’s section. Child’s extra large can fit just right if you are on the smaller side.
2. Examine for stains, rips and snags. Make sure you check for damages on your sweaters while in store. If it has major pit stains or other stains in noticeable areas, you should pass. Same goes for large rips and snags. You can try to fix the sweater when you get home, but if you need to basically reconstruct the entire piece, I’d let it go.
3. Try it on! Wear a simple tank top when you go thrifting so you can try on the sweaters easily. Sometimes there aren’t dressing rooms available, so you have to make do in the middle of the store. I would highly advise trying on all potential purchases before leaving. Even if it’s only $4, it’s not worth the price if you don’t like the way it looks when you take it home.
4. Be patient and keep an open mind. The best thrift stores take time to go through. It will get tiring and overwhelming going through all the racks, but it’s totally worth it when you find the perfect piece snuggled between rows and rows of velour track suits.
Happy thrifting!