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Goodwill Goodies and 7 Tips for Shopping at Goodwill

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Thrifty Girl Vintage: Goodwill Goodies and 7 Tips for Shopping at Goodwill

Wednesday

Goodwill Goodies and 7 Tips for Shopping at Goodwill

First things first...the Goodies!
 
I found this pretty pink skirt and I later paired it with black and white stripes and zebra print.
I was really excited when I found this red and white stripe skirt.  It reminded me of a circus tent.
I'm crazy about stripes so I also took home this navy and white stripe knit top.
I combined these two items to try the mixing stripes trend and I love how it turned out.
My local Goodwill store has a uniform pricing policy.  Tops are $2.50, bottoms and this includes jeans are $3, purses and shoes are $3, belts and scarves are $1, dresses are $5, jackets and coats are $5.  There is also a rack of better items that are priced as marked and these run a little higher.  I've picked up a few tricks that work well for me when shopping Goodwill and I'd like to share them with you.


7 Tips for Shopping Goodwill

1.  Have a game plan.  Sometimes I check out all the skirts, other times the pants.  But, I always check out all the tops and purses.  Make your own plan.  Is your closet lacking shorts?  Do you need some new shoes? Breaking it up into segments makes for a calmer shopping trip unless you really have the time to go over the whole store.

2.  Shop off season.  I learned this secret one summer when I stumbled upon some beautiful sweaters and cardigans.  It was hot and humid and no one was looking through the sweater aisle...but me, which led to some great finds.

3.  Shop by color.  Sometimes if I want to cruise the whole store, I go quickly down the aisles just pulling out items that catch my eye.  I tend to lean towards whites, blacks, reds, pinks and pretty lemon yellows.  Which colors would you be looking for?

4.  Match outfits as you shop.  Take that pretty striped skirt you bought over to the top aisle and match it to a cute blouse.  Grab a purse and head to the shoe racks for a pair to match.  I had an amazing find when I found this matching set on one trip to Goodwill.
5.  Wear an outfit that's easy to slip in and out of.  This can go for any shopping experience, but I tend to try on mass quantities of clothes when I'm shopping at Goodwill so it's more important than ever.  I always get aggravated with myself when I forget and wear shoes that lace or necklaces that get tangled up in my shirt. 

6.  Don't believe the lies!  A lot of people think shopping Goodwill is okay for browsing but if you need a specific item you should head to a retail store.  This is just not true.  I've gone in looking for a green skirt and found a green skirt.  I've went in with a specific need and been able to meet it on many occasions.  Any store could fail to produce the right item at the needed time and Goodwill is no different, but they stock so many items that you should be able to find something similar to what you need at any given time.

7.  Have fun!  If you're standing in the middle of your local Goodwill you need to realize that you are standing in the middle of a store completely filled with one of a kind items.  How many boutiques can say that?! 

If you have some other tips on shopping Goodwill I would love to hear them.  Sharing our tricks and tips is one way we can help each other.  Now get out there and start helping the planet by shopping Goodwill and shopping green!

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18 Comments:

At 8:43 AM , Blogger Leah said...

Great tips. I like to go through magazines and find pieces that I like, make a list and search for them at the local thrift stores. The pieces are unique yet still in style.

xo L.

 
At 8:44 AM , Blogger Kari said...

Great article Debbie! I love the Goodwill -- not only can you find some really cool things (great job on the stripes, by the way :-) but also I think they are a great organization that does a lot of good (pun unintended). And definitely a good tip on what to wear. I have lost a couple of earrings, because they fell out while I was trying on clothes. I always end up short for time in there, so I'm always in a rush, and I don't notice that my earring has got caught or whatever ...

 
At 9:06 AM , Blogger Debbie Baker Burns said...

Leah, that's a great idea and I will definitely do that.

Kari, I lost a ring once so I know exactly what you mean. And how I lost a ring instead of an earring I don't know...just leave it to me!

 
At 9:24 AM , Blogger Nekiah Torres said...

Great tips! Thanks for sharing! I LOVE Goodwill. I go every weekend! You found some great things...SCORE!! Thank you so much for following. Big shout out to Mode Plus for the tweet!! Kiah

 
At 10:03 AM , Blogger two birds said...

great tips, and great finds! i love the red and navy stripes paired together!

 
At 11:53 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I swear you read my mind, because just last night I was thinking of shooting an email to you asking tips on shopping at Goodwill/thrifting in general. I have always wanted to try it, (especially after seeing your blog and all the goodies you get), but have been hesitant and skeptical of it. I think I am finally getting over that fear!

 
At 12:09 PM , Blogger Debbie Baker Burns said...

Alyssa, Great minds think alike! I'm glad the timing was just right and I hope you scope out some great deals! It is a lot of fun and it's pretty thrilling to find a name brand you love at a dirt cheap price.

two birds, thanks, I think you guys are the best at remixing! BTW, I've been checking for next monday's look. I always can't wait.

Kiah, I'm glad I found your blog!

 
At 2:46 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Great tips Debbie and will definitely be using them as I'm the type of shopper that I want things right in front of me, usually don't have the patient to go through every single rack so these tips are so perfect for me...I have my plan and hat on...YAY..thx for the tips.

XoXo
http://fashionmakeuplifestyle.blogspot.com/

 
At 5:08 PM , Blogger Debbie Baker Burns said...

Fashion.Makeup.Lifestyle. Report back if you go thrifting and let me know how it goes. And as my best friend used to say, "I want details!"

 
At 8:29 PM , Blogger Joandy said...

great ideas, you are really doing the smart shopping:)) love all those stripes that you got, very pretty!!

http://mystylebyjoandy.blogspot.com

 
At 10:21 PM , Blogger Tanyabell said...

I have a whole post on tips here:

http://fab450.blogspot.com/2011/04/tips-2-thrift-by-tip-2.html

And, most of my archived posts have a tip or 2 in each

A whole page is soon to come :))))

 
At 10:39 PM , Blogger Debbie Baker Burns said...

Thanks, Joandy and Tanyabell, I will be checking you out! Sounds good!

 
At 11:46 AM , Blogger Linz said...

Thanks for the great tips! I've gone to goodwill a few times, but I'm not frequent shopper there. Really, I don't frequent any vintage or resale stores and that is probably a huge loss on my part. I'm going to go thrift shopping this weekend, you've inspired me to go for it! :)

 
At 1:54 PM , Blogger Debbie Baker Burns said...

Linz, Yay, you go, girl...thrift shopping that is! I hope you find a lot of great buys. Let us know how it went.

 
At 7:15 PM , Blogger LV said...

You certainly know how to shop at Goodwill and find the right things. I guess I go on the wrong days, as I never tend find much. I know several people, that buy no where else but Goodwill. You need to time to really look and check things out.

 
At 10:52 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Back home we have a thrift store called Frenchy's that sounds very similar to Goodwill in that the prices are set (which I love!) Great thrifting finds- I especially love the striped ensemble and thanks for the tips!

 
At 11:02 AM , Blogger Meagan said...

I love that skirt and great tips! You should think about linkin' this up in the link party here: http://spunkychateau.blogspot.com/2011/05/thursdays-are-for-thrifters-link-party.html.
I finally got all the kinks worked out of it!
-Meagan
http://spunkychateau.blogspot.com

 
At 9:09 PM , Blogger Debbie Baker Burns said...

LV, You're , it does take some time especially if you want to look the whole store over.

Tinfoils Tiaras, Wish I could check Frenchy's out!

Meagan, I will start linking up!

 

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