Thrift Store Shopping: Only Buy What You Will Use

I was recently asked a question that is something I get asked a lot. Today, I am going to be talking about thrift store shopping; specifically, how to only buy what you will use. I love this question. It is something I could talk forever about but I am going to reign it in and give only my best tips in this post to help you shop better. 

I think a lot of people think it is a thrift store or yard sale so it’s cheap and I can pick up so many things. But, if you get those things home and you don’t use them or they sit in storage, what’s the point? You have wasted money and your home can start looking like a hoarding situation.

For this post, I am going to be talking mainly about shopping for home decor in thrift stores, yard sales, estates sales, etc. But, some of the tips are great for other shopping in retail stores and for other items like clothing, kitchen supplies, and whatever else you find yourself buying too much of.

Let’s get started talking about thrift store shopping and how to buy only the things you will use. 

• Only Buy What Will Be Set Out Immediately

If you are shopping for home decor in a thrift store, only buy those items that you know you will set out as soon as you get them home. You can clean them and spruce them up but they need to have a place immediately after buying them. Don’t buy something that you don’t have a spot for at home. If you have something in the spot you want it to be, that original item has to go. 

• You Must Love It As Soon As You See It

When you are shopping thrift stores, you will run into items that you fall in love with immediately. Those are the items you should buy. Don’t buy items that don’t give you the immediate “THIS IS IT” reaction. If you are shopping thrift stores, you know what I am talking about. 

• Take “Someday” Out Of The Thought Process

If you see an item and think that it will fit my style someday. Or, if we get a bigger home or move someday, this will be perfect. If I change the color of our bedroom someday, this will work. Someday, I will love this. If “someday” comes into the thought process, that item is a definite “NO”! Live in the present. Live in the NOW. Shop for your style now. Shop for your situation now.

• Keep Your Blinders On

Have you ever bought something in a thrift store or at a yard sale just because someone else was interested in it? Stop that. Have you ever bought something you were thinking was a “maybe” because someone was following you around to see if you would put it down so they could buy it? Stop that. Keep your blinders on when shopping. Stay in your own head. Stay out of someone else’s cart and someone else’s wants and needs. 

• 1 In – 2 Out

This rule can be used for any kind of shopping you do. If you bring something in, two things have to go out. I know most people would say, “1 in, 1 out”, but try and push yourself. If you bring in one thing, try and see if you can get rid of two. If you bring in decor for a mantel, two things that already live on your mantel have to go. This will save you so much money in the long run. If you know you have to get rid of one or two things, you will not be as tempted to buy things you don’t absolutely love because you know other items in your home have to go. This tip is one of my favorites for how to only shop for items you will use. 

• You Aren’t In The Storage Business

You aren’t in the business to store a bunch of things. Your goal should be to create a beautiful home that functions for you and your family. It should be a peaceful place where you can relax and not feel overwhelmed in. Your home shouldn’t be a storage place for items that never see the light of day. 

• If You Already Have Too Many

If you already have too many of something, DON’T BUY ANYMORE! Collections are one thing but a collection can turn into a hoarding situation real fast. A collection should be displayed with some room to breathe around it. If you are storing a collection, is it really a collection? Or, are you just hoarding/storing identical things?

• Stick To A Budget

This can be a budget for particular items or this can be a budget for the entire shopping trip. Either way, stick to the budget. It will help you edit items in the store before you buy anything.

• Be Picky. REAL PICKY!

There are certain things I will always pick up in thrift stores and at yard sales but now, they have to check off a lot of boxes before I will bring them home. A good example of this is vintage books. I love vintage books. I love using them around our home. Now, the books have to have certain criteria before I will bring them home. They have to be green in color. They have to be a smaller-sized book. Their condition is important, they can’t be falling apart. I have a certain budget for green, vintage books. If they aren’t within that budget, I don’t buy them.

I have to be real picky with vintage books. I have a list of “boxes” (criteria) that need to be checked off before I will bring another green book home. This same concept can be applied to whatever you find yourself buying over and over again. Narrow the criteria. Check all the boxes. Be picky. It has to be a certain size, color, shape, etc. Make the find that much better because it is the best of the best and not just another thing. 

• BE HONEST!

Be honest. Are you someone who keeps picking up “projects” or things that need makeovers but you never get to the project or makeover? If so, stop picking them up. Even if they are an amazing deal. You don’t need it. Be honest. You will never get it done. If you are someone who never gets to your projects, stop picking them up. Leave them for someone else. Another way to do this is to reward yourself. You can’t pick up another “project” until all the projects you already have been completed. 

I hope these tips for thrift store shopping and how to only buy those things you will use were helpful. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good thrifting trip just like anyone else, but I also love a clean and organized home. I want our home to have room to breathe, room to create, and room to live. If there is “stuff” taking up too much room, those other IMPORTANT things can’t happen. 

Keep thrifting! Keep the thrill of the hunt alive. But also, give yourself parameters so you only buy the things you will use

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