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By now you guys know I’m a proud thriftaholic. I’ve been scouring the racks of thrift and vintage stores for about 8 or 9 years now. One of the first pieces I ever thrifted was a straw DKNY bag. It came from a store in Philly {i forget the name but it was on Broad and Girard} and it was love at first sight.
The wooden tag says it was made in 1989 so that technically defines it as vintage! I believe I paid less than 10 bucks for it! I can’t wait to whip her out again once the warm weather finally returns.
Peep the short video below to see how I found this gem. And I also drop another handy thrift shopping tip!
And be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more thrift shopping tips, haul videos and DIY projects.
I’ve given you thrift shopping do’s before {like here and here} but what about what not to do? It’s easy to go thrifting and get caught up in the amazingly low prices. At most stores, you purchase an item and if you don’t like it, simply return it. However the stakes are a bit higher when thrifting, as there’s a no return policy at many shops.
Yes, it’s easy to think you really want that pair of crazy/unique or funky pants, but you probably don’t. While thrifting you can come across some great pieces, but not everything is worth taking home. It’s key to decipher what’s cute and fun versus what you’ll actually wear and what will work with your style. Besides taking up unnecessary space in your closet, you’re defeating the purpose of bargain hunting. You want to save money when secondhand shopping and you’re actually wasting dough if you buy something that will never get any rotation in your wardrobe.
I’ve been guilty of this mistake plenty of times. I try to rationalize why I need something. “Well, this white button down is slightly different than the other four you have” or “how can I not buy a bright pink boa?”
A quick, easy way to avoid this mistake is by asking yourself: would I buy this if it was in a regular store or full price?
If you can honestly answer that question, I’m sure you’ll cut down on buyer’s remorse. Consider the piece more than the appealing {cheap} price.
Check back next week for another installment of Thrift Shopping Don’ts.
So you’ve followed my thrfiting tips and scored some amazing finds, but now what? How do you sanitize items like clothing, shoes and accessories once you get them home? I’ve come across some thrift stores that are cleaner than others, but you always {always} want to clean items before wearing them. You never know how many people wore the item before you and you don’t want that stale smell that some second hand clothing can have.
Check out the easy tips below on how to clean your thrifted items.
Clothing:
Simply follow label instructions and treat them as you would a perfectly new garment. If the items says ‘dry clean only,’ then you want to do just that. There’s no point in wasting your money by destroying a garment due to improper care. I know some people who feel all thrifted items should be dry cleaned, but I think this is completely unnecessary and it can get a bit expensive if you’re an avid thrifter like myself. Drop the load in the laundry machine, dry on the highest heat possible and you’re good to go. For delicate garments, hand wash with a product like Woolite and lay flat to dry.
Accessories:
For earrings, rings, necklaces or bracelets, wipe them down with rubbing alcohol and let dry before wearing.
Shoes:
Wipe the inside and sole of the shoe with rubbing alcohol and/or with those handy Lysol disinfectant wipes. *Test the rubbing alcohol out on a small section of the shoe to make sure it doesn’t affect the material*
Do you guys have any other tips to cleaning your thrift store finds?
I let you guys in on my first Salvation Army trip where I racked up on quite a few items. I was amazed at all the great finds, and Wednesdays are Family Day where clothing and shoes are 50 percent off {yay}, so I had to make another quick visit. With the temps cooling down, I’m on the hunt for lightweight jackets and bold patterns to add to my existing wardrobe.
Here’s what I scored:
{say hello to my sequin vest, my new favorite item in my closet. Price: $3}
Click more to see what else I found, as well as a few tips for successful thrifting.
