Do you ever find something in the racks and you get that excited, rollercoaster feeling and you snatch that thing up in a hurry and check behind you to make sure that no one else saw the sweet find and tries to nab it out of your basket trolley later? That happened yesterday...twice!
Maybe that doesn't happen to you, but do you feel like a total dork pushing your little basket on wheels around the store. I honestly always get the goofiest grin on my face and try to race myself, or spin the basket around in circles as I walk down the aisles. Yes. I am that crazy person in the thrift store that you go out of your way to avoid!!
I noticed at one point a bunch of my favourite bloggers giving thrifting tips, so I thought I would "throw my hat in the ring" as well (but I'm not challenging anyone to a boxing match, I'm using the 19th century version of the term that Teddy Roosevelt made popular when he used it to indicate his intention to run for President. Not that I'm doing that either...I guess I'm using the wrong idiom...).
#1. Don't stress over getting there everyday and getting all the deals and the best stuff, or whatever. Go whenever you can! It's still fun!!
#2. Don't feel you need to look down every aisle. I never look at jeans or pants there or "blouses". It's just not worth it for me. But I always check out the following: dresses, skirts, "sleeveless shirts", shoes, the wall of plastic bags full of goodies, and stationary. Pick the areas that you really like, or that you are really interested in and really check out everything in that aisle. And then move on.
#3. Another thing that can be overwhelming is the size of the section you have decided to focus on! You may only be looking at tee shirts, but there is a whole aisle and a half dedicated to them! So think of the colours you like to wear, and the colours you hate wearing, and change your focus accordingly. I've noticed that my VV has stopped organizing things by colour, so it's gotten harder for me. But I always pass by the pink items, and usually the black ones, and go straight to the whites, greens, blues and greys. It makes things go a lot smoother!
#4. Look in your size, plus the one above and below. I have found some really cute items in the Medium and super large sections that still fit me! And some things in my size's section just don't work. I may be a large, but there's no way I'm fitting into a large from Guess or Forever 21!!
#5. TRY THINGS ON! A lot of thrift stores offer a very limited return period on items, but then again a lot of thrift stores don't offer returns at all! If it doesn't fit and you can't take it back, just donate it back to them...and keep the price tag on!!
#6. Don't turn something down just because it's too long, or stretched out or "not perfect". When you get it home, add a belt or a cardigan and you might have something totally fabulous!
#7. Grab one terrible item and try it on! Just for fun!! If this dress was even close to being in my size I would have at least taken it for a spin in the dressing room! It probably weighed as much as Lucas, but was much less handsome!
Please Note: Sometimes I don't even stick to my own rules...I bought a pink dress yesterday! But it was too trendy to pass up! Once I wash and iron it, and alter the neckline a little, I'll share!
I do have a fun fashion post started that I hope to finish this afternoon, that will include photos of some of my special finds! I have to go attend to a worm bin this afternoon, which has me feeling much more nervous than is necessary, and then I work tonight at the store. But sometime in there, I'm sure I'll have more time to blog!
On another super happy note, Apple is granting me a "one-time exclusive re-download" of all those songs I'm missing thanks to my lost iPod! So in a couple of hours I'm going to have the Strokes, Lykke Li and Arcade Fire on permanent shuffle!
That dress is too pretty! It rhymes well in my head too, Lisa! Thanks for the tips and god bless Apple.
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