Thrift Store Shopping Tips

Being frugal for all of my adult life, I've learned a thing or two about thrifting. One of the most frequent questions I get is how I find such good deals. Good deals sometimes just come around, but most times it takes time and work to get them from being frumpy to fabulous.

Find your favorite. It can take quite some time to find the best thrift store in your area. Searching one out can take one Saturday morning, a couple of weeks or even a few months. Look in the yellow pages, ask friends, even ask workers at "bad" thrift stores if there are others in the area. Church run shops tend to be great stores in some areas, while others have great Goodwills. It takes a little time to figure it out.

Check your list twice. Just because a store seems bad the first go round, give it another try. Every store has good and bad days. Maybe you hit a bad day the first time, it may get better. However, if all the clothes are 70's rejects and all the dishes are chipped, you may have a "junk" store on your hands, but if things are in generally good condition, then give it a second shot.

Shop often. Once you find the perfect place, go often. Be the early bird that gets the worm. Since good thrift shops frequently get in new items, the more frequently you shop, the better your chances. Once you get to know the store, you will be able to spot new items quickly, and you will know the location of your favorite types of items.

Make friends with the shopkeeper. Going frequently to the same store means that you will become acquainted with the workers. Clerks are a wealth of information. They can tell you which days the new stock comes in, and which days are less crowded. If you are constantly on the look out for a certain item (like wooden candlesticks), they might keep an eye out for you and set things aside occasionally. Workers can also let you know about upcoming sales.

See through the flaws. Look at the lines of furniture to see if it's pleasing to you. Next, give it the "wiggle test" - put it on level ground and see if it wobbles around. If it is sturdy it might be worth painting or recovering. If it is wobbly, it has structural issues. Structure issues can be small and fixable, or they can be severe and not worth the effort. A table can be cut in half and mounted on a wall, or is it cheap enough to cut apart and use the different pieces. Headboards can be made into a bench. Paint can hide a multitude of sins!

Take lessons. Don't know how to reupholster a chair? You Tube has a video to help you out! Can't figure out what color to paint your table? Search for inspiration on blogs & home improvements websites. The internet is a wealth of information that can help you learn how to fix, change or improve nearly anything. The best place to start? Right here on Associated Content.