12 Months of Thrifting

This year, I’m kicking off a series with Goodwill Akron called 12 Months of Thrifting that will break down the art of thrifting for new thrifters and will help you build a wardrobe of thrifted essentials you can wear season after season.

Building a wardrobe that consists mostly of thrifted clothing doesn’t happen overnight, it takes several purposeful shopping trips to the thrift store. However, it’s totally possible.  For the sake this post, I counted everything I owned and determined that 96% of my wardrobe consists of thrifted clothing.  I’ve built this wardrobe over the course of several years and by following a few basic tips that I teach and preach over and over in my Thrift Night Out classes:

1) I thrift staples and essentials that can be worn several different ways
2) I’ve made the thrift store my go-to place for shopping
3) I thrift shop with a specific idea in mind.

Start off 2016 by following these prompts to build a thrifted wardrobe and then close out the year with a closet full of essentials that cost a fraction of what they would have cost at a regular retail store.

Twelve Months of Thrifting Challenge
Here’s how it works: 

  • Follow the prompts: For each month in 2016, use this prompt to shop for specific items at your local thrift store. There’s no spending limit, as long as you thrift the item. Take a screen shot of the graphic and save it on your phone so you can refer to it when you’re shopping. Take your time thrifting the item.
  • Be inspired: I’ll be sharing a post at the beginning of each month on the blog as well as the Goodwill Akron blog highlighting the featured item and will provide styling and thrifting tips, so be sure to follow along to make the most out of your purchases!
  • Share: At the end of each month, I’ll share participant photos to encourage a community of thrifters.  If you are interested in participating, email me your photos dinasdays at gmail dot com by the 29th of each month or tag your photo on Instagram with #12MonthsofThrifting and I’ll grab your photo from there. Be sure to follow @dinasdays and @goodwillakron on Instagram for lots of thriftspiration!

Please note: if your social accounts are private, we can’t see your photos! Be sure your account it public if you want us to share your photos.  
 

Tips:

  • Take it one item at a time. Be very specific and intentional with your shopping. If you need additional thrift tips, you can always contact me with questions or browse through the hundreds of thrift posts on Dina’s Days.
  • If you find yourself becoming more comfortable in the thrift store halfway through the challenge and feel you’re able to knock several things off your list at once, go ahead! Just don’t bite off more than you can chew.
  • If you don’t find it on the first try, go back. Try a different thrift store. You might not find what you’re looking for right away, but don’t give up. The goal here is to familiarize yourself with the thrift store, and one of the most important tips is to remember that in order to be a successful thrifter, you must visit the thrift store often.
  • Follow me on snapchat (@dinasdays) because I live snap from the thrift store all the time. You will be able to learn tips live as I’m shopping at the store.

Bonus tip: 
Calculate how much you would have saved by thrifting and put the balance away in a fund. For example, say you would have typically spent $40 on a blazer at the mall, but found an essential staple blazer at Goodwill for $6, put the $34 in a fund and see how much you saved by the end of the challenge.

Now let’s get to thrifting!

You May Also Like