Fall is here and you know what that means…new clothes of course! As exciting as this is, being a college student does not always allow us to splurge on the latest and greatest fall pieces. Personally, I am a huge fan of shopping but more importantly I’m a fan of spending the least amount of money possible (college definitely taught me that). One thing that I have been doing since my freshman year in high school is thrift shopping. I started thrifting because of my interest in expanding my style. I have always dressed in a way that I would consider to be pretty eclectic. I reached a point to where the things I saw in the mall at stores like H&M and Forever 21 just weren’t cutting it for me. Not saying that I stopped shopping there completely, but I strayed away from the bigger names and gave the second-hand thing a try.
One thing that anyone who is interested in trying out thrift shopping should know is that it is very different from shopping at the mall. You are never guaranteed to find exactly what you came in to get. Walking into Goodwill with the idea that you’re going to find a lime green turtle neck with blue polka dots will only lead to frustration and an empty cart. It is better to go in with a general idea of what you’re looking for and accepting that you may have to stray away from your original idea. It’s all in the mindset, people.
One of my favorite things about thrifting is that you never know what you’ll find. One man’s trash is truly another man’s treasure! You have to be willing to spend a good amount of time looking. If you are impatient… thrift shopping may not be for you. Many second hand stores organize items by category and size just like other major department stores but everything is not on a fancy display showing you multiple pairs of the same jeans. Another plus to this is that your closet will be full of one of a kind items (in a sense) compared to what your peers are wearing. Who else is going to have that vintage leather jacket you picked up?
When I go thrifting I usually set an amount of money I’m going to spend. It’s all up to you but depending on how many items I’m planning to buy I stay between twenty and fifty dollars. That may not seem like a lot of wiggle room but TRUST ME, you can really rack up with way less cash than any store in the mall. Some stores also offer student discounts. Just make sure you check to see which days they accept it. There are also sale days throughout the week. Just think about it… one pair of jeans at American Eagle costs nearly fifty dollars, when you thrift you can spend the same amount and leave with eight to ten items.
One thing that turns a lot of people off about thrifting is the second hand aspect of things. Wearing clothes that used to belong to someone else might seem weird at first but it really isn’t that big of a deal. The facilities wash the clothes and if that isn’t good enough for you I suggest washing them again once you purchase them. I also don’t recommend buying any clothes with suspect stains or holes in them because obviously that’s a no-no. Just make sure to inspect any item you might want to buy before you leave the store to avoid any problems.
Overall, I think that thrift shopping is really great. I love finding cool pieces at affordable prices and having clothes that nobody else has. I am a frequent online shopper and I go to the mall for many of my wardrobe necessities but thrifting is a shopping adventure I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of.