thrifting 101: thrifting with kids

We've all been there (at least those of us with children).  We're out shopping with our kid(s) enjoying our retail therapy time when your child decides they have had. e. nough.  They start throwing things, whining, yelling, crying, and eventually have a meltdown while everyone stares at you annoyed that your child is now interrupting their retail therapy.

Lets face it, shopping with kids is hard.  ESPECIALLY thrift store shopping.  At least at normal department stores you have a little more freedom to let your child out of the cart or stroller and walk around or play in the dressing room while you try on your clothes.  But at thrift stores you can't really do this.  They are dirty.  And I mean diiiiirtyyyy.

 After months of trying to figure out how to wed my love for thrift store shopping with one of the loves of my life, I have finally discovered the answer.  BE QUICK.  I know that sounds silly and really simple, but it's true.  And this is especially hard to do in a thrift store.  There is SO much to look at and it's SO unorganized that it takes a long time to comb through everything.  So here are a few ways I have discovered to be quick in a thrift store:

1.  Choose to only look at 1 or 2 sections.  I used to love spending hours on end combing through every single piece in every single section.  That's usually how you find the best things!  But that is no longer an option with kids.  Now when I go in to a thrift store I usually tell myself that I am only going to look at dresses and shoes or housewares and shirts, etc.  This way I only spend about 30 minutes total in the store.  I have found that any time after that your kid is definitely done and ready to leave.

2.  If you want to look at everything just do a quick scan.  This option may take more practice and experience, but try it!  Since I have been thrifting for so long I am pretty good at spotting the good stuff just from walking down the isles glancing at the items.  I may not find as many great things this way, but it allows me to look at everything in the store.  Just keep your eye out for bold patterns or colors in the clothing racks or any fun material or fabric that is unusual and eye-catching.  

3.  Go when there are little to no crowds.  It's easiest to look through a thrift store when you don't have to fight people for dressing rooms, take turns going down isles, or wait in long lines.  This also cuts down on a lot of waisted time.  Hit up the thrift stores when they open in the mornings and avoid the evenings and weekends.  That is when they are most crowded.  

And on top of everything else, make sure you have enough snacks and toys to keep your little occupied while you shop.  I have found that bringing toys Sawyer hasn't played with in a while really helps because it will keep him interested for longer.  

Good luck to all of you and and happy (quick) thrifting!

Home Decor Thrifting

Hey friends! It's been a while since I've showed you my recent thrift store finds! Today I'll only be posting the gems I've found for our home because, let's be honest, if I posted the clothes I've found we'd be here all day. So here it goes…

First off let me tell you how much I LOVE Nate Berkus. I have been following his work for close to 10 years now.  I have some of his books and have often dreamed of working with him as an interior design student. That being said, you can imagine how excited I was when he did a collaboration with Target. It has been SO hard for me not to buy all of his collection from Target. You all know how savvy cheap I can be when it comes to buying things.  Therefore it was hard for me to justify spending money on buying any of this things from Target.  

Fast forward a few months…As I've told you before, items that don't sell at Target are donated to Goodwill.  So needless to say I ended up scoring some Nate Berkus items at Goodwill for less than half the price! *happy dance*

I found this rug just last week while at a trip to Goodwill. It is originally $130 from Target but I got it for $60!  It's handwoven, super soft, and absolutely adorable.  

I also found these Nate Berkus pillows at Goodwill that were originally $25 for $12.  I wanted them from the moment I saw them at Target so I was SO happy when I found them at a thrift store.  I also found that rad mid century lamp at Goodwill for $7.  The lamp shade was a little dingy, so I just did a little Pinteresting and recovered it with this inspiration and this tutorial.   I LOVE the way it turned out.  

I also found this Nate Berkus bed spread set at Goodwill for $50, originally $90 at Target.  The African woven basket hanging on the wall to the left was also thrifted for only $2!  

These curtains, also originally from Target for $30, were purchased at Goodwill.  To be honest, I don't remember how much I bought them for, but again it was meant to be.  I wanted some simple white and mustard yellow curtains and had seen these at Target, but didn't want to pay full price for 2.  So I waited and found them at Goodwill for a better price!  YAY! 

You've probably started to notice a trend by now that I buy a lot of Target merchandise from Goodwill.  Well, here is one more example.  This cute little yellow pillow was originally from Target for $25 but I scored it for $10!

