Living Large On Little: How I Thrift Part 2

My last post in this series talked about finding your style and how that can apply to all of your shopping -- home decor, clothing, thrifting, etc. Knowing what you love is crucial to helping you save money and eliminate things that are "nice" but not necessary. Today we are back on the topic of thrifting. Let's just dive into it...BRING A FRIEND OR TWO//There are many great reason's for having thrifting buddies.

1. You aren't alone. Thrift stores draw in all sorts of people. Old, young, and the occasional creeper. Shopping in a group makes you less vulnerable no matter what situation you are in.
2. You have a second pair of eyes. Make it clear beforehand what you are looking for and what your friend is looking for. This way you both can help each other out! Thrifting takes time because you have toe search every aisle for the hidden treasures...another pair of eyes helps!
3. You have a walking, talking reality check. If your friend can talk you out of it, then you don't need it. There may be an extremely cute vintage dress but it's just not practical and your friend will be the first to pull your head out of the clouds and tell you. This may seem like motivation to not have a friend but again, if you are trying to save $$, this is great way to learn self control.

EXPECT TO GET DIRTY //

1. Carry hand sanitizer ALWAYS. Most thrift stores have it at the cash register but it's great to have a small bottle in your purse just in case. Digging through old junk = lots of guaranteed germs and dirt.
2. Expect to clean all items you purchase. Most everything I have purchased, I've had to clean with lysol wipes, bleach and/or wash in hot, detergent-filled water. This is the sacrifice you make for paying next to nothing for items. Many people cannot get past the cobwebs and dirt, and that is where I find what I find. If you are a germaphobe, thrifting may not be for you lol.

USE YOUR EYES //I can't tell you how many times people have said to me, "You always find the good deals!" or "How did you spot that?" This can apply to any shopping situation but in thrifting you have to be patient and observant of everything.

1. Look for distinct patterns, colors and textures that resemble the items you are looking for. This will train your eyes to spot things from a distance amongst hundreds of other items.
2. Look out for employees that are re-stocking shelves and racks. You would be surprised how much new inventory is constantly flowing throughout these stores.
3. Look for a sign (when you enter the store) that announces when the next sale will be. This will help you in case you find an item you are on the fence about. If the sale is just around the corner, hide the item and then come back. That's probably against thirsters etiquette but if it's gone, it wasn't meant to be!

Next time I'll be talking about what exactly I do when I walk into a thrift store. As I'm typing all of this out, I'm realizing it all sounds a bit nerdy haha. If these posts are helping you, let me know and comment below!

Living Large On Little: Knowing Your Style

So, in the last post I gave three tips for thrifting:1) Understand that thrifting is addicting2) Have a list3) Practice Self ControlI kind of got ahead of myself with these tips, so I'm going to rewind a bit. I think one of the most important things to understand BEFORE even stepping in the thrift store is figuring out your style (which will allow you to create a list of things you are looking for). "Figuring out your style" may sound corny but it actually will help you greatly. How can you know what to look for if you don't even know what you really like? This carries into your home decor, clothing style and more. Let me explain...My mom taught me at a young age, how to find a great deal. We would rush to the clearance aisles and kind of make a game of who could find the best bargain. I can't even tell you how many brand new clothing items we found for under a dollar! Most of the time we would buy these items in bulk, package them up and send them to our family in the Philippines. But it taught me to never pay full price for something (which I will get into more on another entry). The bad thing is that it got me into the habit of going on "clearance shopping sprees." I would spend a day going to the mall and walk into every store that appealed to me, looking through the clearance for a steal. If it was a good deal and I liked it, I would get it, leaving me with a closet full of "mix and match" clothes. I found myself frustrated "never having anything to wear" when I literally had a closet full of clothes. It wasn't until recent years that I realized my problem. I heard a friend once say, "If I don't love it, I don't buy it," and that really changed the way I shopped. This goes back to the self control point I mentioned in the previous post, about how we shouldn't buy something just because it's a good deal. If you don't love it, you won't wear it, so why buy it? So what was the solution to my mix and match problem?  Pinterest. I'm sure many of you have heard about it and maybe even avoided it but let me just say that Pinterest has been a huge creative blessing to me. I'll explain more in a bit.When I first began to take photography seriously, I was told that I needed to create a "brand" for myself. Target, for example, has a brand. White floors and bright lights.  Red shopping carts. Trendy and modern products. You know exactly what to expect from them when you enter into their store...no matter what state you are in! How would people recognize "JAGOFOTO"? A few years ago, my photographer friend with a marketing background, sat with me and began to ask me a series of questions to help me out. If I wanted a consistent brand, I had to figure out what I liked before I could project my brand to a future client.

• "What kind of magazines do you read? Real Simple or Better homes and gardens? Vogue or Shape?" The problem was, I didn't read any magazines!
• "Where do you shop? Gap? Banana Republic? Anthropologie or Urban Outfitters?" The problem was, as I mentioned above, I shopped at every one of these stores!
• "How do you want to decorate your new home? A country style or modern-Ikea style?" I had absolutely no idea!

