Is no high better than the one you get at a thrift store, your efforts in scouring through heaps of trash finally unearthing a coveted treasure that you hold in your trembling hands like some ragtag miner in 1890s Klondike? Do you have no idea what in the ever-loving [CENSORED] I am talking about? In both cases, this article is for you. You will either get useful tips for your thrifting pursuits or get to consider a fun new treasure-hunting hobby that helps you find clothes in a sustainable and affordable way.

This article is written by a certified expert who is one thrift purchase away from being suspected of money laundering.


1. Have a target item / target items

Pinterest, Pinterest, Pinterest. I may or may not be a bigger advocate for it than 2012 brides designing their perfect sepia-hued barn weddings. For thrifting, there is no better tool; it allows you to cultivate your personal style and locate items missing from your perfect wardrobe.

If you haven't already, download the app and start pinning images that most please your eye. To get started, pick a word from this list of examples that you feel most accurately represents your style and search for it in the app alongside the word "outfits": classic, minimal, professional, elegant, athletic, casual/relaxed, bohemian, academic, vintage, romantic, sexy, gothic, witchy, colorful, quirky.

After first making sure you are not missing some absolute essentials (practical coats, leisure pants, workout clothes, shorts, hoodies, practical shoes), go through your pins and identify what outfits you could create with clothing items you already own. If there is only one specific item standing between you and a dream outfit, congratulations - you have found a target item.

I generally recommend having at least one target item before entering a thrift store so you don't end up buying something you already own or something you actually don't have any use for.

2. Pick an appropriate outfit

You might be tempted to put on your most stylish outfit to assert dominance among your fellow thrifters. Sadly, they are not giving out awards for best dressed at the thrift as of yet, not even in Kallio (or the corresponding area in your city with the largest concentration of Marxist literature). Focus on something more practical; Clothes that are painless to remove and put back on in a fitting room, or skintight clothing that makes it easy to try clothes on right in the corridor if the line to the fitting rooms is making you start to think of free buckets.

3. Touch every item

I am not telling you to touch every single item at the thrift shop - although you can do that if you have way too much time at your hands and/or are the author of this article. Let's say you are looking for a black skirt. What I am going to need you to do is touch every single black skirt present, even the ones you consider abominations of the garment industry. Hangers have a bad tendency of obscuring smaller items behind larger ones or tangling up with each other. By touching every item, you make sure you don't miss anything. Some of my favorite finds have been hidden behind other clothes.

4. Patience is key (so select good listening material)

Clothes sometimes get misplaced in thrift shops that have separate sections for different kinds of clothing items, but some thrifts such as self-service flea markets have everything jumbled together. If your target item is, for example, a red sweater, you might want to consider touching every single clothing item that is red. If these words don't make you want to walk into traffic, keep reading. Create a playlist or download a podcast in advance and treat the mission like the meditative process of digging a hole at the local sandbox as a kid when you thought you could reach the core of the earth.

5. Be picky!

Finally, you think you have found the perfect black skirt or red sweater. Think again. It might only be an illusion.

Always check the fit. Even if the label claims to be your size, be wary. Differences in sizing between clothing brands has taught me more about irrational numbers than any textbook in advanced physics.  The material might also be itchy or otherwise unpleasant, or you might feel like Houdini getting in and out of the clothing piece.

You might also actually dislike the item upon further inspection in front of a mirror. What would we all be if we weren't able to change our minds? Probably all veterinarians.

There are also other matters to consider. Are you sure the item is actually something you will wear? You might be inclined to offer a resounding yes if the piece of clothing is something straight out of your Pinterest board, but consider this thought experiment before buying it; can you see yourself putting the item on immediately and wearing it for the rest of the day? Indulge me even if it's freezing outside and you are looking at a summer dress. Magically transported to a tropical paradise courtesy of me, would you still be able to wear the dress all day without feeling self-conscious or thinking longingly about the other options in your closet?

6. Never buy an "aspirational" size

Buy for the body you have, not the one you wish to have. Buying clothes in a size you aspire to have in the future feeds into the false and extremely harmful notion that you are not good as you are. Even if you are expecting a change in size as a side effect to certain habits or routine changes, life is impossible to fully predict. The clothes may never end up fitting and will serve as both physical and mental clutter. Save yourself the misery and find clothes that make you feel good right now!

7. Caring for your purchases

When you get home with your bounty, make sure to chuck it in the washing machine. If you don't have laundry facilities at your immediate disposal, put the clothes in a bag into your freezer until you can wash them. 60 degrees Celsius in the washing machine kills germs. As it does also humans.

8. Overconsumption is overconsumption

Sure, dragging home three sacks of thrifted clothing every week may be objectively better than ordering the same amount from questionable online retailers, but sustainability does not negate a possible shopping addiction. Your poor wallet must be considered, and there are only so many miracles your closet can perform without being written by C.S. Lewis.

If you recognize you might have a problem, restrict yourself from entering any thrifts outside of pre-ordained times. It is during those times you aim only to browse that your wallet is most in danger, as the age-old thrifting wisdom goes. Thrifting should not lead to hoarding and the accompanying mental and financial strain. Keep the joy in the hobby by exercising pickiness (see tip number 5) and perhaps reserve thrifting only for replacing wardrobe necessities or for special solo date occasions.

Remember, it's never a failure to walk out of the thrift shop empty-handed. In fact, it's a triumph after carefully looking through the whole selection. You are an eagle-eyed curator, and your joy will be all the greater when you find your gold nugget.