I have been searching for these handwoven baskets for a long time now but couldn't find one at a reasonable price, and low and behold, I found one at Goodwill for $6 people!  It doesn't get much better than that!  

thrifting 101: pricing

 shirt: thrifted, skirt: fitted, necklace: etsy, bracelet: thrifted, 

watch: thrifted, sandals: thrifted, hat: free

alright my little thrifing friends, it's time for another thrifting 101!  i recently asked my instagram followers what questions they had about thrift store shopping so i can answer them for you here on my blog.  first up today is pricing.  

it is widely known that thrift stores are super cheap...most of the time.  sometimes there are items that are over priced because they are designer or "popular."  most of the time you'll find this at the more well known thrift stores like goodwill or salvation army.  goodwill is probably one of the more "expensive" thrift stores (if you can even call it expensive).  the little mom and pop thrift stores are always the cheapest and they usually have really good sales.  here is what i usually pay for things that i buy.  hopefully this will provide you a little guide as to what is too expensive to spend money on at a thrift store.    

i think that over $10 for any clothing, besides a suit, is way too much money to pay.  i usually try to pay only around $5 for anything clothing related.  

as far as shoes go, i don't pay over $10 either, unless they are really nice boots or heels.  in that case $15 is usually my max.  i usually end up paying between $5-$8.    

for jewelry i typically don't pay over $5.  watches i am willing to pay more for if they look nice, but i definitely won't pay over $10.  

are you noticing a trend in the pricing?  that's because thrift stores are SUPPOSED to be cheap!  anything that is over $10-$15 is usually too much to pay.  that's even pushing it.  

i hope this helps you decipher what is too much to pay while you are out thrifting.  remember, it's all personal as well.  if you really love an item and you have to have it, then buy it!  because if you leave without buying it, and regret doing so, you usually can't go back to get it.  most likely someone else will have bought it!  so good luck and have fun! 

{happy thrifting!}          

mom and pop

top: thrifted, shorts: thrifted, shoes: thrifted, necklace: target

dear diary, 

lately i have really been enjoying the mom and pop thrift stores over the more well known goodwills or salvation armys.  for some reason i have been into finding things for our house more than i want to look for clothes.  i think something may be wrong with me because i always want to look at the clothes, so this new development is very strange.    

anyways, sometimes the mom and pop thrift stores can be hard to find.  if you search on google maps, you most likely won't find them.  i have learned that yelp is the place to look.  there are lots of great reviews that you can read and get an idea of the place, whether it's good, bad, small, big, etc.  

these stores are generally a lot cheaper than the bigger chains, which is always a plus.  you can sometimes find things for $1 or 50 cents!  they also seem to have a really cool selection of home decor and furniture, usually more vintage/retro stuff, which is right up my alley and exactly what i love.  

so, next time you have an hour or two get on your computer or phone and type in "thrift" on yelp  to search in your area and visit some of the lesser known thrift stores that pop up!  i promise it will be fun, and you'll probably find something really cool from it.    

{happy thrifting!}   

home tour

hello there friends!  recently i have been inspired to thrift for household items.  i know i already showed you the things i bought this last weekend, but i thought i’d show you more things that i have thrifted over the past 2 years for our home.  i love to decorate my home with thrited items because they add so much character and personality to an otherwise boring room.  they are wonderful conversation pieces and i love how they tell a story.  people me ask all the time where i found certain things in our house and when i tell them a thrift store, they never believe me.  so, without further ado… 

all of the decor on this shelf were thrifted.  every. single. one. people.  i absolutely LOVE the retro starburst bowl and i recently just found that cute little owl figurine.  he makes me smile every time i look at him.  

this entire shelf was thrifted as well.  patrick and i like to collect old cameras and clock radios.  these are a few of the ones we have.  i LOVE the camera on the left that i found at goodwill.  it has like a million lenses.  not sure why you would ever use that many lenses, but it looks cool, that's for sure!  

the white vases and the little vintage desk lamp are thrifted from this shelf below.  patrick and i fell in love with that little lamp.  its has so much personality and it actually works!  he turns it on when he sits here to do homework and it just makes me happy seeing it shine.  when i bought those white vases i bought them with the intention to pain them different colors.  however, the plain white is starting to grow on me, so i think i am going to keep them white.  what do you think?  

this frame, little clock, and iPod station/radio were also thrifted.  patrick gave me that super rad retro frame for my birthday a year and a half ago and i absolutely love it!  i have actually never put a picture in it because i don't want to detract from the awesomeness of the frame!  

i love the story about the iPod station/radio.  patrick and i saw this at target after we first got married, but it was $100!  being the bargain shoppers that we are, we didn't want to spend the money on it.  well.....one day while i was looking at goodwill for christmas gifts for patrick I FOUND IT!  at goodwill!  for only $15!!!!  and the best part is that it works!  i could not wait for patrick to open it up on christmas morning.  i almost just gave it to him early,  but i'm glad i didn't because he was SO excited christmas morning when he saw what i had scored.  

my jewelry organizer is made out of a cork board i found at goodwill and then snazzed it up a bit.  i painted the frame and then put fabric on the cork part.  it has been so perfect for my necklaces.  

this awesome mint clock radio and the typewriter were also thrifted.  i think this clock radio is probably my favorite thrifted home decor item i have ever purchased.  the color, the hands, the dials, the shape.....everything is perfect.  

good luck thrifting items for your home and have fun!  

