My mom and I love to go thrifting together. Rarely do we have an agenda. You simply cannot try to shop for a particular item when your shops are the local thrift/treasure shops.
Some guidelines to keep in mind when thrifting
- buy with your heart–you don’t have to know exactly where something will fit in your house
- ask for a discount {after awhile you’ll learn which shops will bargain with you}
- be open to find something you weren’t looking for
- walk through the store slowly, making the rounds more than one time {you’ll see something new each time}
- take cash, stick to your budget
- if you are looking for a specific item {like a coffee table} take your time, give yourself a few weeks
even though the chair just came in, I still got 10% off just for asking
I know buying with your heart kind of goes against all we’ve been taught. But thrifting is different than retail~you can’t come back next week and expect that item to still be there. I’m assuming you are using cash and that your thrift shops are inexpensive like mine. If you see something for $5 and you really love it but don’t know where you’ll put it, please, you have my permission to purchase it {if you have the cash of course}. Too many of my friends agonize over a measly $5 {or much less} purchase when it’s something I can tell they are emotionally drawn to.
The best part of thrifting is coming home and figuring out what to do with your treasures.
Am I crazy to admit I thrift with my heart? How do you thrift?
Did you see yesterday’s giveaway winners?
You may be crazy, but not for this. :)
Aren’t we all a bit crazy, when we can shell out big bucks for something at retail, but hesitate to spend $5 at a thrift shop?
I love the chair, by the way. Never would have thought to ask for a discount, but you can bet I will now!
I’ve found that our Goodwill doesn’t discount but Salvation Army ALWAYS does!
Thrifting is my cocaine! It is my chocolate! I agree with you about your heart! BTW, beautiful chair!!!
I love thrift stores and agree that you need to go around the store more than one.
I don’t ask for a discount if the thrift supports a charitable cause.
I like your heart priscilla!
I don’t feel bad asking for a discount for a few reasons–1. they can always say no and if it’s a great deal I’ll still buy it, 2. some things sit around forever and wait to get bought taking up precious floor space 3. most thrift shops have no idea how to price things–many many things are actually over priced {but I admit, I didn’t think the chair was over priced at all and was shocked that he took $$ off!}
I did just that last week and scored an awesome table. It is already up on the blog! LOL
This is a great post! I agree with you 100%. My mother and I used to always go antiquing together. It’s harder to do that because there’s always the importance of “worth” when it comes to antiques. Thrift shopping to me is 100% One man’s trash is another man’s treasure – and I love that. Especially in this day and age of reusing and renewing!
My boyfriend and I went thirf/antique shopping last weekend. I had my mind set on a certain thing and I probably overlooked a lot of treasures. Maybe I’ll just have to convince him I need to go back with an open mind. :)
I so agree with this! If I love it and it is cheap enough — it is sold! I will figure out what to do with it later!
Oh, like Richella, I would have never thought to ask for a discount, but next time, I’ll be thinking…..”oh, Nester, would ask for a discount, so I will, too!!”….;D
GREAT chair…I love it!
Suzanne
I have headboards in my head, but I’m in no hurry. I’ll go back to the thrift store several times. After all, I haven’t had a headboard for a few years now, so a few more weeks won’t matter. I do have to “feel” it before I’ll buy something, but that’s at retail stores, too.
Well put. You really can’t plan to buy something when thrifting. If you see something you love buy it. Most likely you will have a place for it.
Thrift Stores are my “drug of choice” when I can’t make it to a yard sale.
Will it stop snowing already in NC so we can move on to Yard Sale weather?!?
I love Carolina Thrift in NC – half price off of thrift store prices is MARVELOUS:) It is fun to plan a Thrift Store stop when you are vacationing as well. You can sometimes find great souvenirs this way!
Yes, Yes, YES!
