A frugal mom's guide to thrift fashion and affordable secondhand style
Thrift chains, consignment shops and resale apps compared, with a checklist for spotting quality before you pay.
A child outgrows a pair of jeans in about six months. Paying $25 for new ones every time adds up fast when there are three kids and one of you. A thrift store can put the same jeans on the rack for $4 to $6, and they have usually already been washed a dozen times, so they will not shrink any further.
Thrift shopping takes more time than clicking “add to cart,” and that is the real trade. You swap money for a little patience and a sharp eye. This guide shows where to go and how to make each trip count.
Know the kinds of secondhand stores
Not every secondhand shop works the same way, and each is good for different things.
Donation thrift stores take nearly everything people give away and price it low. Racks are big, sizes can be mixed, and quality varies from brand new with tags to worn out. This is where the lowest prices are.
Consignment and resale shops pick what they accept and usually pay the seller a share. Prices are higher, but the racks are sorted and the clothes are newer.
Online resale such as ThredUp, Poshmark and eBay lets you search by brand and size from the couch. It is great for replacing a specific item, like the exact jeans that fit you, and you can sell your own outgrown clothes on the same apps. Shipping and fees eat into the savings on cheap items, so it works best for pieces over $15.
The big thrift chains
Goodwill is the name most Americans know, with stores run by independent regional organizations, which is why pricing and sale days differ from one area to the next. Many Goodwill locations run a weekly color-tag discount, where one tag color is marked down, so ask at the register which color is on sale.
The Salvation Army Family Stores are another nationwide option, and they carry clothing, furniture and housewares.
For racks sorted by size and color, try Savers Thrift Store, a for-profit chain that buys donated goods from partner nonprofits. Some of its stores go by the name Value Village. Because everything is arranged by category, size and color, it is easy to walk straight to “women’s medium, blue tops” and be done in 20 minutes.
Regional chains such as Thrift Town and Unique Thrift, plus local church and hospital auxiliary shops, round things out. Church shops in particular tend to have the lowest prices, and many are run by volunteers who know their stock well.
For kids, Once Upon a Child buys and sells children’s clothing, shoes and gear, and Plato’s Closet does the same for teen and young adult styles.
A quality checklist before you pay
The price is low, but a stained shirt is still a waste of $3. Check each piece in good light:
- Armpits, collar and cuffs for yellowing and stains.
- Seams along the sides and crotch. Gently pull; they should not open.
- Zippers all the way up and down, and buttons all present.
- Pilling on sweaters and knits, especially under the arms.
- Fabric content on the label. Wool, cotton, linen and silk tend to age well; very thin polyester knits often do not.
- Smell. Smoke and mildew are very hard to wash out.
Try things on. Thrift stores have fitting rooms, and sizes from different decades and brands are all over the map. The body type guide will help you grab the cuts that are most likely to fit before you even get to the fitting room.
Shop with a plan
Keep a running list in your phone notes: sizes for every family member, the gaps in each closet, and the colors you already own. When a family shops together, give each child a small budget, $10 each for example, and let them hunt. It turns an errand into a game and they learn early that a price tag is something to think about.
Some tips that save time:
- Go on weekday mornings if you can. Stores are quieter and many put out new stock through the week.
- Check the housewares and linens aisles too. Pillowcases, curtains and tablecloths make good fabric for sewing projects.
- Look past the season. Winter coats cost less in April; buy the next size up for the kids.
- Set a spending cap before you walk in. Low prices make it easy to buy things you do not need.
A family example
Here is what a back-to-school trip might look like for a family with two kids:
| Item | Thrift price | New price, typical |
|---|---|---|
| 4 pairs of kids’ jeans | $20 | $80 |
| 6 kids’ tops | $18 | $60 |
| 2 hoodies | $10 | $40 |
| Mom’s blazer | $8 | $60 |
| Total | $56 | $240 |
Exact prices vary by store and region, but the gap is usually that wide. Put the difference toward the family budget, a savings jar or a family vacation fund.
When you get home
Treat the bag like laundry, not like shopping. Empty it straight into the washer, or into a bin by the laundry room, so nothing lands on a bed or couch first. Wash on the warmest setting each label allows, then dry on high heat where the fabric can take it.
This is also the moment for small fixes. Sew on a missing button, run a fabric shaver over a pilled sweater, and use a stain remover on any spot you decided to gamble on. Anything that still is not right after one wash goes straight back into the donation bag, so it never takes up closet space. A dollar lost on a dud is part of the game, and it happens less once you get used to the checklist above.
Thrift for style, not only savings
Thrift stores are also the best place for pieces that make an outfit: a vintage leather belt, a wool coat in a bright color, a silk blouse. They carry older styles that are no longer sold anywhere, which means your outfit looks like nobody else’s. Pair one statement find with plain basics and you have the kind of look covered in inexpensive ways to look polished.
Buying used also keeps clothing out of landfills and cuts down on how much new clothing needs to be made, which is a nice bonus on top of the savings.
Turning your closet into cash
When clothes are outgrown, they can pay for the next round. Resale shops buy current styles in good condition, and online apps work for brand names. For bigger lots or collectibles, the guide to selling on eBay explains how to list and ship. Whatever does not sell can go back to a donation store; ask for a receipt, since donations to qualified charities may be deductible if you itemize, and IRS.gov explains how to value them.
For more ways to stretch a household budget, the family and home money savers page is a good next stop.
Before you leave the store, check the pockets of everything you bought. Old receipts, a stray dollar and the occasional gift card turn up now and then.
Questions, answered
Should you wash thrift store clothes before wearing them?
Yes. Wash everything on the warmest setting the care label allows, and dry on high heat if the fabric can take it. Heat takes care of most concerns, including the rare bedbug. Items that cannot be washed, like wool coats, can go in the dryer on high for 30 minutes or to the dry cleaner. Check shoes and bags inside and wipe them with a disinfecting cloth.
Is consignment better than thrift?
It depends on what you want. Consignment shops choose what they accept, so racks are cleaner, sizes are sorted and brands are newer, but prices are higher. Thrift stores take nearly everything, so you dig more and pay less. For kids' clothes that are outgrown in months, thrift is usually the better deal; for a work blazer or a coat, consignment saves time.
Can you sell clothes back to secondhand stores?
Some stores buy clothes for cash or store credit, especially resale chains like Plato's Closet for teen and young adult styles and Once Upon a Child for kids' clothing and gear. Traditional thrift stores such as Goodwill take donations only. Bring clean, current-season items, since buyers are picky, and expect to be paid a fraction of what the store will charge.
What sells for the least at thrift stores?
Basic T-shirts, jeans and children's clothing are usually the cheapest items, often a few dollars each, and they are also where thrift saves families the most money over a year. Designer labels, leather and vintage pieces are often priced higher or pulled for special racks, but still well below retail.