Thrift store shopping strategies

I have a hard time remembering the last time I bought brand new clothes. I really had to think about it for this post, and the best I can come up with is buying some post-pregnancy clothes at Old Navy about 2 years ago. Most of my clothes are from my favorite thrift store, Community Aid. There aren't that many of them - I think there are only 3, and they're all in the central Pennsylvania area. But they are AWESOME.

Some of you may swear by Salvation Army, and I used to love them before Community Aid moved in - other people really like Goodwill, Volunteers of America, Purple Heart - the trick is the management. The reason I love Community Aid is it's always kept clean, it's well stocked with all sizes (kids especially), and they make a real effort to only put out things in good shape, so I don't have to spend as much time checking for damage on clothing. In your area, the store that does that might be Goodwill. Either way, this is my favorite thrift shopping trick.

Once a week, our store runs a 50% deal - everything is 50% off for the day. Pretty awesome. But about once a year they run a Dollar Day promotion - all the clothes marked down to a dollar! So when I know Dollar Day is coming, I do a quick inventory of the family's clothes. What do we need, what size is everyone now, what DON'T we need, and write it all down.


I know, Dollar Day is cheap - you could get a mountain of clothes and not sweat the price much - but if you pay to take something home that doesn't fit, you then have the hassle of figuring out what to do with it. In general, I've found that buying dresses and skirts a little bit too big is safe - they're easy to take in. Shirts have some flexibility, but you don't want to look like you're stuffed into it or swimming in it, so find a decent size range you can play with. Pants are the hardest to find, since everyone is shaped so differently and pants will cut off your circulation or fall right off if they don't fit right.

So the second step is what I consider pretty smart. The dressing rooms are closed on Dollar Day, so go and find your favorite, best fitting pair of jeans. Write down the brand, size, and cut - I love Old Navy jeans for this, because I know I wear a size 10 Sweetheart cut, the styles (Diva, Sweetheart, etc) are embroidered on the back inside waistband, and they're common enough that I can usually find a few pairs. If I feel adventurous, once I've found the first pair of jeans that I know will fit, I branch out by holding the "sure thing" pants up against other pairs of different brands. Obviously, you need to be aware if one pair is stretch denim and the other is "standard" denim or other non-stretchy material - they will fit VERY differently.

Credit to http://www.newdressaday.com

Another trick (good for us busty girls) is if you want a shirt or dress, take a measuring tape and measure your favorite top across the bust part. You've probably developed a bit of an eye for things that look about the right size, so once you've spotted something you like that looks close to the right size, measure across the bust (or hips, if that's your problem area) to make sure it will be big enough.


For the kids, sizes are pretty much standard unless you have a skinny or plus sized kid. Then you just have to worry about what's needed, and what's available in the right size.

Happy thrifting!