Have you ever walked through your favorite store and thought “How can they charge this much for one dress?!” OR “I wish I could build a closet full of beautiful outfits without spending an arm and a leg!”
Me Too!!
That’s why I’m hyped to share my secret with you. I have a closet full of beautiful, high quality, dresses and rompers ready to wear this summer but I didn’t break the bank to get them.
Are You Ready For The Secret?!…
Thrift shopping! Thrifting your way to your dream closet doesn’t have to be scary or complicated. I can’t even tell you how much money I’ve saved by shopping at thrift stores but I can tell you how I do it in 5 easy steps.
Let’s get right to it!
1. LOCATE
When you walk into a thrift store the overwhelm will hit you. There are so many sections and things to look at but I want you to locate the section you came in for (dresses and rompers) first. If you still have time once you have found and tried on everything, you can go back to the other sections. Trust me, don’t get distracted!
Old Navy Dress – Retail: Around $30- Thrift Price: $5.99
2. SCAN
Once you arrive in the appropriate section, start scanning. There will be plenty of dresses you don’t want. Don’t let this stop you from looking. It’s easy to feel like giving up when all you see are muumuus and 80s prom dresses. I promise the gems are hiding in between and they are so worth it!
Venus Dress – Retail: Around $40 – Thrift Price: $5.99
3. IGNORE SIZES
That’s right, I rarely look at sizes when I’m shopping for dresses and rompers at the thrift store. Used clothing has been worn, washed, and dried, which means it rarely fits like it would have when it was new.
For you, that means more variety because you don’t have to only pull your size from the rack. As a rule of thumb, pull anything you like that looks like it will fit you and try it on. You’ll be surprised by how many items that fit you even though they aren’t your normal size.
Loft Dress – Retail: Around $70 – Thrift Price: $5.99
Pro Tip
If you know how to use a sewing machine (or someone who does), you will have even more freedom with what you buy. I bought the sunflower romper below even though it was too big on me because I knew I could just take it in with my sewing machine.
Hengsong Romper – Retail Price: Unknown – Thrift Price: $5.99
4. TRY-ON
Next, it’s time to try on your best thrift finds and see if they fit! Since you ignored the sizes, it’s always a surprise to see which dresses fit and which ones don’t. Oh, the suspense!
Pro Tip
If you don’t have time to go to the thrift store, try thredUP! It’s like thrift shopping but you don’t have to go anywhere. thredUP is the world’s largest fashion resale marketplace. They have over 35k brands at up to 90% off retail prices. Pretty amazing, right?! Sign up and get $10 off your first order!
5. LOOK OVER & LOOKUP
Shopping used is amazing but not all of the clothing in the thrift store is in great condition. Make sure you thoroughly look over the items you decide to buy to make sure they don’t have any stains or rips.
If you’re having a hard time deciding on a specific piece and the brand is unknown to you, pull out your phone and google it! I was on the fence about the romper below. After googling the company, I found out everything on their site was upwards of $150. Quality clothing is always a win so I said, “Heck yes, I want a $170 romper for $5.99!”
Rails Romper – Retail: Around $170 – Thrift Price: $5.99
Alright friend, now it’s your turn. Get out to those thrift stores and thrift your dream closet today!! Tag me on Insta so I can see your finds.
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