It’s Never to Early to Plan–Thrift Shopping 101

While many of my weekends are spent shopping flea markets and antique stores, it’s all prep work for my big thrifting adventure coming in August….The Longest Yard Sale  (August 2-5th)

Last year the hubby and I dabbled in the Longest Yard Sale, making our way from Gadsden,  Alabama to Chattanooga, Tennessee in one day.  This year we have bigger plans, allocating three days for the sale.  Our plans are to drive to Kentucky, stay overnight with my brother in Louisville and then the next day start our yard sale adventure in Frankfort, Kentucky.  Over the course of three days we plan to make our way from Kentucky all the way back to Atlanta. Rumor has it that Kentucky has some of the best deals and items along the entire route!

The Longest Yard Sale Route

To say that I was a bit overwhelmed at the sale last year would be an understatement.  I didn’t know what to expect, wasn’t fully prepared for how hot it was and definitely did not dress the part of a Longest Yard Sale attendee.  This year I’m going to have all my ducks in a row and will shop the sale like a veteran.

Whether you’re shopping the Longest Yard Sale or staying closer to home, here are a few of the thrifting tips I use now and plan to use in August to make the most of my shopping adventure.

• Develop a Plan–when you hit the road to shop, it’s always a good idea to map out where you’re going, what stores you want to see and to check whether the stores are having events or sales.  I get emails from all my favorite stores and plan my shopping to take advantage of all their sale and promotions.  For the yard sale, we’re planning to cover a set number of miles each day ensuring we make it back home by Sunday evening.

• What to Bring—over the last two years of thrift shopping I’ve learned what to bring with me to make the trip more successful.

• Make a List–I keep a running list of items I’m looking for in my purse and on my iPhone.  You can easily get overwhelmed when thrifting and having a list to reference will make sure your don’t overlook something or over spend.  My shopping list for the Longest Yard Sale is growing daily but includes things like vintage papers and ribbons, lamps, picture frames china and vintage jewelry.

• Dress Comfortably–It only took several thrifting trips for me to realize that wearing my cute stuff was not the way to go when “junkin”.  Thrift shopping calls for comfortable shoes and clothes.  The Longest Yard Sale is mostly outdoors, in extreme heat, so dressing comfortable is a necessity.  Closed toe shoes are also a good idea since you may be climbing over bad junk to get to the good stuff.

• Roll while you Walk–When I shop locally I carry a large tote bag with me instead of my purse.  A tote bag makes it easy to carry your purchases and keep your hands free for more shopping.  For the Longest Yard Sale I plan to carry a collapsible rolling cart that will make shopping a breeze.  A rolling cart is a good investment if you do a lot of thrifting.  Here’s the one I’ve purchased.

Jumbo Shopping Cart–Wal-Mart $44.00

• Negotiate—I learned with thrifting that you should always ask a seller if  “is the best price you can do”?   Nine times out of 10 they will reduce the price for you.  Don’t be afraid to negotiate especially if you’re paying case for something.  Cash is king and it usually will get you better deal.

• Break and Rethink–It’s always a good idea when you’re spending the day shopping to walk around a store once before you make a purchase.  Check things out and then take a moment to stop and think about what you’ve seen and what you really want to purchase.  Of course if you see something you absolutely love grab it up right away and then think about it as you walk to make sure!  During the Longest Yard Sale you’re driving from one spot to another so you’ll have to make decisions more quickly… back-tracking is really not an option. Last year I passed up a couple of amazing things because I was pondering the purchase and by the time I had made the decision to buy, we were already about 10 miles down the road. 

• Read Up and Research–I consider myself a pretty good shopper, knowing what details to look for in most pieces.  To increase my knowledge base for the yard sale I’ve been reading several books on thrifting and vintage goods.   All of these books offer great tips on shopping and pricing and have loads of creative ideas on how to repurpose vintage pieces into your decor. 

Lara Spencer’s book is AWESOME!  It’s loaded with beautiful images of her reworked flea market and garage sales finds and shows the price she paid for each.  Her favorite shopping spots are included in the book and she offers up some great tips to make the most of your money and shopping skills.

This book is loaded with great ideas on repurposing vintage finds.  My personal decor is nowhere near shabby chic or cottage but there is lots of inspiration in this book that will work with any style of decor.

Matthew Meads book is all about visual inspiration.  From entertaining ideas and displaying collections to restyling furniture and accessorizing, this is a book you’ll refer to on many occasions.  The book-a-zine version of this publication can be purchased at your local bookstore or you can buy the Amazon version which has about 10 added pages in it.

Another good book full of ideas and inspiration.  Also, check out the blog, JunkMarket Style that Sue Whitney pens!

My big trip is about 3 months away but it’s never to early to start planning!  I hope you find my thrifting tips helpful and that you find good stuff when you’re out shopping!

What’s your favorite part of thrifting or junkin?  And, what’s on your shopping list??