A few weeks ago I went thrift shopping with my mom {yes, mommy is a thrifter, too!} and we were on the hunt for some affordable finds at the Salvation Army, since most clothes are half off on Wednesday. I came across quite a few coats and it made me realize, there's an art to thrifting outerwear. There's an art to thrift shopping in general {I wrote the book on it!}, but in particular, thrift shopping for a coat has its own pitfalls.

If it's getting colder in your area and you want to save on outerwear, here are 5 tips that will help you find a warm winter coat at a thrift shop. Also, the NYC Salvation Army is having their final coat sale this weekend. More details below