January 2016
A New Year a New Beginning
With all the holiday shopping there have been some awesome sales out there. I overheard a woman as I was out saying that she was able to find a sheet set at Walmart for $20 that were normally $50 for a kings size bed during Black Friday. She bought a few of the sheets and was able to stock up and give away as gifts to family. Savvvy shopper there. Not being a Black Friday shopper, I like the after Christmas sales. Stocking up on items that are for winter while looking for transition pieces for Spring. Since I’m in south Texas winter here stays for the blink of an eye before we are back to hot (Spring) and hotter (Summer).
99¢ Mondays. So at my favorite thrift store (TS) Mondays are 99¢ items for a specific color merchandise tag every week. This is great when trying to grab staples like bottoms for the kids and the items that wear out quickly. I love picking up t-shirts with this one. When Thrifting look out for sales and flyers and any mailing lists available to stay current on Thrift Store info. Another good thing is to get to know your staff and they often have the skinny on what’s coming up and what’s going on sale.
Color of the week tags. I love this. Let’s say the color of the week is Green, while shopping for items I need I only look for items with a Green tag. If it is another color I will pass it up. The item has to be truly remarkable and fit well and be made well in order for me to pick it up and deviate from my original plan. This usually very rare and I’m able to score an awesome haul even if I have to pass up a dress that is at $10 that is gorgeous. Questions to ask when the item is not on sale:
- Is it made well?
- What is the condition of the garment?
- Try it on...does it fit well right now..be honest here.
- How much will be left in your budget if you splurge on this item?
- Is it something you can wear often and change it up with accessories or will it be a one hit wonder?
Seasonal Sale Items. As I said before, winter in south Texas comes and goes just as fast as it arrives. This year I haven’t really needed to break out the puffer jacket, which makes my inner East Coaster a bit sad, but that means I can wear work attire without putting on a ton of layers too. So winter items go on sale pretty quick here. Even before Christmas hit I think the thrift store has had two or three sales on winter items at 50% off and I collected on long sleeves, blazers, jackets, and gloves (the minions are always losing them I don’t think we have matching sets anywhere). I look for these sale to stock up on items and buy a few sizes bigger for growth spurts and to have basics (one can always layer over a black long sleeve). Additionally as we head into Spring, shoppers are looking for sundresses and springy items, not winter basics or dress items so you can potentially have a big score here.
Little competition = more item selection.
Holiday Sales. With the major holidays over, January has MLK Jr. Day. This is usually another opportunity to take advantage of sales and items that the store are looking to push out in order to make room for the next season’s merchandise. It’s a three day weekend and my local thrift store has yet another 50% off sale and Christmas items are usually clearanced out to about 70% off. So need lights or ornaments or a tree stand? This is THE time. Stock up y’all.
Set a cash budget. I like this one because it places a limit on what I can spend, makes me think creatively and strategically in order to balance out needs like jeans (a good skinny jean is hard to find and my kids are constantly growing out of theirs), wants like that Anne Klein dress which is so pretty and is in a color that will be great for xyz event I have coming up but is $16, which may not seem like a lot but when you set your budget to $30 in cash $16 is just over half and we haven’t gotten to tax yet.
Versatile Clothing. The thrift store is like Candy Land to me. I spend hours looking for the right items and with my headphones on and comfy flats it is my oyster. Having cash only helps me to focus on what is really important and what works with the items I already own. Think about the accessories - belts, shoes, earrings, statement necklaces, scarves, hats, etc. that are in you closet right now. How can you utilize these items to transform your TS items into versatile outfits? Look through Pinterest (My Style, Style 101, So Girly) to be inspired. Polyvore is another good place for outfit inspiration.
Pantone Colors for the Season. So the thrift store has gently used clothing from last year, 5 years ago, and 10 years ago...but, how is it relevant to the colors of 2016 and the styles out in the stores? Style is a matter of personal taste and choice. Defining your style is a journey and its a fun one with bumps and smooth curves throughout, but ahhh CoLoR that I have just the helper.
When I first heard about Pantone I automatically thought about paint and the color wheel interior decorators use to design a room. Pantone is THE color authority. It sets a standard in color variance across industries which helps manufacturers, designers and retailers all stay on the same page. How does this help you in the TS?
Well, Pantone releases Fashion Color Reports for the seasons. In these reports you'll find the color swatches which will dominate fashion from dresses to shoes. The color report also has a Top 10 palette of colors to look at. I have this open on my phone and use it to guide me thru the TS to make seasonal choices so that I'm en pointe with trends for the season.
I hope this helps you on your journey through the Thrift Store. If you have any suggestions for scoring large at the TS comment below. Feliz Año Nuevo!
