Look it up – Thrifter. It is not a real word. But it should be. The Urban Dictionary tells me it is: “… a low level player, or opportunist. In a broader sense, a thrifter is a purveyor of second-hand pleasures.” So is it a real word if it is in the Urban Dictionary, most of me says “No”.
A Goodwill find for $10.
Now, the title of this post makes it sound like you are sitting in a High School business class waiting to find out how to become a millionaire entrepreneur who gets to go on holiday 9 months of out of 12. And I am going to give you a little business advice about the art of thrifting {although non-word!). But this ain’t no business class. I just think that when you are thrifting you have to possess a little business savvy mindset to be a truly successful one.
Some woodsy art for our bedroom, bought for £1.50 at a charity shop.
As with just about every topic, there is loads of information out there about how to maximize and excel at the art of thrifting but as with my promise for the Thursday’s Tutorial, I have gathered the cream of the advice crop!
A chair waiting to be snatched up at Goodwill. This babe has loads of potential.
Although this article is pertaining to Harlem, New York – there are some very good general rules and tidbits of advice for shopping for vintage/thrift items in general.
1. Best tip from the above article: “Carry your cash. Carrying cash in your front pocket frees up your hands for sorting/digging/browsing through everything.” Carrying cash can help you stay within your budget (only take out as much as you can afford!) and can be a great tool for negotiation if you are at a carboot or yardsale (“I only have $5 to spend”).
Getting involved at a yard sale, image from here.
Here is another general article about thrift store shopping with a few things to avoid (which is good to know as well!).
2. Best tip from the above article: “Visiting often to catch the latest additions, as well as visiting before the end of the weekend when everything will have been picked over. If you visit regularly, find out when restocking days are and plan to hit up your favourite store either that day or the next to check out the new merchandise.”
This personal blog has a post that has some good little tips on it about shopping for thrift furniture.
Telephone bench reinvented, was £12 plus materials (paint and Ikea material)
3. Best tip from the above article: “Does it have to be recovered, refinished, or reupholstered?” When you spot something you to think beyond just the price tag – it may need a fair amount of work, you may need to buy fabric or materials which can be costly or it may be extremely tedious and you never get around to the project.
This frugal mom knows a thing or two about being thrifty, her article covers a few different topics when it comes to shopping.
4. Best tip from the above article: “Brands do matter. Always look for brands you know. This way you can trust the craftsmanship and you know what you are buying.” Like Mr. Goodwill Hunting (Rashon) found out, sometimes you can find pretty awesome brand names at discount shops like Marshalls (Winners, TJ Maxx etc.).
Image from here.
The Elegant Thrifter has a lovely article here. Talks a little further about brand names…
5. Best tip from the above article: “Buy only what you love. Just because a piece of furniture you spy might have a designer’s name that makes it valuable, if it’s ugly, then leave it alone.”
Kate from Centsational Girl has a great article called Thrifting 101. Honest and fun post!
6. Best tip from the above article: “Think Creatively. If there ever was a tip to embrace, this would be it. Whenever I enter a thrift store, I see things for what they could become, not what they are.”
Hiding under that massive TV – A gem! Image from here.
And because Kate is so great, she gets an extra tip!
7. Another ‘best’ tip from Kate: “Know The Sales Days. Find out when your local store has sales and show up early.” Many different bigger thrift stores, like Goodwill, Value Village and St. Vincent de Paul host either a sale or discount day regularly. Usually they are an attempt to purge their goods when they have too much stock.
Another great quickie tip article here.
8. Best tip from the above article: “Persistence is key. My mom calls it the “1-8” ratio. You will peruse about seven crappy garage sales [stores] before you find the one that makes it all worthwhile.” From my personal experiences, I think the writer is 110% accurate. You have to put in a lot of footwork and time before you hit the motherload.
If you are up for the task, Auction Houses can be a great place to snag some vintage finds at great prices – for those with time and patience only though! Kirstie from 4homes (and does loads of home related shows) has some great tips for buying items for your home from an Auction here.
Amazing huh? See things for their potential. Image from here.
9. Best tip from the above article: Check out it out before you buy. Make sure that the item or piece of furniture is in good condition! If it is furniture, check out the legs, inside of drawers if it is a dresser and the general sturdiness of the item. You do not want any surprises once you get home.
With spring upon us, yard/garage/carboot sales are upon us! It is my favourite type of thrifting. I could spend hours driving around with a coffee to yardsales to be honest. Is that sick? I found an article that has some very good specific advice for this type of thrifting here.
Teak coffee table picked up for £7 at the Auction House.
So in addition to all that lovely advice which was very surprisingly hard to find, I have some more thoughts to add.
- Keep an open mind – you have to see items for what they can be, not what they are. Sometimes at yardsales or estate sales the merchandise can be very dirty and covered in years of dust – think a good clean, spraypaint, recovering or a lick of paint. You are the re-inventor – remember this post about the waffle shower curtain come throw? Yup. You could do that too, but you have to stretch your creative thrift juices to see an item’s potential.
- Head out early. No matter how much I love to sleep in, everyone knows with carboot sales and yardsales that the early bird catches the worm. That isn’t to say that if you arrive late you won’t get some great stuff – others may not be interested in what you are interested in
- Look under, in, over and behind. You are on the eternal search for the diamond in the rough – life doesn’t just plop them down in front of you for $1! You have to peek around corners, look under massive old TV’s and check out little baskets full of junk to find them.
- Budget, budget, budget. Set limits. Know how much you can afford to spend and don’t forget to calculate how much you will need to fix it up. This is especially true for trips to the Auction House. It is SO easy to get caught up in the drama of an auction but you do not want to end up paying more than you can afford for something.
- Sometimes you just love something. And that’s okay. Buy it. You will regret it.
- Another great article for tips on yard saling here!
