When I was 17, I met one of my best friends Bernice and she introduced me to the world of thrifting. I didn’t know what it was, but even when I lived in the Philippines, I knew I was a bargain shopper through and through. Because when you grew up with nothing, you know that you had to be creative to keep up with the trends. I was amazed at the amount things I could purchase for $20. We went often because we had multiple styles we wanted to upkeep. After all, it was the 90s and everyone’s style was changing all the time.

Fast forward to now in my 30s, I’m still making my way to the thrift stores and believe it or not, when I celebrated my birthday this year (via zoom–thank goodness for video chats now a days), my friends and I were able to relive those thrifting days and talk about them. It’s funny because when my friend Christine asked “Remember when we used to go to the Goodwill outlets and bought our clothes by the pound?” Her sister, my bestie Bernice replied “She actually just went last month before we were quarantined!” It made me realize, I needed to make sure I made a styling video out it on my IGTV.

Everyone enjoyed it so much that they wanted me to post about tips on here. Where do I go in the Portland area, how do I shop, and all that jazz. Okay let’s start shall we?

Almost 80% of my wardrobe is thrifted. Why? Because A: I love being able to find something that no one has and usually I hit the jackpot with designer goods, B: It’s great to be able to re-use and recycle, and C: You can save so much money! Thrifting is not for everyone. You have to have a lot of patients when you go to a thrift store. There’s so many things in there, you could be lost.

TIP #1: KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO BUY.

This is important. Yes it’s super inexpensive, and yes there’s so many things you CAN buy BUT make sure you’re going to wear it. The last thing you want is another item in your house that’s going to sit there, collect dust, and then being donated again. When I go thrifting, I usually have done my research and make sure I only purchase I think I’m going to wear. I love searching on Pinterest for ideas and fashion. I’ve done this so many times and I end up waisting money and not being effecient with my time. I also usually set a budget so that I don’t end up spending too much.

TIP #2: Inspect your goods.

Cool! You found a sweater from Free People that you thought was so great, bought it and when you got home, there was a huge hole in the back of the shirt. I say this because it’s happened to me so often, I end up getting excited about something, put it in the cart, and then come to find out, there’s something wrong with it. That’s probably why they donated it after all. But don’t be discourage. Just inspect, inspect, inspect! If there’s a stain, a hole, or a scuff, decide wether or not it’s worth the buy. I’ve actually gotten things with a little “character” to them and it worked out. It just depends on how you’re going to make it work.

TIP #3: Shop in any section.

You never know. You might find something way awesome in the Men’s section or better yet, the children section! Trust me, I’ve found some trendy awesome things in the Men’s section while shopping. Try to scope out other sections. You might be surprised at what you can find!

I hope you enjoyed the top 3 thrifting tips I have. If you have any questions or if you have any tips and tricks, drop them in the comment below. I would love to learn about them. Also, here’s the link to my latest thrift haul via my IGTV.

UNTIL THE NEXT ONE,

MARCH