Tip of the Day: Showcase Your Finds

Amy, one of my good friends and fellow thrifters, wore an entire outfit bought at goodwill to a girls' night out.  She looked so smashing, I had to take her picture (see below) and show it on my blog.  The tip today is to showcase your finds.  Amy didn't just wear a shirt she bought at the goodwill--she wore an entire outfit.  This doesn't always work, of course, but wearing everything from head to toe from the thrift store is its own kind of special.  Try it just once.  You'll be hooked.

Tip of the Day: Try Something Different

I hauled about 15 shirts into the dressing room last night.  I would have brought in more, but people waiting to use the dressing room were already giving me daggers.  After trying on two or three shirts, I realized I didn't own anything like what I was trying on . . . and I liked it!  I was totally branching out, and I didn't even mean to.  Some of the shirts were bright blue, others orangish, and the styles were completely varied.  I don't normally buy blue because I never thought it was "my" color, but I was surprised when all the deep blue and almost aqua colors actually looked good!  So the advice today is to try styles and colors you don't normally wear.

Hey, if you come to hate it, you can always blow it off as a $3 mistake!

Tip of the Day: Get Artsy

My feature picture today is of my friend, Anna, because she put together a great outfit she bought entirely from the thrift store.  Let's be honest, anyone can shop at the thrift store, but it does take a little work to make the result look good.  So when I saw Anna, I realized shopping at a store where nothing is matched up takes some artistic skill!  And it is so learn-able.  I'll be shopping with another friend tonight, so look for my next post . . .

Tip of the Day: Go with a Friend

This doesn't happen often for me, since having kids seriously cripples my shopping trips, but when I get a chance, I go with friends.  Shopping together only generates more ideas.  I went with my sister just before she got married, and since she was looking for specific items, I was her dressing-room helper.  I hunted her size and threw shirt after shirt over the door while she tried everything on quickly.  She was so excited with her finds, and it made my thrifting eye that much sharper.  So take a night, go with spouse or friend, and enjoy it without kids.

Tip of the Day: Brag

Ha!  So since I do this every day on the blog, you know how I feel about bragging:  I love it!  I especially love it when someone says, "I love your dress--did you get it at Banana?"  (someone asked me this once).  I smile and say, "No, actually, I got it at Goodwill."  Their expressions are varied after that answer, but usually they're impressed.

My mom taught me how to brag correctly--never offer an explanation about where you bought your clothes until someone says they love it.  She did this when she made dinner, too.  Us kids--"Mom, this is so good!"  My mom--"Glad you like it!  I used this morning's left-over oatmeal in it."  She knew we couldn't blanche if we'd already complimented it.  Good times.

Tip of the Day: Wear What You're Looking For

My sister is looking for some business clothes.  She told me she sometimes has a hard time looking for things because she can't tell if it'll look good with what she already owns.  So I told her to wear what she's looking for.

For Example:  She wants a blazer to wear with dress slacks she owns.  I told her to wear the slacks, heels and all, to the thrift store so that when she tries on the jackets, she won't have to guess about color, sizing, etc.  She'll have on the whole outfit.  It works with jeans and t-shirts, too.  You never know if the hemline of a shirt is too high or low compared to your pants unless you have them both together.

Tip of the Day: Wash It

Okay, okay.  I know, this sort of goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway:  Wash everything after purchase.  You don't know who owned what before you buy a certain item, and though it may seem harmless, it's not worth not washing.  And, hey, I find it motivates me to do the laundry more often!

Tip of the Day: Shout Out to My Mother-in-Law

So, for all my thrifting, I do have to give a shout out to my mother-in-law, who has an incredible talent for finding deals at the "regular" stores.  I've been to all kinds of stores, including Anthropologie and Banana Republic (both stores with really, really, really cute stuff) with her, and she's walked out with $10 shirts.  So I'm just going to say that even "normal" stores have some great deals if you look hard enough (Macy's clearance section is one of my favorites--and the teen clothes are usually cheaper than the "mom" stuff--often the same sizes, too).

Tip of the Day: Give it a Good Glance-Over

Unlike a regular department store, thrift stores don't check for quality most of the time.  I bought a purse without giving it a thorough check, and just after buying it, I saw it was stained on one corner.  Most thrift stores will not let you return anything, and this store made no exception.  So search it through carefully!

On that same note, don't be daunted by tears on seams.  They are easily mended by hand or machine!

Tip of the Day: No, seriously. Look through everything.

I know I already posted a tip that said to look through everything, but this deserves a second glance.  I bought a shirt the other day that I would have missed had I not literally moved through each hanger.  It sounds tedious, but honestly, you get pretty good at quickly sizing up the item in a glance.  The shirt I bought is a Gap, polo button-up.  Brand new.

Really, look through it all.  It's worth it.

Tip of the Day: Think outside the . . .

Yesterday, I bought a pair of old clip-on earrings from Ohio Thrift.  They were beautiful, but clip-ons give me a headache when I wear them, so, taking the advice of a woman I used to go to church with, I clipped them onto my heels.  Voila!  A great way to spice up your old, black pumps!  You can also clip them onto belts, headbands, and even shirts!

The advice, then, is that all items have a thousand uses.  Think outside the . . .  ear?

Tip of the Day: It's okay to leave empty-handed

I packed up my girls, cereal in baggies, sippy cups, shoes on, out the door, buckled in--twice, unbuckled--twice, pulled out the stroller, distracted 2-year-old, hunted through clothes, tried on everything, distracted 2-year-old again, and walked out the door.  Empty-handed.

I know, you'd think I would lunge for something--anything--to take home after taking all that time to get there, but there's no point in buying stuff you don't need, even if it's dirt cheap.  So I guess this entry goes with the previous one:  Don't buy anything you don't absolutely love.  And don't feel like you have to buy something just because it's there.

Tip of the Day: Try the Wealthier Areas

Okay, this may sound funny, but there are Goodwill stores loaded with awesome stuff simply because "loaded" people dump their goods there.  Get a feel for the area and visit the stores you think would have the best merchandise.

Yesterday, I visited a store and had to put back 10 different shirts--not because I didn't like them, but because they were all so awesome, and I couldn't afford to get them all.  Someday, I hope to "splurge" at the Goodwill and buy as much as I want.

And PS, I would much rather have a gift card to the Goodwill than any other clothing store.  Seriously.