Thrift Tips #1: My Three Basic Rules of Thrifting

              

As promised, I give you the first installment of Thrift Tip Tuesday:

I'm not gonna lie, finding gold at thrift stores is mostly luck. But, like black jack, there are strategies that will tip the odds in your favor. Every Tuesday I will share my strategies, superstitions, and secrets of thrifting. This week I give you the three rules I always follow when I thrift...

Rule #1: Go off the beaten path. 

Every so often I talk to friends who tell me that thrifting only leads them to true awesomeness once in a blue moon. When I ask them what shops they go to, they list a bunch of urban shops in the "hip" areas of town. Uh...duh? Those are the most picked through shops in the city. Good luck with that.  If you want the good stuff  you have to go to the crappy neighborhoods, or the burbs, or even to another state, like Indiana.

Rule #2: Go Alone

I know, I know this one sucks. But I'm telling you the truth. Stopping in a thrift shop after brunch with friends, or to bond with your mom on a Saturday, is one thing. Finding a pair of  big E Levis circa 1968 is another. Maybe its just me. When I used to thrift with my ex, he would find me after 45 minutes and be all, "You ready to go?" Um no. I haven't even gotten to the two-piece rack yet. There is an exception to this rule and that is if your thrifting partner is willing and able to follow rule #3. And even then, I won't go with them if we are the same size.

Rule #3: Look at EVERYTHING on the rack

I see it all the time: Two fashionable girls thrifting, chatting, half-heartedly scanning the racks, pulling out a shirt here or a skirt there, because they are drawn to the texture or pattern. This will get you nowhere.Start at the beginning of the rack, look at everything until you get to the end. This is crucial. If you never touch the pilled and shrunken Old Navy or Exhilaration sweaters how are you going to see the classic faire isle cardigan that is stuck between them?

 These rules are basic, like I said, and a lot of you probably already practice them. Next week we'll go a little deeper . I'll give you an ex-thrift store employee's secret guide to colored tag sales: how to use them to your advantage and how knowing your favorite shop's sale schedule will help you find the best stuff (hint: it has noting to do with buying the color that's on sale).

May Gods of Thrift be much pleased, and bless you with their musty mojo

D.