Savers!

I love thrifting!  I'm hoping to do a whole series on the thrift stores of Ogden, starting with this one.
I first set foot in the Ogden Savers in July 1998, which means I have loved this store for thirteen years.  As a mother it has been an essential tool in caring for my kids on a tiny budget. 

Today wasn't just any old day at Savers.  Today was half-price day!

These are days on or near holidays when everything (well, almost everything, not furniture) is half price.  People show up early so they can be among the first to get in at 7:00 am.  I avoid that mad house because I know a few secrets.  First, their awesome staff continues putting huge numbers of new(well new to them) items out on the floor all day.  Second, every day is sale day at Savers.  Each week new items are given a certain color sticker.  Every Monday the oldest color become half price and any items left from the previous weeks half-price color become 99 cents.  I love the challenge of finding treasures that have missed the eyes of other thrifters for so many weeks.  That said, I never like to miss a day when everything is on sale so I arrived promptly at 11:00, long after the early throngs were gone. 
When thrifting it is best to show up with a list.  I put everything in different categories.

                           Items I need now.  Such as a dress, a swim suit and new shoes for my daughter.

                     

                                                                

            dress $3

blouse $2.50

$3

Brown shoes $3.50

black shoes $1.50

Items I'll need in the future

black snow pants $2.50

purple snow pants $3.50

This can save you a ton of money, because it saves you from buying whatever you can find and paying whatever they're asking if you wait until you need it.

Things I want

scarf $1.50

I'm trying to learn to accessorize and dress outside my box.

$3.50

This shirt is unlike anything I've worn before.  I'm excited to see what I do with it.

I also went with a budget.  I didn't allow myself to go over $50.  This forced me to only get the items I needed and absolutely loved.  I adjust my budget based on my needs and my monthly budget, of course.

I also bought another dress and two skorts for my daughter, and jeans and two more shirts for me.  Nothing for the other kids because their closets are overflowing.

Some rules I go by when thrifting.

1. Never buy something if you don't know what you'll use it for.

2. Wear tight fitting clothing so you can try clothing on over them.  Some stores don't prewash clothing (Savers does) and fitting rooms are a bear.  I learned this trick from Shana at Color Blind.

3. Don't buy anything you won't be able to use in the next year. 

4. Buy for your size.  I have a closet full of clothes one size to small for me.  They aren't doing me any good so I don't need to add to them.  I'll only buy one size up for the kids because I don't like to store them.

3. Less is more.  I'ts nice to come home with a few things you love and know you will love.  More just becomes overwhelming. 

Oh, I also bought this flat sheet.

                                                                            $3
I immediately thought of a couple projects I'm doing when I saw this.  Don't be surprised to see this featured in some future blogs.  Top sheets hardly get any wear but are always tossed out when the bottom sheet wears out.  They are an excellent source of cheap, high quality fabric.

And my $50 budget? 

All in all a very good day at Savers!