tips for garage sale-ing

I'm SO excited to share today's post with y'all! One of my all time favorite things to do is to go "garage sale-ing," and today I have some tips on how I do it. 

1. Create a plan of action.- You want to know what general area you want to stay in while garage sale-ing and not get too off track.


2. Check online the night before.-What I like to do is check online on Friday night for garage sales. I'll find the address to a garage sale, type in the address on maps, and snapshot a photo of where it's at. Then in the morning I have snapshots of where all the garage sales are! This helps a lot in my area beacuase a lot of people don't put up a lot of signs. In my hometown, they put up a ton of signs at every intersection, so you don't really need to check online, but it couldn't hurt!


3. Start looking for garage sale signs during the week.- A lot of people will start putting out garage sale signs mid week. Keep an eye out for signs at large intersections on your way to work, school, grocery store, etc.


4. The early birds DO get the worms!- Most people will start their garage sales around 7 a.m. A lot of them will put in their ads "no early birds" but pretty much they mean don't come before their time. This is the tip I'm worst at. I usually leave the house at 8, and a lot of times I'll notice that some garage sales hardly have anything left because the early birds got everything!

5. Be prepared to stop short and turn around a lot- You're going to pass up and almost pass them up, so just be prepared and drive safe!


6. Four eyes are better than two- Well yes, if you wear glasses, please do wear them, but what I'm trying to say is bring a friend so you can have 2 eyes on the road and 2 eyes on search for garage sales.


7. Go in a place you're familiar with. When you see a garage sale sign with a street name on it, you want to have a general idea of where that street is. I've lived in my town for a little over 2 years now, so I'm still not familiar with all the roads, so I tell Siri to take me every where! Haha.


8. Don't lug around a purse, just bring a small coin purse with you. When you're garage sale-ing you aren't going to need anything but your monies and maybe your phone in case you want to take a picture of something you could pick up for someone else. I usually carry a small coin purse I got from Costa Rica with me, and if I need anything else, I'll get it from the car.


9. Bring your spare change and $1 bills. I save all of my husband's spare change and bring it with me. If I don't have small bills I'll stop at the nearest drugstore (usually Walgreens or CVS) and ask for change.


10. Negotiate prices- If you don't like a price someone is asking, don't hesitate to ask for it cheaper. The least they could do is say no, but most people having a garage sale are trying to get rid of their stuff, so they will likely say yes.


11. No one cares what you look like- Seriously, wake up, fix your coffee, throw on some comfy clothes, and get your butt out the house! See #4. ;)


12. Think ahead.- If you have kids you can always buy sizes up for them. Also, holiday decorations are great things to pick up at garage sales, even if if feels weird buying Christmas stuff when it's 90 degrees outside.


13. Use your time wisely. Like I said in #4, the early birds get the worms. So, you want to spare your time wisely. If you see a ginormous pile of clothes. Pick through the first few things and if they're all clothes from an 80 year old man, and you are not an 80 year old man or want clothes for one, then pass it up and look at the next stuff. Don't waste your time digging when there are other treasures to be found.

14. Bring your breakfast with you and pack some snacks. I usually grab me some poptarts, my coffee, and a banana for a snack. Depending on how many garage sales you might find, you could be out shopping until lunch time. Make sure you pack breakfast and a snack so you don't have to waste your time stopping somewhere.

15. Find something to collect. Garage sale-ing can get frustrating when you aren't finding much. I found that it makes it more fun when you find something to collect. I collect vintage tins. I usually find them for 25 cents to a dollar a piece at garage sales, so it's a super cheap collection!

Some things I like to buy at garage sales:
-books
-clothes
-home decorations
-holiday decorations
-picture frames
-furniture
-plants
-antiques
-dvds

Here are just a few of my finds lately:

 books for baby girl (25 cents each), gold mesh (25 cents), baby blanket/teething toy (50 cents), a cross that I plan to paint ($1), apothecary glasses (50 cents and $1)

my favorite thing to shop for- clothes for baby girl! (50 cents to $2 each)

plant ($2)

expert tips from seasoned thrifters

The struggle is real when it comes to thrifting. It's really not as easy as "walk into thrift store, find amazing things." It really does take skill! Today I have teamed up with some fabulous other bloggers to share some of our best thrifting tips. 

Read on to meet each thrifter, see an outfit from her own closet styled with almost entirely thrifted pieces, and one of her secrets to thrifting success. Stop on over to each of their blogs to find even more of their secrets that land them unbelievable style finds for a fraction of the price and ten-fold the fun. 

Thrifting Tip: "I have found that either thrifting online or determining which local thrift store has the best clothing can save you lots of time when thrifting. I am a busy person and although I like saving money, I don't have extra time to visit several stores. Finding the one store near me that yields great finds again and again has really helped me with saving time and money!"

