Finding deals at yard sales, auctions, thrift stores and in clearance aisles has been a passion of my family since before I was born. Just two generations back, thriftiness was absolutely essential to stretch the family’s income to supply everything needed to raise several children. However, even today, when thriftiness is definitely helpful but not the difference between life and death, myself and my family pride ourselves on always finding the best deals around.

If you were not fortunate

enough to have several aunties and a grandma to teach you how to rack up major savings anywhere you go, then this article is for you. Today I am just going to focus on getting the most bang for your buck at thrift stores. In the future, you will see more articles from me about how to be frugal, but for now, here is a general guide to how to score savings at thrift stores.

First and foremost, create a budget for yourself. Yes, you can be a little flexible. Sometimes there are amazing deals that will go over your budget, but will save you so much money in the long run. If you find something you truly need (bed frame, heater, mini fridge, etc.) that is on the pricey side for you, then consider cutting back on other miscellaneous expenses for the week so you won’t suffer economically by making that purchase.

However, if you do not absolutely need to buy something, then make a budget and stick to it. Trust me, when you find yourself in a secondhand store you really love and everything seems to be dirt cheap, it will be so tempting to buy everything in sight. As a child, that is exactly what I would do; of course, back then it was my parents or my birthday money paying for all of those unnecessary toys. I am a grown adult now, and so are you, so make a budget and unless absolutely necessary, do not waiver from it.

Second, once you arrive, have a plan of the path you will take through the store. In a large thrift store, such as a Goodwill Outlet, the massive amount of items staring back at you when you walk in can be overwhelming. Think about what category of goods is most important for you on this trip. Maybe you really need to find an outfit for an event coming up, perhaps you are in the mood for a good read, or you know you need to find some furniture for your new place. Even if you do not have a specific item in mind when you arrive, having somewhat of an idea about what items are most appealing to you at the moment will help you figure out what areas of the store to prioritize and visit first.

(Photo credit + awesome blog for goth thrift shoppers here.)

As you meander through the aisles, it is likely that something wonderful will catch your eye. For me, it is usually a funky shirt or dress that grabs my attention and calls out for me to empty my wallet. Once you have found an item that you are considering buying, check everything. Look for stains, look for those pesky little holes that develop on the front of tops near where your pants begin, look for pilling, particularly in the underarm area of tops and on the inner thighs for pants. If you find any defects, think about how much life the item has left. A candle holder with a small chip on the top will probably be just fine, but a pair of jeans with fraying pant legs may not be usable for much longer.

Of course, don’t expect everything at a thrift store to be in great condition. However, don’t put up with paying the tagged price for an item that is obviously flawed. If you still want the damaged item, consider asking for a discount. Most thrift stores will write “as is” on the tag if they recognize that the item is flawed-- this means that they will not lower the price. But if “as is” is not on the tag, feel free to show a store worker the defects and ask for a discount. The worse they can say is no. At that point, it is up to you if the damaged item is something you want to pay the price for.

This last tip is something I learned at a very young age-- put everything you might possibly want in your cart. See a nice pair of shoes but not sure if you have an outfit to go with them? Put them in the cart and think on it as you continue through the store. Notice a couple fashionable pairs of pants but don’t know which one to choose? In the cart they go; you can always decide later which one to buy. Remember that there is usually only one of everything in a secondhand store, so if you leave something in the hopes of grabbing it later, it could be gone forever. It is always better to have a lot in your cart and go through the items later than to comb through the whole store trying to find that knickknack you saw half an hour ago.

A word of caution here: employees may say something to you if you have an extremely large amount of items in your cart. The employee may be worried that you will throw all of the things you end up not buying in a random aisle, which would lead to a lot of unnecessary work for the employee. Or the employee may just not want to spend a ton of time putting back clothes you will try on but ultimately leave scattered about the dressing room. (Don’t do either of these things please!) Therefore, if you are dedicating a lot of time on this trip or are finding an overwhelming amount of treasures, try going through your pile once half of your cart is full. That way you can put back items you know you definitely are not going to buy and free up room for other goodies waiting to be discovered.

There are so many little tips and tricks you are bound to pick up as you frequent thrift stores more often. You will learn which ones have the best sales and when, you will develop the patience and stamina to dig through discount bins and you will come to recognize the “brand” each store has and what styles can be found at each. For now, I leave you with the above tips in the hopes that they will make the journey of developing your thriftiness a little easier. Have fun, please don’t ever actually pop tags and score some major savings.