The Night I Discovered Thrift Stores • Accidentally Green

After a lifetime of bargain shopping without thrift stores, my shopping changed once I tried thrift stores. I appreciate how it’s affordable to repurpose quality clothing!

Growing up, I was taught to be a good bargain shopper – to this day, I still gravitate toward sales racks and clearance sections. (Why spend extra money if you don’t have to?)

Yet I never stepped foot in a thrift store. Ever.

I was happy with my discount store deals, but when I got pregnant in 2007, I knew there was no way I’d be able to splurge on a complete maternity wardrobe for work and home, especially when I was planning to become a stay-at-home mom and needed to save money.

Friends had been helpful when they passed along their maternity hand-me-downs, but I had a variety of sizes and styles.

When I finally outgrew my pre-pregnancy clothes and my pants were bursting at the seams, I knew I needed a thrifty solution.

I knew I needed to try thrift stores.

I walked in to my local thrift store with a $20 bill and no idea what to expect.

I walked out with a bulging bag filled with name-brand maternity clothes and a new favorite store.

A thrifty switch

Ever since that night, I’ve gone to plenty of thrift stores – I’ve even searched out highly recommended ones on vacation.

Once my babies were born and I was introduced to a life of spit up on my clothes, I loved refreshing my wardrobe with ultra-affordable used clothes. It was a relief to not worry about staining a brand new outfit.

My thrifty habit has stuck with me as my children have grown, and I buy most of my clothes and my children’s clothing at resale shops.

I’ve noticed that I can find high-quality, name brand clothing for well under $10 with just a few tricks:

• Visit thrift stores in affluent neighborhoods.
• Before you go to the store, have an idea of what you’d like to shop for. What clothing do you truly need?
• Look for stains.
• Look for missing buttons.
• Look for missing accessories like belts.
• Try every zipper to see if they work.
• Check the care instructions. (I choose to not buy dry clean only items.)
• If the thrift store has a dressing room, try on your items before buying.
• Watch for sale tags and markdowns, if you’re hoping for big deals.

While I stick to searching for bargains at a few favorite stores, I also really like using referral credits at the online thrift store ThredUP.

I like the way my family’s clothing budget stretches, thanks to thrift stores. Plus, I love the way I can recycle and reuse someone else’s clothing.

For more thrift store inspiration, check out my posts:
The Art of Thrift Shopping
Readers’ Thrift Shopping Advice
6 Ways to Green a Wardrobe on a Budget
Repurpose Thrift Store Finds to Create Amazing Home Decor

Do you shop at thrift stores? What are your favorite items to shop for at a resale shop?

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Hilary Kimes Bernstein is a Christ follower, wife, mama, and journalist. She writes about making healthy decisions that honor God and happen to help the environment at Accidentally Green. Short and sweet – like her writing – Hilary is the author of several healthy living eBooks.

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