Value City does half price days too {again, they’d rather sell their stuff for 30% off as a discount than 50% off on half price day}
That’s why thrifting is so fun, it’s all about the heart. I once bought a tourquoise chest from around the 50′s. I had no idea where this would go in my house, but I just loved it. Years later My oldest daughter got a light tourquoise bedroom set, and it went with it perfectly, and I can’t imagine her room without it now! SO, thanks for the permission!!!
I definitely thrift with my heart and my imagination! I am constantly re-imagining an item in position different from what was intended!
~kristin
When I am looking for something it can actually take me months to find, even a couple years if it is a unique item. And sometimes it’s the wrong item. I bought a dining room table last year thinking that it was the “one” only to discover it wasn’t sturdy enough. I actually did an entire blog post about finding the table. In the end we sold it at our moving sale and a couple months after moving I found our “real one” table. I love the hunt to find something perfect even when that can take months. I also do lots of upgrading. I’ll thrift a chair but when I find a better chair I’ll replace it and sell the original at our next sale.
Like you, I rarely go thrifting with an agenda. I totally shop with my heart!
I ask for discounts at antique malls and the like, but thrift shops in my area are typically affiliated with a charity or other programs aimed at helping the disabled and/or disadvantaged … and I’d rather put that 10-20% in their pockets than mine.
our local goodwill sells stuff with the target clearance price on it for MORE than the clearance price!!
I think it all depends on where you go and I so adore you. But I don’t want anyone {including me} to feel bad to ask for a discount. It really is ok, they can say no.
Glad I’m not the only one whose Goodwill does that! It always makes me want to walk up to them and go, “Look, guys…”
Plus, I donate enough stuff to them to MORE than make up for what they might give me for a discount…
Our Goodwill has an outlet place that sells stuff by the pound. It seems great until I realized one day that I totally over-paid for some stuff because it weighed way more than it was worth. LOL. Oh well. And I agree…I donate SO much to Goodwill and other places that I don’t feel bad asking if they discount.
I thrift with my heart too. :) I just love when I find that perfect something even though I don’t know just what it’s perfect for. :)
Love thrifting! Come check out my blog and see what I just got!
http://justmebobbiejo.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-thrift-store-find.html
I make a list of things I’d LIKE to find (because I often get off track) just to remind myself, but I don’t really have an agenda. You can check out my super scores (and loads of photos) from my weekend trip to Metz, France for their big monthly flea market over on my blog.
Oh gosh, on your list of thrifting guidelines, you forgot to mention when you see the diamond in the rough to throw yourself on it and hug it with a death grip till you get it to your car for fear that someone will realize what you have.
I loooove thrifting! I think it takes people a little bit to get the hang of “vision” for pieces individually… instead of just looking at it like a pile of junk that’s uglier than seven miles of bad road. Look past the hideous, marred-up varnish and notice the bones.
Plus, thrifting is good for the planet! The ultimate recycle… ;o)
It’s all heart for me! I grew up in rural New York which is home to lots of thrift stores… without a doubt, thrifting became part of who I am. Now, that I have lived in so many different places, with my husband being active duty Air Force, I have gathered treasures from all over.
Currently we live in New Mexico, and while the thrift stores aren’t so plentiful, I do find more unique treasures. I love that I can recall memories of this well-traveled life from the characters that make up my home. And it’s only going to get better with time!
An item really needs to speak to my heart before I will by it….puts a smile on my, face,makes my heart go pitter patter, and get all giddy like a little girl. I stopped at a new thrift store yesterday and found a few treasures….looking forward to visiting them again soon.
So true, you can’t really go out with a set item in mind…I have yet to find any really great thrift places near me. I’m still looking and hoping! Janell
I thrift with my heart, too! I am drawn to things, then carefully look at them to see if it’s something that I truly love. If I love it, it comes home. I do contemplate and take out of the cart sometimes, but not if it tugs at my heart. Life is too short to worry about $5.
I love thrifting too! I don’t think your crazy, and its so great that you get to share that time with your mom. Happy treasure hunting!