Hear more from Laura on her blog, I Do deClaire, and on social media, where she shares loads of daily outfit points full of great style ideas, many in secondhand pieces.
Blog // Bloglovin' // Instagram

Thrifting Tip: "Travel! I love checking out the local thrift stores when I go out of town somewhere! It gives you a whole new set of goodies to look through if you've been going to the thrift stores in your area so much that you see the same things you saw before. Also, take note of the areas you're thrifting in. If you visit a thrift store in a wealthier part of town, you are likely to find more name brand/nicer things. When I was in college, I'd find a lot of junior's clothes at our local Goodwill which is not surprising since it was a college town!"

You can find a more of my thrifting tips here.

Danielle showcases endless secondhand looks on her blog, Goodwillista. Be sure to stop by and say hello on social media
Blog // Instagram // Facebook

Thrifting Tip: "I have several (check them out here and here) but the one thrift tip I'm adamant about is to be patient. To be a successful thrifter, you need time and patience. You will find that item but you may have to look a bit longer or go to another thrift store. Don't give up...your thrifted treasure is out there!"

Whitney shares all about her thrifting adventures, so stop on over and drop her a note on social media too.
Blog // Instagram // Twitter

Thrifting Tip: "Try to ignore the size tags. Different brands and vintage items fit differently. If you like something (even if you aren't sure it will fit), try it on! It may look much better on you than on the hanger. You never know when you'll find your next wardrobe staple!"

Check out more of Lauren's style and thrifting tips on her blog, Exploring My Style, and on social media as well.
Blog // Bloglovin' // Instagram

Thrifting Tip: "You can find a collection of tips in my Secondhand Style Guide. One of my favorites, however, reflects the time required to find the right piece. I suppose it has two parts. First, plan plenty of time for a trip to the thrift shop, an hour or more. If you head over and feel rushed, you'll most certainly end up overwhelmed and frustrated. Second, when you arrive, start examining the racks by quickly flipping through and focusing on the material of the fabric. High end, well-cared for items will stand out quickly. This trick has saved me mountains of time examining pieces that don't meet my quality criteria."

Jen is a life and style blogger with a focus on style for working women. She shares all sorts of affordable and socially conscious style ideas for a day at the office. You can find her on her blog, Fashionably Employed, and on social media as well.
Blog // Pinterest // Twitter

Now we have a challenge for y'all. Put these tips to good use, and come back next Thursday to link up your thrifted outfits!!

thrift tip: don't doubt the thrift stores in your area

  Ok, so I can't tell you how many times I've heard and gotten blog comments like "the thrift stores in my area just don't have good stuff like yours!"  That is THE biggest lie! (no offense) If you're one of those saying that, you're not trying hard enough! Let me tell you, when I moved a few months ago, I thought the same thing after 2 visits to my local Goodwill. I started telling people our Goodwill sucks... just because I didn't find much in those 2 measly visits! I didn't give up though. I went back to it a couple more times, and then I came home with the shirt. That's when I knew there was hope! This past time I went to our local Goodwill, I  found so many goodies I had to put some back! (Yes, I am THAT cheap that I even watch what I spend at the Goodwill haha)   Dress: $5.99 I don't remember the brand of this dress, but I loved it.  I didn't get it, but I'm looking back at this picture and regretting it!   Dress: $5.99 I thought this would make a cute spring dress, but since I found other goodies that I wouldn't have to wait to wear, I passed on it.    Old Navy Cardigan: $3.99 This cardi was cute, but I just wasn't feeling it.   Jessica Simpson Dress: $5.99 Now, I hope you don't think I passed this dress up! This baby definitely came home with me :)   Vintage Pink Sweater: $3.99 Yeah, no.   Old Navy Shirt: $3.99 This came home with me! Sweater: $3.99 If you follow me on instagram, you already know this came home with me! So what I'm saying here is stop doubting your thrift stores! Just because you didn't find anything the first time, keep trying, I believe there are hidden gems to be found in every thrift store!

Thrift Tip

My thrift tip today is for those like me who may become addicted to thrifting. You also should keep this in mind even if you aren't addicted.

Don't buy something just because it's a few dollars!!

You will end up with so many items in your closet that have either been worn once, or not at all. I know this from experience! I'm working on only buying items that I love, and not just saying "oh this is kinda cute, it's only $3, I'll get it." Those $3 add up!

These pictures are from a trip to the Goodwill a couple of days ago and I did good. I found a lot of items that were just okay, but I didn't settle.

Banana Republic Button Up: I liked the color of it, but something about the collar I just didn't like. Isn't that how a men's button up collar is supposed to be?

Purple Old Navy Shorts: These were just a little big on me and could have worked, but again, I need to stop buying things that are just okay.

