Outlet Thrift Shopping: For the Truly Dedicated

Today, for the first time ever, I experienced the Goodwill Outlet.  Yes, if you are unaware of the fact that this exists, it is a thing. This is extreme thrift shopping that entails literally digging through a plethora of who-knows-what and weighing your purchase to figure out how much it costs.  It can be an overwhelming experience, but can save you SO MUCH MONEY.  If you have the right mindset and follow the following thrifting rules, which were passed on to me by my friend who went with me today, you will succeed!

Rules for Shopping at the Goodwill Outlet:

1.  Wear flat shoes. This should be fairly obvious, but you never know.

2. Don't bring your normal purse, unless it is a cross-body. You need both hands, and purses can be cumbersome.  If you don't have a cross-body bag, try to fit everything securely in your pockets or a smaller bag, like a wristlet.

3.  Don't wear your coat in, even if it's cold out.  It will also be cumbersome and make you hot.

4. Bring cash.  I believe they take cards, but I have been advised that cash is the best option.

5. Bring hand sanitizer (or at least make sure you wash your hands right when you leave).  It is not a particularly clean place.

6. Bring your own bags.  They don't have bags, and you can end up with a lot to carry.

7. Have patience and accept the fact that 95% of the things you see, you will not like.

8. If you do like something, even just a little, pick it up.  If you don't, someone else will, and then you will be sad.  You can always change your mind.

Ok, so once you know these things, you are ready to go.

I'm not sure if all Goodwill Outlets work the same way, but at this one, you grab a cart right when you walk in and then put it against a wall, so it's not in the way.  Then, when you find things you like, you bring them to the cart and start making a pile.  Like I said in rule #7, you can always change your mind.  Just put the things you think you may like in your cart, and then you can go through them later.  There are constantly new things being brought in, so be on the look out.  When there is a new batch of things, people flock to it, so be prepared to snatch things up.

You can't try anything on, but that's ok because it will cost you almost nothing if it ends up not working out, and I think most people know pretty well what size they are (everything that I got today fit).  When you are done, you weigh everything and pay by the pound.  I believe it is $1.39/lb if you have less than 20 lbs, and $1.19/lb if you have over.  A few things (like shoes) are sold individually.

So, like I said, this can be intimidating, but if you go into it with an open mind and view it as almost a type of treasure hunt, it is so much fun.  Everyone should go at least once to see for themselves!

For and idea of what kind of value you can get, here is what I got:

• 9 shirts
• 4 skirts
• 4 sweaters
• 1 pair of jeans
• 1 dress
• 1 purse
• 1 pair of athletic shorts
• 1 scarf
• 1 leather jacket
• 1 apron
• 1 happy Christmas tablecloth
• 1 dishtowel

Guess how much I paid for this all.  Drum roll, please......  A grand total of $19.00 (which weighed about 12.5 lbs)!!!

Now, I may not have bought every single piece that I got off of a full price rack, but most of them I actually love.  Also, because it is such a good deal, you can take some risks.  For instance, I am going to make the jeans into shorts (I am usually very against jorts in any situation, but am making an exception because they are very high-waisted vintage-y Levi's) and the dress, which is fairly hideous, into headscarves because the print is great.  

The brands vary anywhere from Target, to Ann Taylor, to Brooks Brothers, to possibly-handmade, to random-that-no-one-knows-what-the-heck-it-is.  It is just mind-boggling to think about what all of these would have cost retail.  Many of them still had their Goodwill tags on them from when they were in a normal Goodwill store, and even that total comes to $84.86, and that is only with about 2/3 of them tagged.  If that doesn't convince you to go, I don't know what will.  

 **Unrelated, but necessary, note: I also got fleece-lined leggings, which cost more than this entire Goodwill trip, but are sooo worth it.  They are from Motherhood Maternity but are one size, so you don't have to be pregnant in order for them to fit.  My friend who was just pregnant pointed me to this store, and I'm so glad she did.  They are so nice, especially if you live in a cold climate.  They are warm, thick, not see-through, and don't bunch at all.  They are for sure a worth-while investment. I know that finding good leggings can be a struggle, so just letting everyone know. 

