Everyone and their grandmother find themselves hanging out at thrift stores looking for their next new buy. Whether it’s to save money or in search of the elusive Pinterest vibes, thrifting has exploded in popularity. Nevertheless, many find themselves unlucky in the search for true love, walking out the doors empty-handed and demoralized. Today, I’ll do my duty and try my best to make a change.
As a self-proclaimed thrift veteran, I’m here to impart wisdom that’s meant to change the way you thrift — nay, to change the way you live.
- Go in with a goal
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Many people see thrifting as a way to save money, but that’s only true if you don’t spend all your money. Whenever I go in without a concrete goal, I start to feel like I’m standing in a warehouse of impulse buys, ripe for the picking. Whether I spend $40 on one item or 10, I still spend $40.
Limiting thrift trips to a couple of achievable goals or a strict budget can limit those impulse shops and bring everyone one step closer to the sustainable practices the thrift is known for.
- Know your fabrics
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Having some basic knowledge of fabric composition really helps to decide how much any piece of clothing is worth, but it’s especially important when looking for secondhand clothing.
Not every piece is an investment, but knowing that cotton will shrink in the wash, wool will pill and shrink without proper care, and polyester will break down will allow you to make informed purchases and avoid wasting money on clothes that fall apart in the wash.
Knowing your fabric also makes spotting those hidden gems easier, with the tag revealing 100 percent leather, cashmere, or linen that’s waiting to be taken home at a bargain price.
- shop local
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As much as I love and appreciate a Goodwill trip, the value of local thrifts can’t ever be overstated. The best pieces I own come from smaller shops that resellers haven’t quite raided yet.
Stimulating the local economy and stimulating my closet, I also usually find better prices at these local haunts, with my favorite shops having special features like the “who’s great-aunt died in this chair” section right next to the rack of $1 graphic T-shirts.
- learn some basic mending or tailoring
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With such a rampant culture of consumerism nowadays, people will spot a small hole in their jeans and go straight to Goodwill. Luckily, I know my way around a needle and thread, making a small hole in the pocket an issue of the past. Having to pass up on the jacket of your dreams because of a hole in the cuff is a problem that experienced thrifters simply never encounter.
As complicated as it may seem at first, most clothing repairs are super simple, and learning the most basic techniques not only expanded my options at the thrift but helped me hang onto the pieces I already have and love.
- Every section can be your section
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Most people walk into a store and walk toward “their” section. I say the whole store is my section. Beyond mislabels and things in the wrong place, age, style, and wear patterns change the shape and fit of clothes. Just looking at women’s clothing, a size 12 made 10 years ago is completely different than a size 12 now. I focus on taking my time looking for a color or style rather than focusing on the number or letter on the tag.
- Take your time
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Thrifting isn’t a swift endeavor. The doors of the thrift are one to a new world where time does not exist, and lives can be changed. Most thrift stores don’t spend any meaningful amount of time sorting through their items, leaving that task to us, the consumers.
I find myself blocking off whole sections of my day to look through the racks and examine tags, hemlines, and seams to extract the value from anything I might be able to find. The only way I can guarantee quality is to look at the armpit and check for myself.
Having spent my whole life in and out of thrift stores, many of these tips are almost second nature to me. No matter the reason you’re thrifting, fashioning a quality wardrobe is perfectly possible, with almost half of my own closet hailing from one thrift store or another.
Learning to thrift better is learning to shop better, and the more we thrift, the fewer clothes get thrown away. We can all strive to be better shoppers, thrifters, and consumers to save money and be just a little more sustainable while we’re at it.
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