One man's trash

...truly is another man's treasure.
This week I spent a fair bit of time in thrift stores. I worked just about every big one south of downtown Calgary these last couple of days. I was thinking about it, while I was in there looking at things and trying them on, and I honestly think I've gotten better at this whole thing. I am obsessed with it these days, and I love love love doing it. So I started analyzing what has made me good at it, and what makes me enjoy it so much. Thus was born, this idea for a post. With fall in the air now, I think just about everyone is looking for some change. Eric and I have decided we want to change our personal styles a little bit, and I would like to be more committed to looking nice and put together when I go places. So I looked for jeans a lot in the malls and decided, I hate malls! SO MUCH! I feel like a little piece of my soul is taken every time I put on a piece of clothing that has 5 in each size hanging on the shelf. I've decided, I buy jeans and shoes brand new, and as little else as possible. I live in the thrift stores, and there are certain things I was looking for this week.
So I thought about what I do, and what I tried to do this week, to make my thrifting successful and satisfying.
1. Never stick only to your size rack.  There are two reasons for this. First is that it's a second hand store, so they don't have a ton of people staging the place to make sure it stays clean and tidy. Things get mixed up, and you'll sometimes find a treasure put in the wrong spot by someone else {either by accident or on purpose}. Second, the best finds are the old vintage ones right? Well older size guides are very different from today's, so take a look at sizes that you may think are too big or too small and you just might find something that fits quite nicely, but has a weird number on the tag.
The other thing I discovered here, just the other day, is that the employees are not fashion experts and will occasionally put a skirt or pair of pants that reads size 25 on the tag in the size 5 section, just to make me feel bigger than I am. In what world is a pair of jeans with a size 25 tag going to fit over my hips, they belong in the 0-2 section, thanks.
2.  Always look in the men's section as well. I know this one sounds the most ridiculous, but there are certain things that you just might be able to find there. A few examples that I've found have been in sweaters/cardigans and in long sleeve button down shirts. Just please please please promise me that if you're going to play with this one, that you stick to things that fit you. It's possible you'll find something cool and fun, but if it doesn't fit you, it will be obvious where you found it. Plus, if your man is like mine and has really good taste, you may be able to find him something there that you'll be excited to bring home and show him.
3. You should go into the dressing room with a pile anywhere from twice to four times as big as you come out with. Especially when you don't go very often, every find can seem like a good find. You'll see tons and tons of articles that you feel are perfect in their own unique and quirky ways, throw them all in the cart. So many good finds are the odd ones you are almost scared to take off the rack. But once you get them on in the dressing room, if something seems to not be quite right, it probably isn't. Leave it behind, and forget about it. Hope that someone else will come along and appreciate it.
4. It's more than okay to be a little stingy. Remember that everything in the store has been used before. Some stores I've been to {especially Value Village} seem to have caught on to the trend of second hand shopping, and have priced things accordingly. In a thrift store, it's okay to think that $10 is too much for a shirt. I can only think of a small hand full of times that I would spend more than that, and they're things I have been looking for for a long time. First, it's not necessary because I promise you that if you keep looking, better deals will come up. And the other thing I love, is that it just feels good to not spend too much money. That's what it's kind of about. You want to find great treasures, but it's nice to find them at great prices as well. It makes the find that much more exciting to me.
5. Always look in the housewares and frames sections. I do this because the truth is, people hold on to old prints and frames and dishes and mugs a lot longer than they hold on to old clothes. These sections always have really neat finds {which I rarely ever buy} to inspire me and my new styles or creative ideas.
When I broke it down this week, this is what I came up with. These are the guidelines I always follow, but didn't realise until just now. {Pictures to come}
What are some things you do to get inspired, or to have successful thrift store shopping?