Fashion Secrets of the Broke: Thrift Store Bargain Shopping Tips

Set Out in the Right Direction - Affluent areas get more new donations, but thrift stores situated in those prime neighborhoods may be boutique-style and overpriced. Towns that are too small, or too poor, will have little worth looking at. Size matters, too. A large store on the edge of an affluent zone is often ideal. Ask around and find out where the best place is in your town for the most fantastic bargains.

Remember These Size Guidelines - People of different sizes will find themselves faced with different advantages and disadvantages. If you wear an especially common standard size - Medium to Large in the women's section, Large to XL in the men's - you'll find a wider range of clothing, but the turnover may be faster. If your local thrift store runs a weekly or occasional sale, like the Value Village chain does, get there quickly so that you'll find your outfit of choice before other shoppers pick the best material.

If you wear a less common size, you'll find fewer choices, but items will stay on the shelf longer. A determined bargain shopper can find brilliant steals this way - like the almost new, fine quality wool three-piece suit in a small men's size which I picked up for $8 at a small neighborhood thrift store.

Time Is Money! - When I took an informal poll of my friends, I found the ones who said they were no good at thrift shopping were also the ones who got impatient too quickly. One of the biggest advantages you can give yourself is the time and effort it takes to really look over a section in detail. Take a glance at each item on the rack on your way to the next.

New goods shopping is done by category, but that rule doesn't apply when you're bargain shopping at the thrift store. If you find a pair of Cavalli jeans, you'll find them wedged between a pair of Levis and a scratched-up no-brand. Have the patience to give everything the eyeball.

Eat Your Hat - Finally, remember that you're doing a lot of good when you shop at the thrift store. Many of the large charitable organizations that run thrift stores as a way of creating jobs are not actually as savory as they sound, but even with that, you're still doing the world a favor. Why?

Well, the foreign manufacturing that creates most new clothes for the US and other developed countries is bad for us in many ways. It wastes fuel, and sends our financial resources overseas. Plus, much of the difference between the low cost of producing clothes and the new store price goes into the pocket of CEOs who really don't need your hard-earned cash ($30 may sound like a cheap pair of jeans - but Walmart is laying out only pennies.)

When you bargain-shop at thrift stores, you keep that markup money in your pocket, and it can go towards gas for your car, heat for your house, or a sandwich for your lunch. You also help to restore economic balance. The items you're buying may have originated in those same factories, but your money isn't driving demand!

So buy that gorgeous hat at your local thrift shop - and eat the difference.