How to Thrift and Find Used Clothing

The past few years, shoppers have become more consious of their carbon footprint and ethics behind where their clothing comes from and started to thrift more often. Not only does thrifting make your outfits more unique, it’s helps the environment. Buying clothing second hand reduces the need for textiles, use of manufacturing electricity, and waste of plastic in landfills. Fact: to create one pair of jeans requires 1,800 gallons of water, and to make one cotton tee requires 100 gallons of water. That’s a lot of resources that can be offset by thrifting!

Thrifting stores (such as Goodwill, Deseret Industries, Savers, and Uptown Cheapskate) have sooo many pieces that can bring out your inner fashionista while also going green. Here are a few tips on how to shop the racks and find your unique outfit!

Have outfit inspiration while you thrift

I actually take screenshots of outfits I love before I head to the store! Take inspiration from Pinterest, your favorite blogger, Instagram, celebrities. This gives a great starting point to put together an outfit and narrows down the search while you stand in an endless sea of used clothing.

Know your price point before going in the store

OUTFIT THRIFTED FROM:
Blue Knit Cardigan from Savers 
Brixton Wide Brim Black Hat From Uptown Cheapskate
Grey Drop Waist Dress from Goodwill

Go straight to your sizes and favorite colors

Of course, I know that shoes and and clothing can fit differently from brand to brand, but if I am a medium, I won’t look into the extra smalls. If I am a size 9 in shoes, you won’t catch me in the 7’s. It would be a waste of time, and I could potentially find something I love that won’t fit. My closet is also filled with pastels, so while I thrift, I avoid looking at darker colors that don’t fit my style.

Be creative with what you thrift

Part of the reason to go to a local thrift store is to find great brands and fun fashion. I want my clothing to look pulled together and also have a high fashion feel. It is also important to make sure the pieces you pull still have many wears to them. Freshness counts! When looking at thrift store items, sometimes you have to think outside the box. Perhaps the item could be styled in a different way than you would normal wear it? Don’t be afraid to get funky with the items you choose!

Hopefully these tips will help you navigate your next thrifting trip a little bit better! Let me know if you have any thrifting tricks up your sleeve in the comments below.