5 Tips to Up Your Thrifting Game

Thrifting is one of those things that people usually either love or hate. But I’m guessing there are some out there who want to love it, but just get overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. Today I want to share 5 of my biggest thrifting secrets to make thrifting not only more enjoyable, but also more beneficial to your wallet and your home!

Go often, to different stores, on different days.

One of the biggest tips to finding good things is to go often. Even if you just pop in and quickly peruse through the furniture section or whatever you’re looking for, it’s helpful to go more frequently since things are always changing at thrift stores. It’s also helpful to pop into multiple different stores throughout the week or month, since you’ll always find different things at different places. And each store has days and times that they update their inventory, so make sure and either go at various times or you can even ask the employees when they put out new merchandise!

See if you can update/change/DIY/clean it.

If something isn’t in perfect condition but you still love it, see if you can do something about whatever is wrong with it. For example, I purchased a chair that had a skirt on it that I didn’t like, but the rest of the chair was really nice! So I checked the legs (and they were beautiful!) and decided I’d take the skirt off. All you need is a screwdriver and/or pliers and about 20 minutes to remove a skirt, so if a piece has good legs this can be a great option for something that you might have otherwise overlooked.

Go on sale days & take advantage of perks.

Even though thrifting is already cheap, there’s always room to save more! 🙂 I love going to get a big haul on sale days. Savers and Unique have 50% off on major holidays (the ones that fall on Mondays), and if you’re a cardmember they let you come a day early and enjoy the 50% off on Sundays. It gets a little crazy in there, but if you’re willing to fight through the crowds it’s totally worth it! Also, most thrift stores have either cardmember perks (like 25% off on certain days), punch cards, or coupon incentives for donating. Look into what perks your thrift store offers and take advantage of them!

Have a plan and know what you’re looking for.

This tip really helps you do tip #1 well. If you don’t have a plan or know what you’re looking for, going thrifting often can seem very overwhelming and time-consuming. But if you go in knowing which department you’re going to speed-walk through, which you might stop and look a little harder, and which you’re not even going to bother with, your trip will be much more streamlined. Unless of course you have hours and hours on hand and just love leisurely walking through thrift stores, then be my guest. 😉

Think outside the box.

One of the best parts of thrifting to me is the surprise of finding something you weren’t even looking for. There are so many crazy things that you can find at thrift stores—some horrifying, and some total gems. So this may seem to contradict the last tip, but don’t be afraid to look in a different aisle than where you would normally look for something. You never know what you may find! For example, if you’re looking for some desk accessories, why not look through the kitchen supplies and dishes? Maybe you’ll find the perfect vintage dish to hold your paperclips.

I hope you found these tips helpful! Leave any tips (or questions!) you have in the comments. Happy Thrifting!