I shop with my heart, too! But, I do add in just a dose of common sense… because my husband doesn’t like to be surrounded by treasures that I love but don’t know what to do with. (Hmmm… can you tell we’ve dealt with this issue? Maybe a few times?) I did a post on shopping thrift quite a while back: http://www.stilettosandgrace.com/2009/01/fashion-tip-friday-shopping-thrift.html. It may be more about clothes, but many of the same principles apply. Nester, you are truly inspiring. Thanks for being in my life. =^) (Cheesy. Okay. But, true.)
yes, I have that same problem!
I have been so mad at myself so many times for not following my heart and just spending the $5! I looked at the same piece for a month and when I finally went back with a mind to buy it…of course it was gone. :( Thanks for the permission to just buy it next time!
I do try to give myself a budget to work with when I go to the thrift store–it helps weed out things I don’t need and focus on what I really love. I recently got a shower curtain for $3 that came from West Elm! I have also found shams and a duvet cover from Pottery Barn! Oh, and a couple weeks ago with my mom I found bottle brush trees–so vintage!–for 9 cents each!!!
I have told friends and family if something stressful ever happens and they can’t find me, to search the local thrift stores. I find it is a huge stress reliever!
Nester,
I love your chair. I would have definitely picked that up! I definitely buy with my heart at Goodwill. I always seem to find something I love, then I walk around the store looking at other stuff. If that original “find” keeps calling my name, I usually go back and get it. Our goodwill does give you about a week to return something, but you can only get in store credit. That way I can take it home, try it out, and see if I want to keep it. If not, what’s better than in store credit at GW? Nothing much!
Blessings!
Traci
Isn’t it crazy that the Goodwill let’s you exchange stuff?! I always wonder if people abuse it and bring in their old worn out shoes or something.
I’m sure they have some kind of system to make sure people don’t do that.
Just seems weird.
I thrift the same exact way! You have to be open to the treasures you might stumble upon!!
I definitely thrift with my heart! And I try to see everything as an object, not as necessarily what it was intended for… so I have ended up with some really fun wall hangings, side tables, and more that we never meant to be those things. Sometimes I drag my teen sons with me – and even they end up having fun and using their imaginations (once they stop rolling their eyes).
I’ve learned never to pass up something you love (if it’s in budget of course) because it’ll haunt you! And it’ll never be there when you go back.
I always ask for a discount and have never been told No…even at big places like Salvation Army…give it a try ;-)
My favorite thrift shopping is at garage sales. I dont know what it is, about rummaging through other peoples stuff, but I love it! I always find a great deal, and if the people really want to get rid of their stuff they are always willing to make a deal. I always offer less then what they are asking; like you said, you never know until you ask. :-)
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to thrift shop, but with two small kids I don’t find the time as much as I’d like (I’ve found little hands, impatient hearts and thrift shopping don’t mix so well). I usually try to have something roughly in mind I’m looking for, and have dimensions if needed, but usually end up finding all sorts of other goodies. I was SUPER excited when I was able to go to a thrift shop last week with my daughter and scored a new Land’s End duvet and bedskirt for only $6! I posted about it here http://beansblessings.blogspot.com/2010/02/festive-frugal-find.html and I also found 2 new pairs of high heels that I’ve already worn.
Love your chair too – can’t wait to see what you do with it!
I agree. The thrill of thrifting is trying to find that perfect piece even if I have no idea where to put it at the time. Then when the little treasure comes home, it has it’s own story. I love looking around and seeing all the memories made.
oh…i thrift with my heart for sure! on my way to the grocery store…i just wanted to stop and run through the goodwill…and found a dining table. farm table style…super cheap! i couldn’t resist. i bought it. it’s still in the garage waiting to be painted. i love it! i’m going to use it in my studio!
Don’t laugh at me, but the thing that is my biggest obstacle when thrifting is lack of a restroom in the store! I just can’t make big (or even small) decisions when something else is weighing on my mind!
Heart-thrifter here for sure. And thanks for giving me permission to continue. I have been known to stress over the $5 purchase.
