With environmental sustainability in shopping becoming a concern for many, thrifting has become one of the most favored ways to lower the pollution impact of the fashion industry. Thrifting can be going to your local Goodwill or going to a garage sale;  just anything you buy second hand. The average American throws away 81 pounds of clothes per year, which adds up to around 26 billion pounds of clothing going into landfills. Thrifting is just a way to recycle your old belongings. As thrifting continues to be a popular and sustainable source of shopping, we want to enlighten you on what we have learned from our years of experience. 

Going in with no expectations Going into Goodwill with a predetermined “shopping list” will only hurt you in the long run. Don’t go in looking for a Nike sweatshirt, or a certain brand of jeans, you will be disappointed. Instead, go in with an open mind. Have a broad idea of what you want to find, but don’t expect to find exactly what you have in mind. 

Tailor your finds If you like something, but it might be too big, be creative and think of how you can DIY it. For example, if you find a pair of jeans that fit you well, but they are a little too short on you, you can cut them into jean shorts. This goes for any type of clothing. You can also branch away from just cutting and you can tie-dye. You can find a plain T-shirt cheaper than if you were to buy it from Hobby Lobby and you ultimately save money. Think about the ways you can alter something before just putting it back. 

Invest in a Goodwill Card Every August, a few major Goodwills in Kansas get a new discount card that only costs $5 and you get 10% off of your purchase every time. If you’re an avid thrifter, getting one of these could result in you saving even more money. If you don’t thrift too often but still want to save, look for certain colored tags that are 50% off. At all times, at least one tag color is on sale. They are mixed within everything, but you can search for them. You can find many loopholes to save even more money. 

Venture past the clothing section A lot of people only think about the clothing options that thrift stores offer, and tend to forget the other half of the store. Many thrift stores offer quality furniture, wall decor, and trinkets that can add character to your home. Even furniture that seems broken or vintage can be updated with new fabric and fixtures, to better suit your style. 

Shop in all gender departments Although they are labeled with genders, it doesn’t mean you can’t shop everywhere. Everything is thrown together and you can find things you would wear in the opposite gender’s section. You can even look through the kid’s section. It’s best to look through everything because you never know what you can find.

Be patient Every trip is different for everyone. Sometimes you can find many clothing items and decor in one trip and next time you don’t find anything in your style. Although it takes a while to go through every rack, you never know what hidden gems you could find. They are constantly getting new shipments and you can’t base your opinion off of one bad trip.

Using these tips and tricks next time you decide to go thrifting, you can be environmentally friendly and find new clothes to add to your closet or new decorations for your room. Not only are you saving a lot of money, but you’re also reducing the size of landfills. You can find name brand items in good condition for a fraction of a price.  With thrifting becoming more of a norm, maybe the next time you decide to go shopping, start looking into second-hand stores.