My Top Six Thrifting Hacks

I've had this article in the queue for a long time now but just hadn't taken the time to write it.  I thought that my many fellow thrifters out there would appreciate this article and that it would help any first-time thrifters too.  The tips below are my personal experience and tips I have learned from others who love to thrift as much as me.

TIP 1: Bring a tape measure.

This is my number one tip because it saves a lot of time.  Take your measurements at home and write them down on a note on your phone.  If you don't like to or don't want to try clothes on, taking a tape measure will avoid the dressing rooms and from buying something that doesn't fit.  If you measure the clothing item before you take it into the dressing room you won't have lots of items to try on.  Sometimes the dressing rooms in thrift stores are closed, what do you do?  You could try to find a corner of the store with no one around and try on the clothes over your clothes, however, if you bring a tape measure you can avoid this step.

TIP 2: Shop during the week.

Now I know everyone can't take time out during the week to go thrifting but if you can, I highly recommend it.  I have found that the clothing is in better condition, more unique, and has lots of variety within each section of the store.  Usually, thrift stores get a lot of their donations over the weekend so anything new will be out during the beginning of the week.

TIP 3: Shop in the morning when the store first opens.

Why? For starts, there are fewer people in the store, mostly you'll only find older people, so the store is nice and quiet.  I have heard that usually they put the good stuff out first thing when the store opens so you'll get the first pick, whereas if you come later in the day most of the racks will have been picked through already.  

TIP 4: Start with your needs first.

This is a tip I am personally trying to work on and it definitely helps when you don't have a lot of time to spend in the thrift store.  Usually, when I entered the thrift store I would go straight to looking through the countless racks of tops but by the time I finished with those, I either was exhausted or ran out of time to look through anything else.  Now I try to start with the racks that carry what I need the most or the racks that have fewer items, usually, that's either home goods, shoes, or outerwear.  This has kept me focused on what I really need and helped me to avoid needlessly buying.  

TIP 5: Look for natural fibers.

This is such an important tip to use, there are so many synthetic fibers out there and it can be hard to avoid but make a good choice by only buying natural fibers, if possible.  If I buy anything that isn't made of natural fiber it is usually a skirt or a coat, the reason is that the fabric isn't usually right up against my skin for a long period of time so I don't mind it.  However, for tops, jeans, dresses, sweaters, and pants, I always look for 100% natural fibers, such as cotton, linen, wool, Tencel, hemp, cashmere, etc. because those fabrics are going to be up against my body for long periods of time.  The reason I feel so strongly about this is that synthetic fabrics can restrict your skin from breathing, clogs pores, and can cause rashes. Also, the chemicals from these fabrics can seep through tiny skin pores and settle into your tissue, thus increasing the toxic load on your body.

TIP 6: Make a wishlist on your phone.

A wishlist will help you to apply tip four, start with your needs first. I have made a wishlist personally that I keep on my phone, however, I will admit I don’t use all the time like I should, but when I have found items on the wishlist, I find deep satisfaction and accomplishment when I get to mark that item off.  For example, jean overalls was an item I wanted to thrift and not buy new, I had this item on my wishlist for a while before finding the perfect pair, but how happy I was when I found them and was able to mark it off my wishlist.

Thanks for reading, let me know in the comments below your favorite thrifting tips.

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