Got a budget this Christmas and still hoping to purchase amazing gifts? You can have both. One-of-a-kind vintage goodies, high-end apparel, toys and clothes for kids– your local thrift store is bound to have all that and more. AND priced even more affordably in honor of Black Friday. Sure, there will be great sales going on at Wal-Mart and REI, but c’mon, thrifting is like pulling from Pandora’s box of recycled energy. Everything has a story. Gift those special items with a hand-written message telling a made-up tale of where it might have come from! Take as many creative liberties as you can imagine! (i.e. This particular leather-bound book is said to have come from another realm, where mythical beasts thrive on mangoes that grow ripest during winter!… Of course, it doesn’t have to make any sense!)Read on to learn how!
1. Ask Early-On about the Hours and Deals at Your Local Thrift Shops
Save yourself (and the planet) some gasoline, time and disappointment by verifying that they’ll be open for business. Once you have that figured out, ask them if they’ll be having any specials going on. Don’t be ashamed to ask– thrift shops are super affordable, which is why we go to them in the first place. But even the business-owners want more sales on such a purchase-driven day. They’ll be happy to tell you. They know you’ll bring your friends!
2. Go to a Bigger City
So you want a little adventure, huh? Make a Fun-day Friday out of checking out the thrift game in a bigger city. Have lunch at a cafe with a name that makes you smile. Take your time seeing the city, poking your head into the most extraordinary shops you happen to come across. Just because it’s Black Friday doesn’t mean you have to join the rat-race. If you’re a thrifter, you already know that you’ll find what you’re meant to find– no need to rush through the day stressed and wishing it to end. It pays to secondhand shop– those gently used things and stuffs are just waiting for you to take them on a road-trip home and give them purpose!
3. Get an Idea of What You’re Looking For
You don’t necessarily have to have a plan, but if you’re looking for a canister set to clean-up and splash some paint on, or winter hiking boots for your trip to Colorado, now is a fun time to practice manifesting. We all know that it’s sometimes hit-or-miss when thrifting, but it doesn’t hurt to try! And hey, even if you don’t find exactly what was on your list, you may stumble across an unusual piece of artwork that would suit your sister’s apartment perfectly. Keep those peepers open! You never know what treasures you’ll discover (like a gloriously hideous Christmas sweater that will surely have everyone rolling with laughter at the office Christmas party)!
Got some Black Friday Thrifting tips to share with the world? Let us know in the comments below!