Thrift Shopping 101

So. Here we are.  I have been meaning to start this blog for a long time, but, as per usual, I just haven’t gotten to it until now because of [insert literally a million cliche things].  This isn't really much of an excuse because everyone has crazy lives and not enough hours in the day.
Anyways, there are so many blogs out there, and it’s totally impossible to sift through them all. Some talk about travel, some about dream jobs, and some explain the beautiful and the stressful moments that come with being a parent.  This one will not talk about any of those things.  My goal is not to write about particularly mind-blowing,  Earth-shattering things, but I do believe I have something worthwhile to say.     

I love shopping, fashion, and having a purposeful sense of style.  I do not, however, love spending money and looking at the same style of shirt in the same type of store over and over again.  So, here I will attempt to explain that, in terms of your wardrobe, you can have your cake and eat it too, IF you are willing to put in a little effort. "How?," you may ask. The answer, of course, is thrift shopping. 

I think everyone has had some type of exposure to thrift shopping, though it may have come with visions of frumpy ladies or too-cool-for-school hipsters.  But, the good news is you don't have to be either one to be a thrift shopper.  Everyone can and should look into thrifting.  I may just be making this up, but it seems to me that thrifting is becoming more popular (we may need to partially thank Maklemore..) as more “upscale” resale stores pop up in addition to the bigger stores, like Goodwill. People are realizing that you do not need to spend $2,858 on a Dolce and Gabbana evening bag (yes, that is definitely a real, granted extreme, price).  I have found entire outfits, made up of totally designer items, for less than 20 dollars.  Though sometimes the most interesting finds aren’t by fancy brands at all; they are those unique pieces that give life to your wardrobe.  Yes, thrift shopping can be hard and frustrating at times, but I hope by sharing my experiences I can help others start seeing what great things they can find and how much money they can save by going on the adventure that is thrifting.   

Ok, so as a basic introduction to the wonders you can come across, here is an outfit composed entirely of pieces I got at thrift shops.  I'll explain more about finding them and finding the thrift shops themselves later, but this is just to give some concrete examples of things I have found.  I’ll tell a little about where each piece came from, the price I paid, and, if available, a comparable retail price.  

This is a kind of vintage sweater that I got at an Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners resale store.  Another nice thing about thrift shopping is that sometimes the proceeds from the stores/sales/events benefit charitable organizations. So, the proceeds go to a good cause, and I can literally see this store from my apartment window.  This is probably not a good thing.... It's by Burberrys (apparently the brand became Burberry in 1999), is all wool, was made in Scotland, and is in really good condition. Just for fun, I tried to find one online and actually succeeded. There is my exact sweater on eBay right now for $89.95. So, I'm not sure how much it retailed for, but it was probably a lot. I believe I got it for $9, but I could be wrong. I got it a while ago before I kept better track of the prices.    

Note: I used a scarf (that I got for $3 at a rummage sale, obviously) as a background for most of these because all the potential backgrounds in my apartment are horrible...).  

These are a pair of James Jeans from a shop called The Hope Chest.  All of their proceeds benefit breast cancer research.  They take clothes that are going out of season from some local shops, so these were brand new when I got them.  They retailed at $158, but I got them for about $20.  Again, I am not totally positive of the price, but it was right around there.

Here is a pair of shoes that are from Goodwill.  Goodwill can be harder to navigate than some other thrift stores, but it can really pay off.  Especially when they mark all of a certain color tag down to $1.99!  I'll talk more about Goodwill, and other huge and overwhelming places, in another post.  Stay tuned.  Anyways, these flats are originally from Target (who doesn't love Target??).  The studs on the back are my favorite part.  They retailed at $19.99, but I got them for $4.99.     

I like these earring a lot, so I'm just going to throw a picture of them in here. I got them at the Interfaith Outreach store for a dollar.  I have no idea what brand they are or how much they would have retailed for- I just love the fun, nautical vibe!  

The shirt I am wearing with this is pretty nondescript, but everyone needs basic black t-shirts.  I probably have too many black pieces of clothing. Oh well... I just love black. So classic. This is also from The Hope Chest and was actually free because the lady forgot to ring it up (which I promise I did not realize until AFTER I had left the store).  

Here's the whole thing, though, again, my lighting and backgrounds all are very non-conducive to taking good photos.  I am fully aware of the fact that this a mirror selfie, and I apologize.  I'll take a better one outside and add it on later.   

So, there you go.  This is just a starting point to illustrate the benefits of thrifting.  I have a ton more outfits that I could do this with, but this is just an example to show that you can spend about $35, not $350, and get some really quality items.  You end up having more fun shopping and way more money in your pocket!