This top would have been cute with some khaki shorts... or now that I'm thinking of it, it would look good with my yellow jeans. Oh poop. Maybe I should have gotten it?
Lace Heels: These were practically new. They looked like they may have been worn once. Thing is, they were 1/2 a size too big. I carried them around in the store debating if I should get them and just add some little heel pads to make them fit. I stopped myself though. Gahh the shape of them were just so cute! Gap Tee: This Gap t-shirt fit good, but I'm just not a red person, unless it's on my lips. I also love fitted t-shirts like this, but I just rarely wear them. Loft Shorts (tags still on them): The face in this picture explains these shorts. They were just weird. I could not even figure them out. J. Crew Shorts: These weren't as orange as they look in the picture, they were more red... but as you seem they were just a little big. The shirt in the picture was way too big too and shear and I didn't have an undershirt on so a picture would have been a little inappropriate. 

Ps. Someone please contact Firmoo and let them know I need some new glasses!

Thursday Thrift Tip: Try On EVERYTHING

Today's thrift tip is to try on absolutely everything that you stick in your buggy! This tip kind of goes along with the last one (size doesn't matter) because when thrifting you're not going to worry about the size, so of course you need to try it on to make sure it fits. Here are some pictures of my sister, Alyssa, and I's trip to the Goodwill and some of the things we tried on!

Our buggy was full!

Dresses that we both bought... her's is super cute with her camel colored boots!

This dress was pretty.. just too girly girly for me I think.

She thought this shirt was a little too tight.

Ah! LOVE this little vintage dress! But it was too short :(

Flats that sista got.

Love this Banana Republic pencil skirt that I got, but the pocket on the pink tee was just in an awkward spot!

Blurry and ugly picture, but this is our sad faces because these clothes were too small for us. 

This is also a good example of today's tip because this fitted tee I have on is a J. Crew size small and was too tight on the boob area, but I have a J. Crew tank that's an extra small that I got at the Goodwill a while back, and it's too big! 

This shress (too long to be a shirt, too short to be a dress=shress) was cute on her, but she didn't get it.

This skirt was soooo cute, but it did this whole weird bubble thing as you can see. Sista ended up getting the Lauren Conrad sweater thing I have on here though. 

So I hope that you make it to a thrift store soon and try on a buggy full of clothes like we did! Even if you only end up with a few items, it's a ton of fun, I promise! 

What are some of your favorite finds of ours?

Thursday Thrift Tip: Size Doesn't Matter

Shirt: Old

Sweater: Goodwill $3.49

Limited Jeans: Goodwill $4.99

Charlotte Russe Flats: Goodwill $3.49

Belt: Came on a dress

Total Outfit Cost: $11.97

So, since I get a lot of, "teach me your ways!" and "share your tricks!" I have decided it is time I share all my secrets with you! 

Thrift Tip #1:

Size Doesn't Matter

Whether you're searching through the endless racks of clothing at the Goodwill or shopping the clearance rack at TJ Maxx, don't worry about looking at the size on the tag! Since the items are so cheap, it's okay if they don't fit exactly right. And sometimes some items are at thrift stores because of the size. For example, the sweater I have on above is an XL... I am a small/medium. My guess is that the person who originally purchased it dried it in the dryer and it obviously shrunk! And since it is just a tad too big, I added a belt, and voila! This XL sweater is now a small!

I hope my thrift tip helps... now get yourself to a thrift store and try it out! :)

The $20 Rule

So let me tell you about the $20 rule.  It all started back in high school when my friends and I would go shopping at the mall.  If something was $20.00 or more, we had to think about it reallllly hard to make sure that we really needed it.  Like you have to have a few outfits together in your head before you can buy this article of clothing.  You had to ask yourself multiple times, "is it really worth a whole $20 bill?"  I still do this. $20.00 is a LOT of money to me!  Especially now that I've caught the thrift bug and can't see paying more than $4.99 for something!  I've actually kind of turned my $20 rule into a $10 rule... anything over ten and I'm doing some serious thinking about it!

Chambray Shirt: Forever 21 $20.00

Black T: Old

White Jeans: Goodwill $4.99

Charlotte Russe Flats: Goodwill $2.99

Hat: Maurice's $12.00

Total Outfit Cost: $39.98

So, this chambray shirt applied to my $20 rule, and this is how I justified it to myself... I have two chambray shirts that I've gotten at the Goodwill, and neither of them are exactly what I've been wanting.  One of them (shown here) has silver studds on the collar, so I feel like I can't wear gold jewelry with it.  The other one (shown here) has elastic around the waist, so it has to be wore with a belt.  Neither are that perfect chambray shirt that I can see so many outfits with.. that's why I caved in and finally bought the perfect one!