Thrifting Tips For Newbies
Thrifting has been around for some time now. I know when I was coming up it was sort of frowned upon; now it's the it thing to do; Almost everybody is thrifting now. My cousin introduced me to thrifting when I was in my early teens.
I find that thrifting really allows me to display my creativity. I'm not being force feed the style and trends of society either.
Pack your patience.
Take your time going through the racks. Some gems are harder to find then others
Be open minded.
Not all thrift stores are smelly and dirty.
Have an idea of what you're looking for.
Have a budget.
Stick to your budget. Because it's so cheap, you can easily loose track of your spending cap.
Be willing to travel.
Some areas have a better stores than others. *Don't discount the "mom & pop" stores.
Wear your thrifting uniform.
You want to wear something that fits to your body, just in case they don't have dressing rooms or if the dressing rooms are full.
The uniform consists of: T-shirt or tank top, leggings, maxi dress or skirt. Socks or footies if you want to try on shoes.
Put it in the cart.
As you see pieces that interest you, dump it in your cart. You can sort through it and decide on the keepers once you get to the fitting room.
Examine the clothes closely.
Check your garments for stains, rips/tears, missing buttons, proper working zipper and really bad smells.
Check under the armpits, seams, seats of pants and hems.
Bring a small bottle of hand sanitizer - after all, all of these pieces are second hand.
Buy One, Give One
Don't be a hoarder. Go through your closet and donate some items that you no longer wear.
Don't discount funiture.
It can be restored or repurposed.
You can always paint or spray to change the color.
You can change the original use of an item and make it work for something else.
Don't buy just to buy!