So yesterday I went shopping at thrift store for nice shirts to go with my home made skirts. Unfortunately, I didn't find many. I did find 2 tops. The first is a black Lane Bryant button down shirt. The second shirt I found was an APT 9 brown button down with blue polka dots. My favorite thing I found at the thrift store happened to be a dress. The Dress is a blue and black floral with built in crinoline. It was originally a Maurice's dress.
So for todays Post, I decided to do a thrifting rule book
1. Go in a thrift store with plenty of time. Thrifting takes time, especially if the clothes at your thrift store are not organized by size. My local store does organize everything by size so it is a bit easier, but it is a very small store. If I were to go to the large one in the city, I can expect to spend three-four hours there and come out with only one or two items. There is just so much clothes and finding stuff you like is hard. However, in my opinion it is worth it. Those two shirts I bought yesterday, I only paid $3.00 each and the dress was $5.00. I guarantee you that lane Bryant shirt and Maurices dress was at least $30.00 new.
2. Don't go looking for any specific item. If you go shopping in a thrift store looking for a strapless pink prom gown with a mermaid tail bottom (not sure of the actual term), you will most likely go home empty handed and with your tail between your legs. Thrifting is not like a retail store!!! You literally have to search for what you want. Chances are if your looking for something specific, you are not going to find it. Even if you do find it, it will likely not be in your size. A better thing to do is to have a unspecific goal, for instance mine was to find button down shirts, the color did not matter to me as long as I could pair it with one of my shirts.
3. Look everywhere. Check out different sections of the store. If I would have only shopped the shirt section yesterday, I would not have come across that amazing dress.
4. Bring money. Not all thrift stores accept credit/debit or checks especially smaller ones. Bring about 50 dollars cash (although I doubt you will need that much) and DON'T leave your purse in the dressing room when you are trying on clothes. I accidently did that once and thankfully a store associate found it. But, if she hadn't found it someone would have probably taken it.
5. Try on things you like, even if it is not your normal size. Every store has different sizing so every brand you find in a thrift store will also have different sizing. Now, I am not saying try on a size small when you are a size 2x like me, but I am saying try on things at least one size up or down from your normal size.
6. Don't let a small stain deter you from buying a great piece. The blue dress I bought yesterday had a huge white stain down the front. I was really hesitant on whether I should buy it, but I did. As it turns out, that stain was just toothpaste, it came right out with a tide to go pen.
7. Wear socks incase you end up buying shoes. Believe it or not, you can buy shoes at the thrift store. (Don't give me that horrified look.) I know I was scared to buy shoes at a thrift store at first too. Now I am not telling you to try on the old ugly smelly work boots. But I am saying, if you see a pair of flats or heels that appear to be only worn once, try it on with your socks! When you get home, spray your new used shoes out with disinfectant like Lysol and let it dry over night. If in the morning your shoes are dry, put them on and your ready to go.
7. If you are good with a sewing machine or are really crafty it is ok to try to alter your clothes you buy. But if you are not an experienced seamstress and don't have the money have it altered, just leave it on the rack. Also be sure to check the zipper if it has one.
8. If you are searching for vintage dresses, don't be afraid of shoulder pads. I promise they can be removed.
9. Never buy thrifted underwear...Just don't, It's nasty. Also never give the thrift store underwear. Spare the poor workers.
10. Eat and go to the bathroom before you go thrifting. Eating before you go can make or break your whole shopping experience. If you go to the thrift store starving, that is likely going to make you leave earlier than you intended to and you might not find that item you were looking for. Also, my local thrift store does not a public bathroom and this can be a problem when you have a bladder the size of a gnat like me. So, it is very important to go before you get to the store.
The most important thing with thrifting is to have fun with it. Bring a girl friend to go shopping with and try to find the craziest outfit for under $5.00. I promise it is a whole lot more fun than thrifting alone.
BONUS RULE! Wash all clothes you get from a thrift store. You don't know if the previous owners had bed bugs and you certainly don't want those in your house.
Today I decided to leave my hair in it's natural state instead of using hot rollers. Although, I love my hair when it is super curly, I want to give my hair a break from damage every now and then. The skirt is as usual home made. There is a close up of the fabric lower on the page. The shirt is a military style shirt I purchased off the clearance rack at Sears. I also bought the same shirt in a white and a lighter blue color. The two blue shirts were $8.00 a piece but the white shirt (although it was the same exact shirt, had a different name brand so it cost me $20.00. I am not thrilled, but I loved the shirt too much to put it down. I actually found the shirt online, you can purchase it here; however, it is $17.09 online. They had thecheaper shirts in other colors inside thestore, including yellow and pink; however, they were not in my size so I left pouting. 
