Introduction to Garage Sales & Hand-Me-Downs {Alyson's Thrift Corner}

Hi, my name is Alyson. I write over at www.alysonschroll.blogspot.com. Growing up in a very large family, I got very used to wearing hand-me-downs and garage sale clothes. As I have gotten older, finding clothes that fit, are modest, and are ones that I like has gotten harder and harder. I have learned many tips from my experiences.

Many people do not like the idea of wearing hand-me-downs downs or garage sale clothes. One thing that I have learned is that you cannot tell when someone wears discount clothes. When you wear clothes that you paid little or nothing for, you don’t get a label put on your back. Do not think that you have to spend top dollar for good clothes. I have found that many adults become jealous when they find out that my bag or shoes cost so little.

Through these posts that I will be doing, I will talk about tips that I have learned, how to accept/reject hand-me-downs, how to shop for an outfit, and how to mix and match for any occasion.

Top 5 tips for Garage Sale-ing:

 

1.  Ask for prices BEFORE you go through clothes.

If you think the clothes might fit you, ask how much they cost. If you are not willing to pay that much, you walk away and you don’t waste your time. Even if there is a sign, double check. It can never hurt to ask if they will work a deal if you buy a lot. (This is more of something you do if you are shopping for a large family)

2.  Hold it up.

There is no fitting room when you garage sale, so hold it up. See if the bottom and sleeves are going to be long enough. You can even get an idea for how the neck line will lie. This will not give you the best picture, but you can usually tell whether it’s worth a chance or not.

3. Give it a chance.

If you find a piece of clothing that you specifically need, be willing to buy it and then not be able to wear it. It is cheap to begin with so it is okay if you get something and then get home only to find that it doesn’t fit.

4.  Know when to walk away.

Some people have garage sales because they just want to get rid of stuff. I have even met people that just want enough money to go out to dinner that night. But, other people have garage sales because they want to get as much money back for their purchase. You will even find people in the middle. Know when people are not going to knock down their prices and when it is best to walk away.

 

5. Think: Outfits

I do a lot of my garage saleing in chunks. We go to a lot of town yard sales where there are many on a single street. You can go to a store and buy an outfit by going to different sections, and you can do the same thing when you hit different houses. Think about how different pieces of clothing can fit together with others that you have bought.

 

Be on the look-out next month for Alyson's 2nd post on garage sale finds and hand-me-downs!