Thrifting 101

Who doesn’t love to save some money while shopping? You can do so while still finding cute stuff at your local Thrift Store! I’m not saying it’s 100% practical to thrift every single time you go shopping, but even heading to Value Village instead of the mall every other time you go shopping would make a huge difference for not only your wallet but also the environment.

So much energy, water and packaging waste goes into creating, shipping and buying new clothing. All of that gets thrown out the window when buying secondhand. It’s also less clothing that gets thrown into the landfill. If you’re passionate about recycling containers from your home, you should be just as passionate about recycling your clothing as well. Donating clothing not only helps the environment but also boosts community development by helping local businesses.

Shirt: Elizabeth O Vintage     Shorts: Tiger Alley     Belt: Value Village

Now let’s get to the actual thrifting tips!

First off, thrifting takes time. Don’t expect to be in and out in 5 minutes if you’re going to the thrift store. I’d say you need to dedicate a good hour to make sure you go through everything you need to. Everything is always slightly organized by gender, size and type of clothing. So you’ll be directed to the right spot, but since most things in the store are a one-off, you’ll want to skim through every single piece of clothing in your size to make sure you’re not missing anything good. So yeah….take your time.

Shirt: Value Village     Sunglasses: Tiger Alley

Always try everything on!! This may sound obvious, but for me, anytime I see something I ‘kind of’ like I grab it to see how it fits. This is where your creative side comes in. If you try it on and it doesn’t quite fit right, look in the mirror to see if there’s a way to alter it yourself to make it right for you. I mean if you’re buying a $4.00 shirt..why not play around with it?

Don’t limit yourself to the Women’s section. If I’m looking for some good graphic tees or comfy sweaters, I always head to the mens section! Sometimes I find the selection better in that section than the women’s. If you’re small enough, you may even be able to grab some good finds in the kids section.

Probably my favourite thing about the thrift store is the fact that it takes me out of my comfort zone! Instead of buying the same old same old in every other store, there are endless options in the thrift store. So many different colours, patterns and textures. Some you wouldn’t even think to try on but since you’re there, why not? You may find something you didn’t expect to!

Pyjama Set: Elizabeth O Vintage

There’s always Value Village, but keep an eye out for some more local options! In my city, theres a curated vintage clothing truck at the farmers market called Elizabeth O Vintage. Owner Holly Ostler basically does the hard work for you; she finds all the best pieces and sells them from her clothing truck! If you love the thrill of the hunt, then head to the store! If you’re on a time crunch, it’s places like these that are a total blessing!

Shirt and shorts: Elizabeth O Vintage

Lets inspire each other to THRIFT! What are your go to spots? What kind of pieces have you found??