How I Thrift 90% of My Family’s Wardrobe
That moment when you realize you haven’t purchased anything new in forever, and all of your favorite clothes are thrifted, you can’t keep that good info to yourself. Keep reading to see how I created a 90% thrifted wardrobe for my family.
That’s right. My closet is a full of clothes that I popped thrift store tags off of. Or, begrudgingly removed two time stapled tags from, just hoping it wouldn’t rip the fabric. Ya know, however they chose to attach it! While it’s super cool to thrift, before we get to the how, let’s chat about the why. I make it a point to shop for the majority of my clothes and my son’s clothes at the thrift store for many beneficial reasons.
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Why I Want a Thrifted Wardrobe
- Cost – it is so much cheaper to buy second hand clothes than to buy new clothes
- Variety – a thrift store will have many more brands, styles, clothes from different decades – vintage and retro, all in one place. At the end of summer, you can find some summer clothes as well as pieces for fall and winter. I used to hate those moments of going to a retail store and asking if they have anything from the current season left, only to find them pushing out only things for the upcoming season. Thrift stores provide much more variety.
- Kids outgrow clothes quickly – from 0 to 1 year old, I changed my child’s wardrobe 4 times. Each season, and every 3 months, my child was in a different size. Some kids grow faster, some grow slower, but it always happens quickly. Thrifting for those clothes was fun, easy, and cost effective for me, so a completely thrifted wardrobe is a no-brainer for me.
- Easier to donate – when I buy second hand clothes, it is easier for me to donate them to a thrift store or give them to someone who needs them because the same was done for me. I think it’s a little harder when the clothes are expensive.
- Sustainable – last, but definitely not least, it is more sustainable to reuse what already exists! By thrifting for the majority of my wardrobe, I make the conscious choice to not buy new unless absolutely necessary.
Why not thrift ALL of our wardrobe?
It would be amazing if I thrift absolutely everything and avoid new fashion products. However, I do enjoy ethically and sustainably made clothes. I also can’t buy second hand underwear because that is not sanitary, though I find and buy sports bras. It is difficult for me to find shoes for myself, but I am able to find them sometimes.
Ok, now to back to how I thrift the majority of our wardrobe…
How I Thrift 90% of My Family’s Wardrobe
1) Thrift EARLY
I start thrifting a season ahead of time. For fall and winter clothes for Little Boo, I head to the thrift store in July. When you start your search early, it eliminates the need for a last minute scramble to find the perfect clothes that will work for the fast approaching new season. Those types of scrambles can lead you in a fast fashion store to make it “easier,” but ultimately making your fashion choices less sustainable and more expensive.
2) Thrift SALES
This is one of my “thrift like a pro” thrifting tips. Get to know your local stores – follow them on social media, sign up for their email or text message lists. By being in contact and seeing the communication they send out, you’ll be privy of the sales that they have. Or, if your local stores are smaller – get to know the folks who work there, and then ask them about any sales that they have.
3) Thrift OFTEN
When you thrift for the next season’s clothes early and ahead of time, you have time to more purposefully build that wardrobe. That means you don’t have to go all out and buy everything you see in one trip (unless that’s what you want to do). Thrifting often gives you even more variety to choose from because new clothes will be on the racks when you go back to the thrift store.