Thrifting is not for the faint of heart. It had its moment in 2012 (thanks, Macklemore), but I feel like the hype has cooled severely which leaves all of those gems to those willing to slug through the mush. To this day people seem to find it mindboggling when I tell them that a. the outfit they just complimented was in fact thrifted and b. everything is dirt cheap if you know where to go. Since I enjoy thrifting, here is my two cents on how to make away with tons of things while thrifting.

1. Find a friend.
     You can’t thrift by yourself! Having a friend that's willing to spend hours sifting through racks is essential whether it be to laugh at a goofy find or to encourage you to at least try on that bright yellow windbreaker (trust me, you’ll love it).
2. Have a few places to hit.
     You need to know where to go. You can never predict what and where things are while thrifting so the only option is to visit everywhere. I have a few places that I love and produce consistent and beautiful finds, and some places I skip entirely. You have to try it to know.
3. Open-mindedness.
     When I go to the mall I usually have a clear idea (or at least a misty one) of what I want to come away with. This doesn’t work with thrifting. Be prepared to look at EVERYTHING. In my experience nowhere is off limit except usually the kid's section because they just won't fit. Typically the men’s section is my favorite to look for things like sweaters, comfy things, and t-shirts. I really love that oversized look.
4. Practicality
     Obviously, thrift stores have a ton of junk. Don’t come home with a ton of junk. Just because its cheap doesn’t mean you have to buy it so, look at what you pick, maybe even try things on to make sure you aren’t loading yourself with a ton of trash to take home. Also, try to keep an eye out for the tags. Some thrift stores have certain days where say a certain color is discounted, these can come in handy. Finally, also keep in mind that you actually might find new things because sometimes businesses just donate things that didn’t sell.

5. Random!
     - Hand sanitizer/ lotion - Touching a ton of things while thrifting makes my hands smell weird and feel gross so this is a must.
     - If you have to try pants on but there are no dressing rooms you can either do the neck trick (wrap the waistline of your pants around your neck, if it fits they'll fit on you), or you can put on a random long skirt and try the pants on underneath.
     - Always give five minutes to look over everything you've picked for holes, tears, or stains.

Mini Thrift Haul

Of course, I had to include the finds from the trip that inspired this post.