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A Plentiful Life

Money Saving Tips

Thrift Shopping: Tips to Finding High Quality Pieces

August 20, 2019
Straw clutch

As it was recently national Thrift Shop Day I thought I’d post some thrift shopping tips I have learned over the years! All the outfits you see in this post have been thrifted from the Salvation Army thrift store! It is honestly amazing what you can find thrifting.

summer ootd

BE SPECIFIC

This tip has helped me the most!  Thrift shopping can be overwhelming but if you go in with a plan you always find something!  For example this summer I wanted some new dresses and tops. I headed to my local Salvation Army thrift store with these items in mind. I ended up scoring 3 dresses and 2 tops for around $36.  It felt like a win because I checked these items off my list!  You always want to leave with some great finds!

Summer essentials from thrift shopping at my local Salvation Army thrift store.

DON’T BUY CLOTHES THAT DON’T FIT

Seems like a simple rule, right?  Wrong!  It can be so easy to purchase that awesome shirt for only $2 because it’s a brand name, trying to ignore the fact it’s 2 sizes too big.  No point in spending money, even if it’s affordable. It’s clothing you will eventually end up donating A good tip is to know your size in the brands you love.

summer outfit with white tee and overalls

TAKE YOUR TIME

Thrift shopping can be fun. If you only have 15 minutes, unless you are VERY specific, you will leave feeling as though you couldn’t find anything!  You want to give yourself time to try on items and look in different sections. You never want to feel like you are racing the shopper next to you.

consignment archive sale vancouver

DONATE BEFORE YOU SPEND

It’s easy to go thrift shopping and buy, buy, buy because it’s affordable!  I like the idea of refreshing my wardrobe, getting rid of clothes I haven’t worn in a while and replacing them with something new. If you donate at the Salvation Army thrift store they give you a coupon for $10 off a purchase of $25 or more. 

Thrifted outfit for end of summer, thrift shopping how to.

BE PREPARED FOR HIGHER PRICES

Although thrift shopping is not what it used to be in terms of prices!  You are still able to find good quality items for less than you would in a retail store.  For example I recently purchased a pair of wedge heels for $15, for a secondhand shoe that felt pricey!  When I looked up the brand online the shoes were worth around $200! Made me realize I had purchased a high quality pair of shoes at a VERY BIG discount.  Sometimes you have to spend a little more to get a unique or high end item. It’s totally worth it!

Affordable Summer Outfit, tips on how to successfully go thrift shopping

These are only a few tips to help you navigate the thrift store. To find quality pieces that will become wardrobe staples. Thrifting shopping is a great way to give back, an affordable way to shop for new clothing and an easy way to create a brand name wardrobe for less.

Love your wardrobe, 3 tips to refresh your wardrobe

Did I miss any tips that you love? Share in the comments below. I would love to hear how you find great deals in store at the Salvation Army thrift store.

find the find findthefind Frugal Fashion Frugalista OOTD Thrift Shop Day Thrift Store ThriftShop vintage

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  1. Art Becomes You says

    August 17, 2015 at 11:23 pm

    that first jacket, i absolutely love it!

    http://www.artbecomesyou.com

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Tijana Popovc

A frugalista who hunts for great deals, try's her best to budget and navigates life as honestly as she can. I love thrift shopping, do it yourself projects, exploring the trails by our house, all the flowers, and spending time with the love of my life Mark.
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Last one, I swear! 🤭 Swipe to see the inside o Last one, I swear! 🤭

Swipe to see the inside of the rainbow cupcakes. Honestly, so easy, and they look great! Next time, I might reverse it and make rainbow icing and plain cupcakes, a bigger wow factor. BUT three year olds LOVE sprinkles, so this worked.

🌈✨️🧁
THREE! 🦄 🎉 🌈 I had a lot of fun with thi THREE! 🦄 🎉 🌈

I had a lot of fun with this one! Do you think I accomplished this on a budget? You bet I did! The only thing about being on a budget is that it can be a bit more labour intensive. 

I used cookie cutters again, which makes for easy prep. I cut out all of the sandwich pieces in advance and froze the rice krispies oncee they were made. The rainbow cupcakes I baked in advance and froze, so it was easy to take them out and ice the day of the party.

As for the decor, from the dollar store: 3 bags of balloons, 10 streamer rolls, and 2 unicorn felt banners. Plus leftover string, tape and a Happy Birthday kit, which included the foil balloons and rainbow balloons. Total: $32.50

Now that might not be the cheapest decor but when balloon garlands sell for hundreds of dollars, I think that's a pretty good budget
Yup, I'm that mom. 🫣😂 My kids will be embar Yup, I'm that mom. 🫣😂

My kids will be embarrassed by my enthusiasm one day, but until then, I'm bringing it full force. A few friends sent me photos, and I looked like this in most of them.
TWO! I thought we'd have a big party to FINALLY ce TWO! I thought we'd have a big party to FINALLY celebrate our girls last year but then another lockdown. We had a few family members, and it was nice, but I still went all out! 

Super affordable decor: cookie cutters, $1.99 plants, and butterflies (I think this was a set of 50 for not that much). I also bought secondhand butterfly wings for the kids to wear. 

The cookie cutter adds a level of fun to the food and a bit of themed decor to the table. Butterflies were easy to add throughout our house. Plants ended up outside on our front stoop afterward. 

PS I won the balloon garland! That would be a big party splurge.
The kids have taken over the bath! I wanted to fin The kids have taken over the bath! I wanted to find a nice storage solution for my bath essentials that didn't take up a lot of room. To find what I needed, I headed to the kitchen section of my local Salvation Army thrift store. You might not think the kitchen area is where you'd find bath supplies, but I was looking for something different.

I was so happy to find this heavy cheese plate with dome. It would keep all my bath supplies safe from small children. Then I fell in love with this terracotta pot for my Epsom salts, along with a porcelain spoon, simple candle, and small glass vessel for the matches.

The matches I found at the dollar store, they were long bbq matches, so I cut them to size and taped the striker onto the bottom. I love how it turned out, and I was able to use this secondhand glass jar in a new way!

Don't worry, the kids' toys are still there, I thrifted a small little basket to keep everything contained and in ONE corner.

#aplentifullifethrifted #thriftstorefinds #thrifted #thriftedbath #relaxingbath #momtime #selfcare #budgethome #affordabledecor
Throwing it back to ONE. I wouldn't trade this qui Throwing it back to ONE. I wouldn't trade this quiet day for anything, the four of us eating chocolate chip muffins with whipped cream and dancing around the living room.
01.23.2014 9 years ago, I went on a "coffee date" 01.23.2014

9 years ago, I went on a "coffee date" at 7 o'clock in the evening. He drank a coffee while I sipped tea, and we talked. He was funny, full of stories, and had a lovely energy about him plus a laugh to fill a room. Our coffee date moved up the street as we discussed our mutual love for nachos, so we went and found some. (Rip Foundation 😢)

We still love nachos, evening coffee dates (more like tea or sparkling water now), and our life has grown so much. 

I used to make jokes about our age difference, and Mark would always say, "I'm an old fart and you're young at heart." Which basically means we're the same age, or maybe Mark's actually older than me. 🤔

Photo: taken in our yard by Evie Lou with Poppy Ann directing in the background.
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