Back to Pinterest....creating a visual collage of all the things I loved helped me find consistency in the things I liked. Whenever you see something on Pinterest or on the Internet, you "pin it" and it automatically sends the picture to a board you have categorized. If you look at my board on clothes, you will see a common pattern: I love comfortable, neutral clothes with a vintage/boho feel. I really love skirts and dresses. If you look at my home decor board you will find a common pattern: I love rustic pieces, lots of wood, vintage items -- all with a modern twist. I never would've known this, had I not pinned things I was drawn to.So how does this help you thrift or shop in general? By creating pin boards, you will begin to discern what you like and love. When I first started, I just pinned anything and everything that looked pretty. Now, I can appreciate other pretty things, but I can discern the distinct taste I have. Wood. Rustic. Neutral colors. I know what I like isn't for everyone and that's why I wouldn't want anyone to try and thrift for things that Dianne would like....I want you to thrift or shop for things that YOU like.So, if you haven't already, start a Pinterest account and create at least two boards -- one for clothes, one for home decor -- and pin away. Don't pin it unless you love it! Once you have at least 100 pins (yes, 100! -- this may take time) look through your board and find common colors, patterns, textures. Because of pinning, I don't even walk into a Banana Republic anymore because I know that their clothing style isn't for me because they have distinct brand/style. I now know specifically what items I'm looking for when I walk into a thrift store. Also, knowing my style saves me money because I now buy things with purpose.Hope this helps! Stay tuned for next week, where I will share the rest of my thrifting tips.

Living Large on Little: How I Thrift Part 1

I want to start blogging regularly and so I've planned out several series that I will try to incorporate  weekly titled, Living Large on Little. We receive a lot of compliments on how our home is decorated and I think many would be surprised to see how little we've paid for our furniture and decor. Almost everything we own is re-purposed, thrifted, homemade or purchased on clearance. By our countries standard, we are far from wealthy BUT knowing how to stretch the dollar gives a lot of opportunity to "live large on little." Believe it or not, learning how to spend properly will actually teach you how to save. If you know exactly what you want and are willing to wait for the best deal, you begin to learn self discipline and in the long run you will result with (as bad as it sounds) getting close to everything you want. Let me just remind you, that as Christians we are not here to store up earthly treasures where moths and rust can destroy, but at the same time if you can stay level headed about your shopping you can still enjoy the blessing of material goods. To kick off our series, I'm doing a repost of something I posted on my old blog: How I Thrift. Expect part 2 sometime next week. :)

    kk

I posted this Instagram picture of 3 awesome items I found today...someone asked where I got them from and my answer was simply, our local thrift store. There is nothing glamorous about it. It's just a regular old (somewhat dirty) place where people drop off their junk. My picture makes the items look glamorous but all three items were tucked away, hidden and overlooked by many... I want to teach you how to develop an eye for finding items, prove to you that patience really does pay off (and saves you money too!) and I want to help you navigate through your local thrift store. Thrifting is not only trendy, but it's a form of recycling, teaches frugality and the profits almost always go to a good cause!

Top: $3.50 \ Leather purse: $5.00 \ Antique crate: $10.00

UNDERSTAND THAT THRIFTING IS ADDICTING \Thrifting is a treasure hunt and when you stumble upon that item that has been on your wish list for what seems like forever (and for next to nothing too!) you will find yourself immediately addicted. This is both good and bad. It is good because it is fun and can save you money BUT it is bad in that you can easily become consumed by accumulating material possessions and you may end up spending more money and develop a bad habit called: lack of self control.So, proceed with caution....annnnnnd....HAVE A LIST \ Before I even step foot in the store I have a list (in my head) of items I am looking for. Some of the items on my list include:

• old wooden ores (it's been on there for a while...still have yet to find them) (I found three for $2 the day after I wrote this post!)
• valuable old film cameras (an ongoing item)
• old wooden crates (an ongoing item)
• antique catalog card cabinets
• large, vintage quilt
• vintage dresses (ongoing item)

Having a list of things helps me to keep from having brain overload when I walk into a store. There are literally thousands of items at my fingertips and when I have a hyper toddler, I don't have time to browse for hours. With my list, I am able to navigate through the different sections of the store, knowing where to spend more time than others.PRACTICE SELF CONTROL \  

Just because it's inexpensive doesn't mean you should buy it. Ask yourselves these questions...

• Do I love it? It's not enough to just like it. Once you start thrifting regularly, you will find TONS of amazing stuff that you like. That will end up costing you in the long run and before you know it, you will be a pack rat. Say this with me people: I don't want to end up on the show Hoarders. I will not be a packrat!  This happened to me when I first started and now I find myself giving away the very things I bought. Now? I only buy what I truly love. Love it or leave it, people!
• Is it worth the price listed? Dollars become a whole new currency when you start thrifting. You can stretch your dollar a long way. The more you thrift, the more you become stingy. I can't get myself to pay $7 for a vintage picture frame (that I know may sell for way more at an antique store) because I've paid as low as 50 cents for them before. I could get 14 (theoretically speaking) for the price of that one! For $7, I could also get a vintage desk...or two chairs.
• How's the condition? Is it still usable? How will it hold up in the washing machine/dryer? Will the kids destroy it?
• Do I need it? The point of thrifting is to spend as little money as possible. Put it in your cart and think about it as you browse the store. If you don't "need" it, don't buy it. Of course the definition of need can be bent a little bit...I didn't really need that sequined top lol.

Hopefully these tips help you as begin your thrifting adventures. Stay tuned for part 2 sometime next week.