I've Been Away. So Sorry. But Today? A Guest Post!

Okay. I am sorry people. I suck. 

My life has been really busy. I am getting married next month and that, along with school and normal day to day stuff has not left much time for blogging. 

But! Life is going well and I am so excited to be married next month. I promise that I will be better about blogging--once I'm hitched and all is settled. 

It's a good thing you swung by here today. I am very excited because I have a guest post from one of my favorite bloggers--Meredith. She has a really great blog--cute, creative and funny. I found her about a year ago and have been reading ever since. 

Recently, she opened a really cool online thrift store called Rubbish where she sells some of her old clothing. I ordered a few pieces from her and then thought I'd just go for broke and ask if she would be interested in doing a guest post, to which she sweetly obliged. 

I asked if she could write about thrifting... something I love and something that she knows a lot about. She is super thrifty and I thought that we could all use some money saving tips--especially when it comes to cute clothing! Thank you again Meredith! Check out her blog guys!

Hey hey! I'm Meredith, a self proclaimed chronic cheapskate and life long thrift shopper.

I was invited over today to share my top thrifting tips. Because I've literally been shopping Salvation Army and Goodwill since I was in the womb (my mom did thrift her maternity clothes so ...) I just think of thrift stores as much cheaper + messier malls. Lots of brands, lots of sizes, all types of clothes; just like the mall. Right? Kinda?

 For those of you not so at home in thrift stores, here are my top 5 tips for a successful trip:

_______________________________________

 1- Forget about sizes and just try stuff on. Sizing differs from brand to brand any way and since clothes donated to thrift stores are from varied decades and manufacturers, the sizing may be way off. Vintage clothes may run small, newer items may run big. Look for the colors and patterns you love in the neighborhood of the sizes you already wearing and then try.every.thing.on.

2- Get your dig on. Shop all the sections, you may find something in the little boys or mens section that works out (like blazers). That's the beauty of thrifting: There are hidden treasures everywhere just waiting for you to unearth them! Dig. Browse through all the racks. Spend some time looking around.

3- Find out when the deal days are. A lot of thrift stores have half off days or special discounts for students, etc. At my fave local thrift store, the last Friday of every month is all merchandise half off day. Cha ching! (I'm too cheap to even pay "full price" at thrift stores at this point.) Ask the workers at your thrift stores if they offer discounts and when these deal days are and you could save big time.

4-Don't buy everything just because it's cheap. Sometimes I go thrifting and want to buy every single thing I see. "It's such a good deal! It's so cute! I loooove it! But I don't need it." Even though you're spending less money, you're still spending. Decide what you really want to get before you hit the store (if you are looking for something in particular), have fun shopping, and then try to leave with only the things you really need. When I over thrift, I make sure to get rid of a few unused items already sitting in my apartment to even things out.

5- Don't over think it. In the end you're really just walking into a  store, looking around til you find things you like, trying them on to see if they fit, and then paying for them. You're just shopping! But (hopefully) spending much less. :)

Thanks for letting me hang out today and I hope these tips are helpful!!