30x30x30: day 8 & 9 + tips of thrifting

i don’t know why i’m total slacker posting these pictures
these are seriously the easiest posts… ha!
but i have been doing it!!
{promise}

so here’s my 30x30 under $30 pictures for days 8 and 9

[shirt: Shade sale, tank: Macy’s {gift}, jeans: on sale at Old Navy? got them in high school, shoes: {not pictured} turquoise flats from Target sale, necklace: c/o Sebastian Design, headband: gift from my sister, ]

[shirt: thrifted, pants: thrifted, belt: thrifted, boots: {see them here & here} thrifted, necklace: c/o Rhi’s Designs]

i also don’t know why i seem to frequently fail to take pictures that include my shoes…
or why these pictures seem really blurry when they are blown up but seemed perfectly fine before.

basically, i don’t know a lot of things.
i’m still getting used to doing these “fashion pictures” but i love being able to show
cheap, affordable outfits
in hopes that it will help a few people be able to dress nicely on a budget.

as you have seen in many of my posts so far, i get a lot of my clothes from thrift stores.
i was looking in my closet the other day and realized that at least half of my wardrobe if not more is from thrift stores. i can count a handful of items that i bought full-priced at a department store.

sometimes shopping at thrift stores is hit or miss.
if you are a thrifting newbie, it can be kind of overwhelming and frustrating trying to sift through all the items!
so here are a few tips i’ve discovered that will hopefully help on your thrifting adventures!

1. go with a purpose.
a lot of times, i will see a shirt or a skirt or pants that i like on someone else and then hit up the thrift store to see if i can find something similar.

the pink/red [they’re pinker in person] pants above are a perfect example of that!
my friend Kelsey and i decided to look for some colored pants that we could refashion into cute, colored skinny jeans that are all the rage now. i found these pants that fit perfectly but were just a little long. i had all these plans to refashion them but turned out i liked them the way there were and so now i have red bellbottom corduroys for a steal at $6

2. try to see the vision of the item.
it may be hard to see how a colorful 80’s style shirt [like this one here] could be cute, but once you take out the shoulder pads and maybe do some tailoring it will look amazing!

the shirt i wore on day 5 is another great example of this tip.
when i first found it, it had big, bulky shoulder pads and looked horrible when i tried it on. but i loved the colors and patterns so much that i knew it had potential.
and it did!
just a few rips of the shoulder pads later, a good wash, and it was good to go at a whopping $4!

3. go during the day at the beginning of the week.
my friend Jessica actually passed this genius of a tip on to me. her theory {and i’m pretty sure it’s true} is that people are cleaning out their houses and donating items on weekends so at the beginning of the week they are all stocked up again. this also guarantees that you can get the items before the weekend rush of shoppers.
plus, it can be full on crazy on Saturdays!

i have found many a glorious thing when i decide to mosey on down the D.I. some Tuesday afternoon.
although don’t be surprised if you don’t find anything right away.
which brings me to tip number….

4. have patience!!
because thrift stores {usually} sell lots of different one-of-a-kind items, it can be tough to get what you want even when you go with a purpose.
so be patient!!
take your time sorting through the clothes & keep in mind that you may need to take multiple trips.
but if you are determined enough, it is very possible to find what you want!

and finally
5. go with a friend.
i don’t know if this really mandatory to thrifting, but it sure makes it a lot more fun!
sure, i enjoy a good solo shopping experience every now and then, but it truly makes a huge difference when you have a friend there to give their input.
{not that you always have to follow it but it’s nice to know}
especially when you see an item that you may be on the fence about, sometimes you need another eye there to help you see the full vision of the item.

again, take those red pants for example, the ones that so many of you have commented on before.
i was actually really really unsure about them. but my friend Kelsey convinced me that they had potential and didn’t look as weird as i thought they did. so i bought them and eventually gained enough courage to wear them in public and
BOOM!
now they’re my favorite pants ever!
bringing a friend shopping with you can be extremely helpful in non-refundable situations.

maybe these are all tips you have heard before and maybe they’re not.
i hope at least one is new!
but i hope it’s helped show you that shopping at second-hand stores is really a great way to extend your shopping budget!
it is amazing what you can find sometimes!
i’m a total believer in the power of thrift

what are some of your thrifting tips?
what are some way you stretch your budget for clothes?