I told you this post was coming! haha I have truly fallen in love with thrifting and I am so excited to finally talk more about it with you. I know initially I was going to have my friend Margaret (@margaretellenhess) write this post, but she opened a thrifted/antiqued/new shop (@edgewoodplaceoccasions) within an antique store, and her plate became very full. Instead I’m going to have her talk a little bit about her shop on here soon, so those of you who are local to the Jackson/ surrounding areas, can go visit her shop if you’d like!

Majority of my inspiration and love for thrifting has come from Margaret and also my friend Mercedes (@mercedesrichelle). Thank you ladies for bringing this fun hobby into my life that allows me to re-purpose items that are still good (aka reduce my waste) and tap into a whole new way to express my creativity!

Get a cart the second you walk in the door.

The first time I thrifted with my best friend Margaret, she insisted I get a cart when we walked in. I remember thinking like ‘WTF Margs, we’ve been here for 2 seconds, I haven’t even found anything”. BUT GUYS. It makes perfect sense! If you don’t get a cart, you have to carry things in your hands as you find them. This means you don’t have both hands free for searching through racks and that you’re more likely to get tired and overwhelmed because it will feel like a lot of work. If you have a cart, you can throw in whatever you want and don’t have to hold anything! For this reason I also suggest a cross-body purse so that you don’t have to hold that.

If you are drawn to the fabric, fit, whatever, PUT it in the cart.

This is the other MAJOR tip my friend Margaret taught me. If you gravitate towards a piece for a certain reason, just throw it in the cart. It’s impossible to know exactly how it’s going to fit until you try it on and you might be pleasantly surprised by items you never thought would work. Plus sometimes you can figure out a way to style something a certain way that makes it better than what it looks like on the hanger…but more on this in a little bit.

Go with plenty of time to move slowly. It’s not a race.

One of the worst things you can do is go in a rush. I find myself feeling more anxious and overwhelmed when I am rushing myself through racks. Thrifting is not always quick and there’s no guarantee that you will find anything, so it’s important to give yourself plenty of time to treasure hunt.

Bring a friend.

I love thrifting on my own, but it’s always easier and more fun when I bring a friend. I love weird prints and sometimes it’s hard to tell whether something is cute or too dated. Having a friend to give you a quick yes or no can move the process a long faster. Also it may help you to say yes to certain things and step out of your comfort zone!

Keep a running list of items you are looking for on your phone.

Since you don’t always know what you’re going to find at the thrift store I like to always have a list of the general types of pieces I am looking for, for my wardrobe. This helps me keep ideas in the back of my head so that I’m not trying to search every inch of the store every time I go in. Sometimes I really want graphic tees so I’ll head to that area first. This makes me feel like I have a plan in an environment that can sometimes feel a little unorganized and chaotic.

Don’t expect to find everything in one day. Go often.

Thrifting is definitely a marathon hobby. You cannot expect to walk in every time and find 20 new items for super inexpensive prices. If you have the right mindset and work to appreciate the process. It makes the thrill that much better when you find amazing items. I like to go often but only for about 30-60 minutes so that I’m never reaching the point of getting sick of it, any time I go. Also, depending on your thrift store, they might put new items out frequently. So it’s always in your best interest to go often.

Ignore sizes.

This one is so important because sizing is not a universal thing between clothing lines. The standard of sizing within a brand has also changed over the decades, so it’s impossible to know exactly what your size would be. There will most likely be a mix of vintage and current pieces so don’t only go for racks in your size. Some stores are organized by size and some are by color, so it’s important to make sure that you’re looking at everything! I just found a blouse that I am obsessed with and guess what… it’s a size 22W! While I knew it was going to be too big, I had to try it on because I was obsessed with the pattern of the fabric. Fast forward to the fitting room, and after a tie in the front and slight tuck into my high-waisted, tight Levi’s, it became the most ADORABLE over-sized top for super hot days this summer.

Try things on.

Some people get weirded out by trying things on, but I cannot tell you how crucial it is. There are so many pieces that I probably would have bought had I not tried them on because I thought they’d look great when on the hanger. There’s also so many pieces I would have never bought (i.e. that floral size 22W top) had I not been able to put it on and style or tuck it exactly how I’d want to wear it. I obviously wash everything when I bring it home on a deep wash or sterilize washing machine setting, but I think the trying on process is so key to making sure things fit right and you aren’t wasting money. Remember, just because things are inexpensive DOESN’T mean we want to waste our money. A shirt you never wear is still a waste of money, no matter how much you paid for it.

Some of my favorite pieces to get at the Thrift Store:

Blazers
Denim
Button-Down Blouses
Workout Tops
Basics
Skirts
Jackets/Coats
Accessories (Belts, bags, scarves, etc.)

I think this is all I’m going to talk about for now because I want to talk about thrifting on a more regular basis on my blog. I have truly fallen in love with every part of it, so I’m excited to share my finds with you all. I asked on Instagram if you’d like to see monthly thrifting hauls and how I style the items with those I already have and got a very postive response. More than half of you wanted to see them as IGTV episodes, but a good amount of you wanted them as blog posts, so I think I’ll still post on here every time I make a video that corresponds for those of you who just want to read!

If you have any additional tricks for thrifting leave them below! Also tell me your favorite thing you’ve EVER thrifted below.

Have a beautiful day,

Andrea