how to thrift shop, looking fly on a dime
We've already established that a big part of thrift shopping involves patience {countless Thriftspiration ladies say patience is the number one thrift shopping tip}. You have to have time and energy to dig through bins and inspect numerous racks. But there's something even bigger involved in thrifting. When you're lucky enough to find an item, the next major step is how to wear and style it. This is where the importance of what you do in the fitting room comes in to play. You may be leaving behind some serious fashion gems because you're not sure how to incorporate them in your closet.
I can't tell you how many times I've pulled a questionable item off the racks, but once I take it in the fitting room, the script can be flipped and it becomes a fashion must have!

Thrift collage
When you head out to your favorite thrift store, you're typically thinking of all the goodies you're going to score. But you should really take a few minutes to pack your purse with essential items that can ensure you'll have an optimal shopping experience.
They're all compact and take up just a teeny bit of space in your cross body bag, but they can affect everything from the way you try on clothes to how you lug your items around the store. Below are my five pics for items you should have in your thrift shopping arsenal. You might not need all five, but you certainly need a few...

vintage purses, vintage handbag

A few weeks ago was my last thrift shopping tour at the Goodwill Outlet and surprisingly, I walked away with just as many accessories as clothes. These weren't just any accessories, but there were a few vintage gems. And at $1.69 per pound, they were serious scores.I only found a handful of cute clothes, but it turns out the accessories were more valuable {when it comes to styling}.

how to thrift shop, thrift shopping tips

Thrift stores have come a long way. They're no longer the musky, moth ball ridden places {some of them were} from back in the day. I even wrote a piece for The New York Times on how thrift shopping has gone upscale.In addition to cleaner stores and sales, more stores are offering different ways to purchase clothes other than being sold by the piece. I'm talking about stores where you buy by the pound or bag {like Housing Works Buy the Bag or the Goodwill Outlet}. These are the places I like to go when I really want my buck to stretch.However, these places can be really intimidating since the locations tend to be in massive warehouses and clothes are stored in large bins. But when you have the right tips, you can walk away with clothes that cost less than a buck per piece.

how to thrift shop, looking fly on a dime thrift shopping

Last weekend I hosted my first Adventures in Thrifting thrift shopping tour of the season and it was a blast.While helping a few readers update their wardrobe and inject some serious color in their closet, I managed to snag a few pieces for myself from Goodwill and Salvation Army. *check back next week for my small thrift shopping haul*As I reached the register at Goodwill, I realized I didn't set a budget for myself. Though I spent less than 30 bucks, I could have done major damage. I committed a thrift shopping no-no.When thrift shopping, it's super important to have a concrete budget.