THE KEY TO THRIFT SHOPPING

Is anyone else wondering where spring is hiding?? I had a photo shoot planned for a spring outfit post, but the day I had time it was 30° outside. As much as I enjoy taking pictures, I didn’t feel the need to freeze. I am so ready for warmer weather, since I had no such luck, I improvised with a different outfit. Why waste a good lighting, right? In the shoot I tried out my “new” coat, this coat is from a thrift store and I absolutely love it! It is a thick wool with a hand stitched satin lining in brand new condition, and the best part is that I only paid $7 for it! There is a trick to seeking out “good finds” at a thrift store…

I enjoy thrift shopping for certain items because you can save SO much money, but let me tell you there are things I will NOT buy second hand.  I refuse to buy someone else’s swimsuit, undergarments, shoes, or mattresses/cloth furniture (like a couch). Just to be clear, I would totally borrow friends’ shoes or buy a couch from someone I know, but when you are purchasing items from a thrift shop, you have no idea who previously owned them and what was in or on them. In these stores, I stick to the wood furniture, clothes, and glassware… all of the items you can wash or make your own!

The trick to finding good items is location, location, location. You have to think about what you are looking for and the style, then you want to find the neighborhood that would fit that style. For example, I ALWAYS look for vintage Levi jeans in any thrift store, but they are somewhat hard to find. Levi jeans are a higher priced denim, so I am going to look for them in more affluent neighborhood second hand stores. They cost maybe $5 at Goodwill, and I can make them into distressed jean shorts at the length I want and distress them how I like. I don’t know about you but distressed Levi shorts usually cost around $80-90 from a boutique and I am all about saving $75 or more! (Should I make a tutorial?)

Thrift shopping can be great, but other times it’s best to just get the exact thing you want, it’s totally up to you!  Do you go to second hand stores? Let me know what you look for!

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