I love older things that people have used and cherished. They have personality, character, and soul. ~ Anna Hillegass.

Everyone loves a quality goodwill find, and usually, my go-to thrift store is Goodwill. They are huge and often have mass selections. However, I found a new chain thrift store that I think is even better, and I have to share it with you if you’re in California! My ‘secret’ store is Savers! I always find things there that make my cart look like I just walked out of Williams Sonoma. Truly, let me show you some examples of what you could find thrifting!

My Savers Haul Experience

I would consider myself a ‘professional thrifter,’ and I love encouraging everyone to try to find whatever it is they are looking for at a thrift store before Amazon.

Ultimate Thrifting Guide

When you first enter any thrift store, it can be so overwhelming. Where do you start? How do you stop yourself from putting every cute cat shirt into your cart? Let me walk you through my strategic shopping plan.

General Rules

While I can’t cover everything in this post let me give a few general rules.

Rule #1: if it’s heavy, it’s sturdy; if it’s sturdy, it’s quality. Go to the dish section first, start to feel the difference in weight of the glass items first, heavier, clearer, and louder glass is better! Try flicking the glass carefully; you want it to have a high pitch rather than a dull sound. But this concept also applies to most finds. My blazer was noticeably heavy, and the stitching did not look like it was made in a Temu sweatshop. Learn to curate an eye for the details.

Rule #2: It doesn’t really matter when you go thrifting as long as you make good choices. The first Saturday of the month is a thing in thrifting, and Monday and Tuesday are when the inventory from the weekend rush is out. However, you really need to have self-control. Instead of buying 5 T-shirts that may or may not be good quality, leave them on the rack. Go in as if you don’t want to buy anything. This way, whatever pops out at you will have to be good to get your attention. Be selective!

Rule #3: Luck applies here. Sometimes you are going to come out of a store with 10 quality items and wonder how you did it. Other times you will leave empty-handed or with one pity buy item. Truthfully, so much of what you find is based on luck. I try to be strategic and go to areas to thrift that might ‘enhance’ my luck. Going to nice areas is something I started taking advantage of. If I am out in Pasadena or Beverly Hills to see friends or go to the doctor, I will find thrift stores in the area in hopes that a rich old lady cleaned out her garage last week. But it is not a guarantee your finds will be better.

Have a Vision

You cannot go in blind! Just to be clear, you need inspiration before you step foot somewhere that could pull you 1000 different directions (and not in a good way). Think about which category you want to shop in that day; do you want to decorate your dining table? Or are you looking for a new work outfit line-up? I know it sounds crazy to walk into a thrift store and have a goal in mind, however, I have been doing this for over ten years, and I can say that you leave a lot more satisfied and make better decisions when you treat a thrift store like a real store. For my last trip I was looking for some pieces to update my bathroom with. (I did come out with a gorgeous blazer and a dining table decor). I am not saying don’t take a look around but have a GOAL.

Be Confident

When you put something into your cart, you need to be 90% sure you love it or more. You need to pretend Martha Stewart is about to walk by and judge your cart. Do not be that person who is just grabbing everything because it’s $2. On the last trip, I received so many compliments on my cart. This is because I have curated an ‘eye’ for quality items. Which brings me to my next point.

Think Expensive

Think back and try to remember the items you bought last at the thrift store. Unless it was recent, you might have trouble remembering them. This is because most items at the thrift and any store, for that matter, are low-impact items. They give you a small dopamine rush, but long-term, they do not hold their value. If you asked me right now, I would immediately get up and show you all of the silver dishes, lead glass candelabras, and quality furniture I have found. When I first started thrifting, I would fill up baskets with clothes I would never wear, and that was my ‘game plan’. But I realized that thrifting is an opportunity for you to have access to things you couldn’t afford without it being second-hand. Most people can afford to buy a few shirts for $3 that were retail for $15. However, most of us cannot simply buy a multi-thousand-dollar dining table impulsively. Or get hundred-dollar paintings and real silver dishes. I have gotten all of these for fractions of the price when I would not have been able to afford them otherwise. That is the art of thrifting.

Do not be Afraid to Leave Empty Handed

It is my number one rule that if I am unsure about an item, I leave it on the shelf. If I am about to check out and I can’t stop myself from going back, then I get it. Usually, I forget about the item halfway through and save myself some money. Leaving with nothing shows that you actually care about what you want to experience in your life. You should be proud to be selective with your money and with the attention you give to objects. Do you really want to be looking at that adorable Winnie the Pooh cookie jar the rest of your life? But that is the lesson here: if you feel a connection to Winnie the Pooh, if you have a sense of nostalgia, and it comforts you, then make the decision to get the cookie jar. But do not get something just for the temporary rush of it being a ‘deal’.

My Take on Thrifting

I have some very strong opinions, so if you are in the mood for that, keep reading. If you want to relax today, I thank you for reading, and send you off to the thrift store!

It is a fact that most Americans live paycheck to paycheck, and with inflation rising and little being done to circumvent this abuse of power, you must find small ways to protest the way of life in the ‘tank.’ Some ways I do that are by shopping at thrift stores and farmers’ markets. This redistributes not only money but also the very power dynamic to which we give those in control. It sends a message that we don’t ‘need’ your stuff. If you want to raise the price, it will not affect me, and you can’t get to me. I see many stores as luxury now, even though they are not. When I do hauls at Home Goods or, quite frankly, the grocery store, it is content. This is because so much has become inaccessible for the average American. I am a nurse in California, so I have a high income for my state; my content reflects that, and I don’t want you to feel that you are ‘behind’. However, that is no excuse to not see the obvious problems we have in the tank. My biggest piece of advice is to stop having anger at the fish next to you, look up, outside the bowl, at the one holding back the fish food.