Thrift Store Finds

I was looking back on some old freebies and found this…

http://www.4shared.com/file/116626817/6c7a9b0c/jodiann_thriftstorefinds_July_.html

… since I am taking a load of stuff to the Goodwill (thrift store) this week can’t help but think if any of it will be useful to anyone. I know there are tons of moms out there who will snap up all the levis jeans my boys have outgrown, but the other stuff…meh, not sure. I am just glad to be free of it if that is all that happens, good enough! WEeeeee!!

I also wondered if there might be a person or two who has never known the joy of sifting through other people’s used stuff to find new stuff of their own. ie: Thrift Store Shopping. My Parents are the Royal Couple of Thrifting. When they are not traveling here and there like carefree nomads they volunteer at a Charity Thrift Store in Phoenix, Society of  St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Stores. Now they get to see it from the other side and boy do they have stories to tell!

I grew up surrounded by their shopping skills and how great it was to see how little one could spend instead of how much. We would walk out of a store with name brand clothes for only the change in my mother’s purse. Nowadays, its not that cheap, but its still a great way to find stuff for less.

So I have some tips I picked up over the years.

~Be prepared. Tape Measure, slip off shoes, and wear a leotard or one piece under your clothes if you plan on trying anything on. Its quick for on and offs in the dressing room or anywhere you are. LOL!

~ Know your china pattern, silver pattern, maker of your sofa. The size shoes your neighbor’s kids are in…etc.  I wrote, my kids shirt, pant and shoe sizes on a index card and kept it in my purse when the kids were growing up, but now they stay in a size a lot longer so I can remember them without the cheat sheet. I think I get more sleep now too!

~Shop on Tuesday’s after 12 noon. This is usually the day the new goods arrive.

~Remember. Dry Cleaners use thrift stores to drop off unclaimed clothes. More men forget their clothes than women. So if you want to pick up some big name hand-me downs for the man in your life. Know his waist and inseam size.

~Not everything will be where its suppose to be so if you are looking for a nice men’s pant, don’t forget it might be in women’s pants by mistake. I often find my son’s “cool” jeans in the girls section because any jeans with special details might end up there.

~ The best brands to look for?  In addition to your favorite brands, Target had a store brand “On Trend” if I remember the name correctly, they wore like iron. I bought those anytime I found them when my kids were little ones, even if it wasn’t their size yet. Tough, basic clothes that my boys outgrew but never wore out. Lands End clothes never disappoint. You can also return them to Land’s End for a replacement if they fall apart even if you bought them used. They won’t fall apart, but its good to know. 

~ A good rule to follow is if it looks wrinkled, stretched out, or the faded on the hanger its going to look that way on you. Unless you have a steady relationship with your ironing board skip stuff that is wrinkled on the hangar.

~ The old sewing trick my mother taught me is if you want to know if a mystery fabric has any cotton in it, grab a handful, ball it up in your fist and hold it tight for about 10 seconds. Release.

• Stiff wrinkles – mostly or all natural fibers.
• Falls but stays wrinkled – more than 50% natural fibers.
• Falls quickly with slight creases – 50% natural/50% man-made fibers.
• No wrinkles-  ALL man-made fibers. 

This trick works best if your not a iron lover and you want to know if you can keep being one and not look like you slept in your clothes. Great for just about any natural fabric cotton, silk etc. The more natural it is the more it will wrinkle.

~ Don’t forget to zip the zippers, button the buttons so you know they work  and check the crotch and shoulder seams where there might be blow outs and the seat, knees and elbows if they are threadbare. Sometimes we try on a coat and don’t do it up only to get it home and find you can’t! Bummer.

You might still buy it if you know about the problems if the price is low enough.

Even if you sew, you might not want to replace a zipper, a dry cleaner will charge about 10 dollars to do it, or hem your pants for about the same price. Sometimes its worth paying for. I bought 2 pair of lined suede pants years ago with blown zippers, they were easily worth $200 each. I paid $10 for both and spent $20 for someone else to put in the zippers. I love to sew, but replace a zipper in lined pants of suede, no thank you!

Scrappers have a special love affair with Thrift Stores, its where you can buy an old prom dress or wedding dress for $5 bucks and rip it up. Using the beads, lace, ribbons, bows, covered buttons etc. in a ton of projects and that is before you get at the fabric with all its many uses.  then there is the costume jewelry, and the old books to inspire us.

I enjoy silk ribbon embroidery its really lovely on black velvet or moiré satin, but its pricey to buy those fabrics new and its not the heavy weight I like.  I bought a child’s winter dress with a long skirt of deep green moiré and a bodice of black velvet, had it dry cleaned, cut down all the seams lining and all with the piece all flattened out I could lay tissues between the layers, roll the bundle up and store in a pillow case ( cat hair avoider) and I was ready to go for about $7 dollars total. I think I still have bits of that I haven’t used yet.  

Anyway, anyone got some great thrift stories to tell? 

Happy Monday!