These 5 tips for Thrifting & Antiquing on a budget that I am sharing with you today will help you stay on budget & keep you from impulse buying on your next trip to the antique & thrift store!
I love to go thrifting & antiquing. Every now & then I will get the itch to thrift. I don’t know what it is? Maybe it’s the thrill of the hunt with finding the perfect treasure for a bargain price to use for my home decor.
What I have to keep in mind when I do go is to be sure I don’t buy something just because I just want it.
Let me ask you this! Do you ever think about when you go thrifting or antiquing you will be sure to find something that you love or do you think you should have it? This is what can lead to Impulse buying & too much clutter in your home.
It has to have a purpose
When I go thrifting, my sole purpose is to find something that needs to be for intentional use. This way I am not Impulse buying. Let’s face it we don’t want to feel that our home is cluttered with items that we thought we should have because we want it. Next thing you know, you wind up donating it back to the store because you are not using it at all. To me, that is just a waste of money spent. What if I don’t need it anymore?
Donate if no longer needed
It’s ok to donate back to the store if you once had a use for it & it’s no longer needed anymore. I have done this on many occasions. This is why I love to go thrifting. I don’t pay full price & the item served its purpose until it didn’t anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I love to find treasures for decor use as well. There are times when I am looking for a specific item for a space in my home, I don’t want to spend a ton of money so I will check out the local thrift & antique shops. Usually, I will find what I am looking for.
There are other places I will check out as well like the marketplace & Etsy & I have been successful. For example, I have this decorative tray with a candle & a birdcage that my plant sits in. However, I have been looking for something else to add and I had a little candy dish in mind. I didn’t want to spend more than $20 on it. I searched for a while & I found this cute milk glass candy dish on Etsy.
It was exactly what I wanted for that tray on my blanket chest & it was under my budget! Be patient & keep hunting!
Here are 5 tips for Thrifting & Antiquing on a budget that I want to share with you that I follow for you to carry with you on your next trip to a thrift store or antique shop. Set a Budget & stick to it!
- Have a budget set in mind. You can walk into a thrift store with twenty dollars & walk out with a ton of treasures. Be mindful of items that you are in search of so you don’t overspend. Always have a list!
- Keep a list on your cell phone or a tablet that you keep with you of what exactly you are thinking you will need. (For example, you have a party coming up in the next month or so & you are in need of a platter and/or serving bowls). Bargain for a deal!
- When you are looking at items in the thrift store or antique shop, make sure the item is in good condition And well priced. Don’t forget you can counteroffer with the seller. Most times, the seller will counteroffer back or take your offer. Make sure it will fit!
- Keep a list of measurements on your notes app on your phone of rooms & furniture. You never know if an item you found would fit on that bookshelf you have in your bedroom. This is a handy way to always keep measurements on hand! Make sure you have space for it.
- If you find an item that you like, don’t purchase it until you know where it will go in your home. When I first started going thrifting/antiquing, I had brought several things into my home & had no idea where to put them. It wound up in the attic & took up more space in my home. So be sure you know where it will be displayed!
I hope these 5 tips help you on your next thrifting & antiquing journey! Have you tried these tips, let me know in the comments.
Warmly,
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Thanks for the reminder to keep a list on my phone! Also to have a limit for purchase price. Great advice!
I’ve had an itch to go antique shopping for a while! I have a running list on my phone of what I need. Thank you for the reminder to add measurements when necessary! I want a small antique desk for a particular space and measurements would definitely be helpful if I come across something.
Oh I was gifted a secretary desk last year & I love it.
Such great tips (as always)! I always fall in love with the hugest pieces in the antique shop and my husband looks at me like “how would we even get that in the house?” haha! Definitely have measurements.
Thank you. I hope they hel! My husband is the same way. Lol