Lazy Girl Guide to Thrifting

I'm back but I'm very tired. My BFF was kind enough to donate a guide to thrifting - the lazy girl way. Venita is a New Orleans born, Chicago based traveling, cooking, reading, news watching, sports loving beer drinker - in fierce heels. Plus she's a seasoned thrifter. Enjoy.

I'm lazy! Not in a 'I live with my parents and eat all of their food' kind of way. It's more 'I want to expend as little effort as possible'. It's why I wear dresses - not because I'm going for a super feminine look, but because I can get dressed in less than 2 minutes. 

This laziness makes it difficult for me to enjoy marathon thrift sessions with friends. I don't want to pour over the items. I don't want to hoard items in my cart, debating with someone about whether or not they can make a floral poly jumpsuit 'work'. I just want to get in, score and get out. I'm a dude like that.

That's why I prefer thrifting alone: I can breeze in and out, leaving with an armful of awesomeness...in just 20 minutes.

I can do this because I follow these 3 (because 5 is too many) easy tricks for quick thrifting.

1. Go in with an item specific focus

I know. Thrifting purists are probably reaching for their inhalers. Or shot glasses. But...hear me out.

Walking into a thrift store with some idea of what you want to get helps you stay on track: you'll end up buying less crap and more awesome if you approach your trip with a singular focus.

Last year I was on a mission to up my leather skirt collection. In just three thrift store visits, I ended up with a white one, a neon yellow one, and a teal floral one. All buttery soft, great condition and high end brands. And I spent less than an hour total shopping time.

I'm convinced this is because I knew exactly what I wanted - I didn't let anything else in the stores distract me.

2. Look for Specific Colors

I love green. And navy. And gray. And orange.

I tend to not look at any other colors when I'm shopping - thrift or retail.

Looking for 'my colors' when shopping helps me maximize my shopping time. My eye is now trained to ignore pastels and other colors I wouldn't be caught dead in. Saves me time and saves me from making unflattering impulse buys.

Of course, I wear other colors. But that's because a) I wear a lot of patterned dresses. One of my 'base' colors is usually always in the mix, but additional colors get thrown in by default. b) When I'm shopping with an item specific focus (see above), I will open my self up to other colors (hence the neon yellow leather skirt).

3. Become a Fabric Snob

I only wear natural fabrics. Wool, cotton, silk. Leather. Or a blend. But it has to be more natural than synthetic.

And yes - I can, for the most part, tell a synthetic fabric from a natural fabric without even touching it. I'm gifted.

Now, you might be more open minded. You might be against snobbery. And that's totally fine. I just know that this approach is super helpful - I don't even consider picking up anything that looks like polyester. Or rayon. Or viscose. My eyes see it and then rebuke it and I keep on moving to the next item.

It's a for sure time saver and I highly recommend you try it. 

So, there you have it. My tried and true tips for scoring at the thrift store without having to spend your entire Saturday shopping.These tips are focused and a bit OCD. But whatevs.

I am fully expecting a commenter to #ByeFelicia me and then explain why spending hours in a thrift store is necessary. That's fine. To each her (his) own.

But I really want to hear from fellow lazy thrifters; how do you win at thrifting without dedicating too much of your time to it?

FACEBOOK - TWITTER - BLOGLOVIN - INSTAGRAM - PINTEREST