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A Plentiful Life

Money Saving Tips

Thrifting Tips

May 24, 2017

I post about thrift shopping often and people always ask me how I do it!  I figured it was time to share a few tips on thrifting and it turns out The Salvation Army Thrift Store is having a $2 sale this Friday so you can put these to the test!

  1. HAVE A PLAN | It can be overwhelming walking into a thrift store if you don’t know what you want.  If you are new to thrift shopping I think having a plan is key!  It will help you focus and hunt for items easily.  Even if you don’t know the style of shirt you want, having colour inspiration or style of clothing can simplify shopping.  I love the Salvation Army Thrift Store because all of their clothing are organized by colour!
  2. LET THE SIZE GO | When looking for clothing don’t limit yourself to one size, branch out!  You would be amazed how many times I find clothing that fits great in a different section.  You have to remember some of this clothing is vintage or may be an odd size or sometimes people move the clothing around so it ends up in the wrong section.  Take a chance on a different size, you might be surprised!
  3. TRY IT ALL ON | Unlike a department store where you look in your size and pick out one or two items, the thrift store is a numbers game. Every piece of clothing you are attracted to or really like the style, take it with you.  I usually go into the changing room with an arm load of clothing, it guarantees I am going to come out with a few items.
  4. LOOK AT THE TAG | When I am thrifting I always feel the material and check the tags.  You might see a great shirt, look at the label and think it’s cheap, but when you check the material tag it’s actually silk.  Also checking the brand is always a great idea since you can find quality items for a lot less.  I recently found a pair of Free People faux leather pants for $4 at my local Salvation Army Thrift Store. Looking at the pants I might have passed them up, but when I checked the tag I was thrilled!
  5. EVERY PURCHASE IS A WIN | If you walk into a thrift store with a plan, try on a handful of clothes and only walk out with 2 pieces, you’re doing really great.  Thrifting is a process.  Maybe you have your summer clothing dream list, it might take you four trips to the thrift store to find everything you want, but that’s part of the fun! At the end when you have refreshed your wardrobe, it’ll feel like a win!

I also wanted to add some tips on what not to do when thrift shopping.

  1. DON’T GO SHOPPING ON A WHIM | I think where thrift shopping can get frustrating is when you walk away empty handed.  This happens most often for me when I stop in and think I can magically find something amazing.  The thing is, I don’t know what I am looking for or what I really want, I am simply hoping to find something.
  2. DON’T BUY ITEMS THAT DON’T FIT | I think this is an easy trap to fall into, I am definitely guilty of it!  You find an amazing designer top, it’s beautiful, you want it, but it’s two sizes too big.  You reason with yourself by saying oh I can tuck it in or wear a belt or maybe alter it, they never work!  It’s best to walk away, if not that piece of clothing will most likely end up back at the thrift store.
  3. DON’T BUY SOMETHING JUST TO BUY SOMETHING | Sometimes I walk into the thrift store with a plan, knowing exactly what I want, I try on an armful of clothing, but nothing works.  Maybe it doesn’t fit or the colour isn’t right or it’s too big.  It’s really easy to buy a piece of clothing that kind of works, saying to yourself, it’s only $4.  The thing is, those $4 purchases add up.  They also sit in your closet and can sometimes make you feel like you have nothing to wear.  Best to leave empty handed than make a purchase you’ll regret.

Here are some pieces I found last year when I was refreshing my summer wardrobe.  My plan was to add colour into my summer wardrobe and retire some of my old beat up shirts!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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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. 🫣😂

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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
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01.23.2014 9 years ago, I went on a "coffee date" 01.23.2014

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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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