What I'm Wicked Into: Thrifting
Hey there!How's your week been so far? I feel like by Wednesday, I'm usually in a good groove for the week and am already trying to set some plans in motion for the weekend.How has Monday's mantra—"I am worthy of good things"—been serving you? Well, I hope.I'm really excited to dig right in to this week's "What I'm Wicked Into" post! To get started, do you have any guesses as to what all of these items (wall art, a lamp stand, and a glass vase) from my place have in common?
They've all been thrifted (found at yard sales/resale shops/antique stores).In case you didn't know, thrift or resale shops offer a wide range of lightly-used/pre-owned clothing and/or home goods at low costs. And, if you're anything like me, you get a thrill from thrifting because you're finding something you may not normally find anywhere else at a really great deal. Win, win!I'd say that I first got into thrifting after college when I was living back at home for a couple years. My mom and I would often head out together and look for cool clothes, home items, or just whatever caught our eye. It sort of became a bonding thing for us and overall just a fun thing to do.Don't get me wrong, we'd still frequent Macy's or our local mall to spend more money on things we really wanted/needed, but thrifting offered up a whole different experience for us, and when I realized I could get three things for the price of one, it felt really good. Ever since I started back around 2010, I just kept goin'...The home items shown above were all thrifted when Sam and I moved to California in 2013. We flew here with minimal luggage and personal items, so when it came time to furnish a new home in a costly way, I knew thrifting would be our smartest choice. We were so lucky to find so many pieces we loved that fit our home style and even though nothing is super matchy-matchy, we really love how it's all come together eclectically.What do I thrift?Art, vinyls, books, clothing, purses, jewelry, home decor, light fixtures, some kitchen goods, and furniture.I often find that the clothing I thrift shop are the ones that many people compliment me on. I don't know why this is, but I do my own little personal victory dance when this happens because I know I scored a sweet deal on something that's actually cute!Take for example these five thrifted items.
I spent a total of $47 on these five items, which would be nearly impossible to accomplish in most stores. I could have easily paid that same $47 for just the Free People skort or green Adrianna Pappel dress alone.Where do I thrift?Since I've been living in LA, it's been a little tricky to find places to thrift because this city is so huge and I'm not as familiar with where to go.However, over time, I've favorited these spots in LA: Crossroads Trading Co., Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul (furniture), Buffalo Exchange, Owl Talk (personal fave), and Out Of The Closet.Here are some more of the best thrift shops in LA.Tips for new thrifters:-Be patient and thorough. Put aside time to peruse because in order to find the best deals and the best brands, you'll need some time.-Always inspect the items you're buying. Just like in any other store, there can be imperfections to the material or damages, so you'll want to give a full look first. However, from my experiences, this is not usually an issue.-Know the sale that day. Most resale shops have sales on top of sales. So keep an eye out for marked discounts, color stickers that indicate sales, or signs.-Look at the tags. You know the brands and designers you love, so try and scope them out. When I've found Lululemon workout tops for $5 and Free People shirts for under $10, I've literally squealed for all to hear.-Try everything on. Some thrift/resale shops are final sale only or have a strict return policy.-You're already aware of the kinds of items you wouldn't feel comfortable thrifting. I'd stay away from socks, most shoes, undergarments, bedding, and maybe hats. Just play it safe.-Struggling to land a Halloween costume or don't want to pay a ridiculous amount of money for a one-night costume? Head to a thrift shop for a wide selection of outfits. If you end up only wearing it once, who cares?!What's with the stigma behind thrifting?There's such a weird stigma/mental block that comes along with thrift shopping. We already reuse and recycle so much of what's around us, I have trouble understanding why wearing a lightly-used clothing item would rub some people the wrong way. (But, to each his own!) Thrifting is something anyone can do, whether you have more money to spend or not.So, have you ever thrifted before? What bargains have you found?If you've never drifted into a thrift store, try it out! You never know what you could find...Have fun shopping!Ari
Other "What I'm Wicked Into" Posts:- What I'm Wicked Into: A Casual Valentine's Day- What I'm Wicked Into: Salt Cave Santa Barbara- What I'm Wicked Into: Sober January- What I'm Wicked Into: Casa Bianca Pizza Pie