Whether it’s due to the change in seasons or simply a change of pace, everyone is looking to periodically upgrade their wardrobe. Living on a college budget makes buying new, stylish clothing difficult, and wearing the same outfits every day gets tiring.
There is a way to change your style without breaking the bank: thrifting. Not only is thrift shopping kind to your wallet, it is also a fun way to hunt for new threads.
Thrift shopping itself can be intimidating because the stores are so full of different styles and types of items, but there are things you can do to make the process easier and to find the best pieces.
The best advice is to go often. One of my friends asked me how often I go thrift shopping and he laughed when I told him I go at least once a week, but I was telling the truth. New clothes come into thrift stores every day and the best things sell first, so if you go to the store frequently you’ll be able to snag the best items as they come in.
Also, visit a variety of stores. There are multiple thrift stores in the greater Lexington area, including the Community Service Center of Wilmore, various Goodwill locations, the Habitat for Humanity Restore and Salvation Army thrift stores. Each time I go thrift shopping I visit a different store — oftentimes I’ll go to multiple stores during one trip.
Also, thrift stores in different areas have different types of clothes. This applies to different neighborhoods, along with different cities and states. When my friends and I travel, we typically visit the local thrift shops and find items we wouldn’t find in the stores in this area.
Be thorough when going through the racks. Thrift stores have a ton of merchandise and each piece is completely different; search through each rack deeply and you’ll find things that a quick glance would certainly miss.
Thrift shopping is fun, and I think that one of the things that makes it so fun is that you can (and should) be adventurous when searching through the racks. Try things on that you normally wouldn’t. Also, look in sections where you typically wouldn’t. For example, most of my favorite pieces have come from the men’s section.
Go thrift shopping with your friends. Multiple people searching will be able to find more and better items faster. It’s also fun to make it a competition to see who can find the best pieces first.
Not only is thrifting entertaining, it’s the best way to stay within your budget while also revamping your style.