As I have told you before, here in my city we don’t have Goodwill or Thrifty stores.
So I’m so pleased to have Alexis Bonari, a freelance writer and researcher for CollegeScholarships.org as a guest blogger here at Searching the Inner Me….
Read below as she demystifies and gives some tips about thrift store shopping.
The Seeker
The recent economy has made many people cut back on spending in all areas, including fashion. Goodwill used to be only for people who didn’t care how they looked, but not anymore; it has become a resource for thrifty fashionistas and trendy hipsters.
Within a couple weeks of each other, I found my favorite pair of jeans (straight-leg, Gap brand) for $3.89 and a couple of J. Crew tops that I frequently wear to work for under $4 each. My favorite story, however, comes from a girlfriend of mine, who found a small, Coach bag for $10! I’ve also seen several tops and pants from Ann Taylor Loft but am holding out for my a few in my size.
If you’re willing to put in a little time and a lot of patience, thrift store shopping is a great way to cut your fashion spending without having to sacrifice the brand names. Here are a few things to help weed out the unused, unwanted items you’re likely to find.
1. Know Your Area
If you live in a small town, you may only have a single store, but bigger cities usually have multiple locations, and a fifteen-minute drive can be the difference between finding Walmart jeans and 7 For All Mankind. Find the stores in the nicer neighborhoods around town to find better brand names for the same price.
2. Decide What You’re Comfortable With
I wear jeans until they actually rip apart, so second-hand works great for me; however, I don’t like used hats, shoes or lingerie, so decide which used items are acceptable to you and stay away from the rest; cheap items are still wasted money if you don’t use them. This will also save you time while sifting through all the items.
3. Know Your Layout
Clothes are divided into adults and children and further by gender. There are also super cheap bins in the back. Individual pieces are divided by color, not style or size, so you’ll have to do some digging to find what appeals to you and what will actually fit. What you save in money, you’ll pay for with time and patience.
4. Try Things On
Just because you’re not sopping in a department stores doesn’t mean you can’t try items on. Goodwill locations usually have two or three small dressing rooms. Make sure things fit and flatter your figure. Again, unused cheap items are still wasted money.
5. Inspect. Inspect. Inspect.
You can’t return items if you get home and they have holes or stains, so go over them several times to make sure they are acceptable for everyday wear.
6. Accessorize
Use the money you’re saving on clothing at Goodwill to invest in great accessory pieces to accent your new finds and give them some variety.
Alexis Bonari is a freelance writer and researcher for CollegeScholarships.org, where recently she’s been researching grants for education and scholarships in nigeria. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.
