A thrifting guide

There are many traps one can fall into while perusing the charity shops, thrift stores, op-shops - whatever you like to call them. While the charm is often that you can find little treasures for a much reduced price, you can still accidentally overspend, falling too hard for the dazzle of cheapness. So here’s a little guide for you, with 5 easy to remember steps to consider while going thrifting, for a painless treasure hunt!

1. Preparation

How many times have you walked into a thrift store with a vague thought of needing to get, for example, a new fruit bowl. Only to walk out 45 minutes later with a pair of shoes, two books, a table cloth that’s definitely going to get that whole mended and a little jar of unspecified use. No fruit bowl? This has happened countless times for me. With these shops holding most of everything you can get lost in the sea of well, everything. Step one is therefore simple but often overlooked. Write a shopping list! You’ll find you can’t always get what you had in mind but it really helps to jog the memory of why you came there in the first place. If you’re just going in to have a look without needing anything specific, set a budget instead!

2. If it’s a maybe, it’s a no

I find this mindset helps in a lot of areas in life, not just thrifting. That initial gut instinct is smarter than you think, and we live in an abundant world with an unimaginable amount of thrift items, with new ones always coming in. We can afford to say no if it’s not perfect. Another trick to this is to guess the price before you see it. You set a price you would realistically like to pay for it, and if it’s above that, you know it’s not worth it for you. Same goes if it’s way cheaper, would you then only have bought it for the wonder of cheapness rather than actually loving it?

3. Where, how and when?

Does it spark joy? We’ve likely heard that one before. But it’s important to remember, your house can quickly become cluttered if you have a taste for thrifting. Many things may spark joy, so after that initial feeling it is crucial to ask yourself, okay. Where, how and when? Where would this item fit into my home, do I know a place for it? How will it be used, do I know what I will put in this container for example? When? Will I actually use this fancy set of tea cups or will I be too scared thinking the occasion is never grand enough? Some people like to ask the question; “do I need this?”. But thinking critically we don’t really need anything other than food, water and shelter. Therefore I find asking these three questions to be more fitting.

4. make the rounds, then make them again

To keep your mind a little more calm in the madness, go from one area to another, without ziggzagging. Then once you’ve made the rounds of the entire shop, there’s no harm in doing that round again. It will probably be quicker but you will also probably spot things you didn’t see before. This is also an opportunity to put things back you might have realised don’t fit in your home, or if you’ve gone over your budget and need to make some priorities.

5. Unpack

This fun step can also be easily forgotten once you get home, but putting things in their new places immediately, filling up that container, hanging that painting or washing those dishes and putting them away gives you another hit of endorphins that are just a little bit more long lasting. Having a bag of random things forgotten in your hallway is the opposite of fun. If you bought something that needs mending, do it straight away. “I will” causes anxiety, “I have” creates confidence!

I hope you can take this guide on the road and try it out for yourself, and see if it helped your experience in any way!