The Mermaidens Thrifting Guide

There is nothing quite as satisfying as emerging from your local thrift store after digging for hours, clutching your hidden gems closely! Since I've been thrifting for as long as I can remember, I wanted to share an updated guide on how to thrift like a pro! Huge thank you to Courtney for these pictures ♡

Visit All the Thrift Stores in Your Area
And go often! Over time, you will get an idea of where has the best prices, best pieces, and when the best times of day to thrift are for each store! Don't get discouraged if you don't find anything good at first - the more you go, the better thrifter you'll become. The Thrift Shopper is an amazing directory that lists thrift stores in your area.

Flex Those diy Skills
Sometimes, you'll find a piece with a hideous cut, but gorgeous fabric - this is the perfect opportunity to flex your DIY skills! You can repurpose it into a skirt, fabric hair bow - even a backdrop for photos. Found a boring but sweet dress? You can use fabric paint and/or fabric dye to spice it up. The possibilities are endless!

Go With a Friend
Some of my favorite hangouts with friends are the ones where we thrifted together! It's fun to get each other's perspective on potential purchases, as well as finding pieces for each other.

Learn Your Fabrics
With a bit of knowledge on how certain fabrics look and feel, you'll know to snap it up when you stumble upon a skirt made with expensive fabric that's a steal for $4!

Go Through Everything
The beauty of thrifting is you never know what you'll find! When thrifting, I try to comb through everything - even the men's and children sections! Some of my holy grail pieces were found in the "wrong" section.
Don't Forget the Hand Sanitizer...
I'm a bit of a germaphobe, so this is a big one for me - don't forget to thoroughly sanitize any find you take home as well!

What was your most cherished thrifted find?

Photos by Courtney