Important note on thrifting: if you buy (anything, really, but especially) upholstered furniture, be VERY VERY VERY CAREFUL that it doesn’t have fleas/bedbugs/etc. Most furniture is really not worth an infestation.
I keep a running list of things I’m looking for and bring it with me shopping. It keeps me focused.
I heart-thrifted ONCE and got this fantastic enamel drawer from an old fridgidaire. I heart enamel. But I don’t know what to do with it now! I’m kind of a pragmatic thrifter, I think.
I did that at Goodwill just yesterday. I was wandering through the store, and as I came around the corner I saw this super beat up, rickety wooden crate sitting on the floor. My heart went *pitterpat*, and it was in my cart before I could second guess myself. As I set it down I thought “I must be some kind of crazy, getting all excited about such a beat up old crate!” But I love it. Besides, it goes really well with the other two beat up wooden crates in my living room. :-)
I wish we had good thrift stores here in Southern Cali, but the only ones around me are the Goodwill and Salvation Army, and neither of them seem to have any thing really wonderful!
I LOVE this post and I LOVE thrifting! My brothers always made it sound like I was crazy, but NOW, I know….there are a whole bunch of crazy women just like me!! I’m so glad to have found you all.
I love to think of a different reason to use something OR imagine something a different color (spray paint is my buddy)!
I find great pride in talking about my $4 thrift mirror (painted red, glazed black) while others talk about their big $$$ purchases…..
I ALWAYS thrift with my heart. (now) I was stung pretty hard a few times when I went back to buy “that thing I loved” and it was gone. It took several times to learn that lesson, but it’s one that once learned… you NEVER forget it.
:)
I went thrifting a couple of weeks ago with “Mr. Wonderful”. Looking for a blue Ball canning jar in the 1/2 gallon size. Came home with a beautiful highboy that makes a perfect entertainment center. I asked for and got a $50 dollar discount. It was a big purchase, but I absolutely love it, and have no regrets. Now I am stil looking for the blue Ball Canning jar to make a lamp for my friend.
Awww, maaan! I’ve been thrifting all wrong. I usually do go in looking for a specific item, and when I don’t see it I head to the next store. I wonder what sweet little finds I’ve missed because I’ve had such a narrow focus!!
I wouldn’t fret over asking about a discount. If you are like me, you donate WAAAAY more than you buy!
We have lived in our city for 4 years and I have not been able to find the good thrift stores. Where we used to live there was a GREAT thrift store that we knew the employees by name and which ones would give a discount:) So much of our house stuff is from there. I miss it so much!
I thrift with my heart but struggle with the logical aspect as well! I laughed at your $5 example, because I saw a $5 chair when out thrifting this morning and couldn’t make up my mind. My heart told me to do it, but my head kept wondering where I would put it. I came home without it – but wish I hadn’t!
I wish I could thrift all day long. I cracked up this morning when I blew by Goodwill at 8:50 and there was a line of cars waiting for the steel gate to be opened. yes, they have to gate people away from the door until 9!
My motto is, if it is “talking” to you and you can afford it, buy it! I keep a shelf in the garage full of my stuff until the moment it is needed happens!
I’m so ready for yard sale weather! Just finished using stuff from some last year’s yard sales this past weekend…posted it today on my blog!
I thrift shop with my whole heart open! It’s like breathing fresh spring air when I hear an item speak to me. If I have the money with me I buy. If I don’t, I ask the store to hold it for 15 minutes and I run, I mean run, to a cash machine! Most stores will hold items temporarily.
I have NEVER asked for a discount! Kiss, for that one!
I use the “Oh my goodness, I HAVE to have that” test in order to spend money of something…even at a thrift store. If I just think “Oh, I do like that, but I don’t know…” then it’s not meant to be. I only spend money on the “jump out of my skin – must have stuff…that is also reasonably priced.”
Love your tips!
Love the chair and I love the crazy price you got for it!!! And I also love your stance on thrifting. I agree – let your heart lead the way.