{happy thrifting!}

one man's trash....

well hello!  i know what you are thinking....it has been FOREVER since i have written a new post.  life  has been a little crazy and i will admit i got a tad bit lazy there for a while.  but i am happy to say that i am back and ready to show you all of my amazing thrift store finds.  i am sorry for the absence, and i will promise try not to do it again.  

now, lets get to the rest of the post.  you know that saying "one man's trash is another man's treasure?"  well, if that's true I AM RICH!  you guys, i seriously find SO much good stuff at thrift stores it is ridiculous!  i will often times look down at my outfit and realize that every single part of my outfit was thrifted!  craziness!  

this post, however is not about clothes, its about fun stuff for the house that i have found within the last week thrift store shopping.  i am obsessed with all of them so much and it actually inspired me to write a post about them.  so here we go....

i have been looking for a vintage crewel embroidery art piece for a few weeks now.  i have looked on etsy and thrift stores, but never really found one that i liked for a price i was willing to pay.  enter Goodwill.  i found this beauty at Goodwill yesterday for 5 bucks!  

patrick and i made some new friends on thursday and went to their house.  their whole entire house is decorated and designed with vintage furniture and accessories.  needless to say i was IN LOVE!  i wanted to steel everything they had.  they had a theme throughout of vintage old ship paintings and other decor and patrick and i really liked it.  patrick told me to start looking for stuff like this while i thrifted and, welp, i found one within the first 10 minutes of looking!  i love this little decorative art piece, and i especially love the 3D aspect.  

ok, the next piece is my favorite.  i saw a chair like this probably 6 months ago at goodwill and wanted to buy it so i sent a picture of it to patrick, but sadly, he didn't like it.  i have regretted not buying the chair ever since.  until this last thursday.  remember those friends we made?  well, they have bought so much furniture from thrift stores that they have too much for their house and wanted to sell some of it and guess what?  we were the happy recipients!  patrick and i got to look through their amazing treasures and they had the EXACT same chair i saw a few months ago but it had a pair!  it was the first furniture i saw there and i immediately told patrick "I AM buying these chairs."  he actually likes the chairs now.  he said that they look better in person than they did in the picture.  and i couldn't be happier to have them.  they are perfect in every way.  

this rocking recliner is patrick's favorite.  it is another piece of furniture we bought from our new friends.  patrick calls it his "man chair."  he has yet to sit in it to watch a movie, but i'm pretty sure the cuddling days on the couch with his wife are over.  he will now be cuddling in his man chair.  needless to say though, it is a pretty amazing mid century recliner.  

the next item i found is super random, but also super rad and it was super cheap!  it's a food warmer!  the funny thing is that it actually still works!  i wasn't completely sure that i was gonna buy it but it was only going to be 50 cents!  i figured for that price i'll find a use for it somewhere.  i'm pretty sure that i'm not even going to use it as a food warmer, but probably as a decorative piece in our house.  

patrick and i have been in the market for a vintage side chair for a while now.  we bought one about a year ago from our favorite vintage store in downtown fullerton, out of vogue, but we didn't really love it that much and wanted something more retro looking.  i found this beauty at salvation army yesterday and couldn't be happier.  the chair is practically in perfect condition.  i seriously think that no one ever sat in it.  and now its all ours! 

  

{happy thrifting!}

addicted

for those of you who know me, well probably for those of you who have talked to me for even a few short minutes, you know that i am ADDICTED to thrift store shopping. i can not stop. it drives patrick crazy, but i can not help it. any time i have even a few extra minutes to spare, my mind day dreams off into the wonderful finds that might be waiting for me at any thrift store, well goodwill, mainly. i can not stand the thought of there being an amazing deal at a thrift store and someone, other than myself, finding it.

i have actually been thinking a lot lately about starting a business where i re-sell great finds at thrift stores! i think i could really excel at this, the only problem is i have NO idea where to start. i have never sold anything online, so i do not know how to go about doing this. if you do, please help me!

because i am so proud of all the great things i find at thrift stores, i want to share a few of these amazing deals with you! here are just a few samples....

on my way home from work today goodwill randomly popped in my head, and, lucky for me, there is a goodwill on my way home! what a coincidence! (there are actually a few on my way home) i found this wonderful purse, brand new, originally from target that sold for $40.00 and i got it for $4.99! what a steal! i am obsessed with it.

in our engagement pictures i even featured a few of my thrift store finds. this dress and belt were both from second hand stores. the dress is michael kors and i got it for a fraction of the cost!

this shirt is one of my favorite shirts. i love all the colors and how i can constantly switch up the outfit that i wear with it because of this.

this super awesome retro blazer i found at goodwill. i am also obsessed with it. i guess i'm obsessed with all the finds i get at thrift stores, but you know what i mean.

this vest is another wonderful thrifty find. it is probably patrick's favorite piece of clothing i have. this just proves that you don't have to spend a lot of money to look great for the hubby :)

ok, i honestly LOVE this dress. originally from J Crew, i got it for 8 bucks! such a steal!

i not only have a passion shopping for clothes at thrift stores, i love all of the random accessories i can find. this old school camera is on a shelf in our apartment and adds such a great touch to our mid century style.