When it comes to thrifting, there is a certain open mindedness that needs to come into play. You never really know what you’re going to find and fall in love with, or what the Thrifting Gods will deliver that day. Sometimes it’s nothing. Other times, it’s something awesome. However, for me it helps to always have a running thrift list in the notes app on my phone.
Typically, I’ll do a round of my favorite parts of the thrift store – dresses, skirts, sweaters – and then pull out my phone and check over my list. This helps me hone in on certain sections to give them a little extra attention.
Currently on my thrift list:
- Jack Adidas track pants in the next size
- Jack long sleeve t-shirts in the next size
- Jack winter boots/hiking shoes in the next size
- Chunky knit cotton cardigan for me (green, black, brown)
- STEM toys – K’nex, Snap Circuits, etc
Yup, Jack stuff has pretty much taken over my current thrift list. He’s 11 and growing, so I’m always on the hunt for the next size in clothing. He will barely wear winter boots/hiking shoes before growing out of them, so it makes sense to try and find a pair that are secondhand if I can. Now that he’s a kid’s shoe size 5/women’s shoe size 7, I can check a few sections to see what’s available. Also, he’s a STEM toy fiend and I’m happy to supply him with all the random bits and pieces possible to help him create something fantastic.
As for me, my closet is looking pretty happy these days. I’ve been purging continuously, so I definitely have many less items now than I did a few years ago. However, I like 95% of the items in my closet and it all fits. There’s maybe 5% that will be donated or sold over the next few months.
I do have a couple sweaters that are on their way out, due to me wearing the crap out of them (and I’ve used the sweater shaver many, many times), so I’m on the hunt for a perfectly chunky and soft cardigan that is mostly cotton. I see a bunch of sweaters similar to what I want, but they always have wool in them, which makes me hot and itchy.
If I were to buy retail (which I will, if I don’t find exactly what I want), I want something similar to these:
L.L. Bean Women’s Heritage Soft Cotton Fisherman Sweater – $99
L.L Bean Women’s Signature Cotton Fisherman Sweater – $149
Quince 100% Organic Cotton Oversized Cable Cardigan – $69.90
I’ve been keeping an eye out for a chunky, fisherman’s type of sweater for months, including the women’s and the men’s sections. I’m looking for something similar to the above photos — which are all 100% cotton. If I can’t find something, I’ll probably add one one of these to my Christmas list.
Now, some things I’m NOT ALLOWED to thrift:
- Handmade crochet/knit blankets – I can not save them all. Repeat so it sinks into my brain… I. Can. Not. Save. Them. All.
- Cups/Travel Mugs/Water Bottles – unless it’s Corksicle, it’s not allowed to come home with me. We have plenty of cups, mugs and water bottles in our cabinets and I’ve even donated a bunch recently.
- Holiday items – unless I’m head over heels in love with it, it’s going to be a NO for me. We have plenty of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations and I don’t even use all of them each year (I like to rotate). There is no reason to buy anything else for holiday décor.
- Wooden Pallet/Canvas Frames for artwork – for a while I kept collecting canvases and pallets so that I could paint over them. However, I still have a few in my closet that I haven’t touched and I’m not allowed to add any more to the collection until they are used.
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