The Ultimate Benefits of Thrifting
There are so many benefits of thrifting whether you are searching for clothing, accessories, or home decor.
Even though some people don’t like the idea of wearing clothing that isn’t new, I always point out that sometimes our “new” clothes can be preloved also.
For example, at the stores, other people could have tried them on. Or maybe something was returned.
And in reality, once you wear something, it’s preloved. Which is one reason why I don’t mind shopping at thrift or consignment stores. Of course, you should inspect anything you want to buy in detail before you buy it and then bring it home and wash it or clean it.
So without further ado, here are what I consider the benefits of thrifting:
1-Saving money. It’s no secret you can find incredible deals on the brands you already love.
2-Colors. There is usually a larger selection of colors at the thrift stores. You are not limited by what colors are trending at the retail stores.
3-Different styles. You may spend more on the basics, but by thrifting, you can try different styles easily. This enables you to buy that hat you aren’t sure about, and if you end up not liking it, you didn’t spend an arm and a leg on it.
4-Weight changes. Many times women will tell me they don’t want to buy new clothes because they are working on losing weight. This is the perfect time to fill in your closet with clothes that will fit for the transition period.
5-Vacation or special events. Do you always want new things for an upcoming vacation or special event? Yet you know you won’t wear them but one or two times. Go thrifting. Halloween is another popular time to buy things to make into costumes at thrift stores.
6-Learning to alter clothing. When I was learning to alter clothes, I would buy items at the thrift store to practice on. Then I wouldn’t be messing up on my good things.
Insider tip: I created a way to make your ankle strap buckles into velcro attachment. But the first time might be scary especially if you have expensive and well-loved shoes. Therefore it’s beneficial, to find a pair of shoes at the secondhand store to practice on.
7-Need some outdoor decor. I have decorated some of my front porch with thrifted home decor and kitchen things from the thrift store. This is perfect for when you find a great ceramic pitcher, but it’s cracked. Use it for your patio decor then.
8-It’s good for our environment. Basically, you are rescuing clothing that would otherwise end up in a landfill.
What is the Difference Between Vintage/Consign/Thrift?
You will see stores touted as thrift and some as consignment and truthfully the only difference is how they get their items.
Both kinds of stores will have secondhand products where you can find treasures.
A consignment store will pay out the seller when the piece is purchased in the store. Most of them give a percentage of the profit for example the store keeps 70% and the seller gets 30%.
There are some consignment stores that will pay the seller a fee for certain items that are accepted for the store to sell at their discretion.
Insider tip: You can expect to pay a little more for these pieces and find higher-end items at consignment stores. If you think of the business end of these stores, you realize that they have to cover their costs and don’t get all of the profits from the items they sell.
Both of these options give the seller some money back for their unwanted clothing, and a chance for others to buy these things.
When we are talking about thrift stores, these are the kind of stores that are selling merchandise that has been donated to them. Many of these are your local Goodwill, Salvation Army, or other franchise stores.
Insider tip: You can usually find better deals at thrift stores because their merchandise didn’t cost them a thing. So they still make money if they sell it for $1.
Related post About the definitions of vintage/consign/thrift
Lesley’s Outfit
Lesley has come to love skorts more and more, and because of that, she keeps an eye out for them when thrifting. The advantage for her is she gets the silhouette of a skirt but has the coverage of shorts when sitting or doing activities.
She paired this beautiful blue denim jacket that contrasts beautifully against the black skort. Even the purse and shoes are secondhand.
Check out the blog post to find out more about Lesley's history of thrifting.
Skort: Lands End-Junior League Thrift in Denver ($8)~~ Jacket: Baccini-thrifted~~ Top: Nine West-Horizon thrift ($7)~~ Shoes: DV-Horizon thrift~~ Purse: no label-Goodwill AZ ($3)
Charlotte’s Outfit & History
Charlotte chose a black and white outfit for this head-to-toe thrifted look and then threw in pops of color with her shoes, purse, and earrings.
When she first tried on these pants, she wasn’t going to get them because they are tighter than the pants she normally wears.
Yet, I twisted her arm and think these windowpane pants look fabulous on her.
Insider tip: It’s good to have variety in our closet. Try to have some items that are a tad tighter and some that are a tad looser. Otherwise, you are stuck with the same silhouette in every outfit.
She decided to showcase both a thrifted necklace and scarf for different options.
The original blog post gives more about my mom's history of thrifting.
Pants: Time & Tru -Horizon thrift ($9)~~ Top: Chicos-Sun City Thrift ($2)~~ Shoes:Faded Glory-Horizon thrift ($5) ~~ Necklace: ACT II ($14)~~ Earrings: Pennywise thrift ($5)~~ Purse: ~~Hat: Steve Madden-Horizon thrift ($8)
Jodie’s Outfit & History
I recently bought this mini tulle skirt in the kid’s department. I saw one of my friends wearing one like this over leggings and then I saw another women talk about buying the young girl’s version. Since it’s an elastic waistband, it fits!!
Layering it over a dress was my idea, and then my husband suggested the belt which gives it even more sass. BTW, I’m wearing the belt backward so the buckle is in the back.
I even liked it with the short trench coat on top, because it almost looks like it’s part of the coat instead.
Needless to say, it’s all preloved pieces. The beret is from my mom’s college days, and the earrings used to be Lesley’s mother’s.
Related post: Shopping for secondhand shoes
I've always loved preloved pieces which I share more about in my blog post.
Coat: ~~Dress: ~~Skirt: ($2)~~ Shoes: ~~ Belt: thrifted from Goodwill ($1)~~ Earrings: Lesley’s mom’s~~ Purse: no label-Goodwill ~~Beret: vintage-my mother’s in college~~ No-show socks: Sheec, Ultra-low version (You can see them if you look closely)
The author may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.
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