Back to School on a Budget with ThriftSmart

I absolutely love a good deal and I don’t mind hunting for one. I find great pleasure in discovering a diamond in the rough, especially when it comes to clothes and home goods. I’ve been thrift store shopping for years and have clothed my kids in my finds since they were itty bitty.

This week we had the opportunity to partner with a local shop, ThriftSmart to hunt for back to school treasures. I love this organization because of their mission. 100% of their proceeds benefit charity. They have a passion to minister to our community and they do it smart. (and clean, their stores are so clean!)

If you don’t live in the Nashville area, I encourage you to find a similar organization in your hometown. It feels good to shop in a store that you know is impacting lives. No politics, no secrets. There are many, similar companies out there. If you love thrift store shopping as much as I do, ask around and do a little research until you find one.

For those who live in the Nashville area, we’re celebrating ThriftSmart’s Back to School sale, Thursday August 3rd the entire store is 50% off! Make plans to stop by the Franklin or Nashville store to hunt for your own treasures! (If you can’t make it this week, Thursday, August 17th is also 50% off the entire store for National Thrift Shop Day!)

I’m sharing our find over on the ThriftSmart blog this week. Click HERE to get a peek at what my kids will be wearing this school year. But before you go, check out these tips for successful thrift store shopping:

Back to School on a Budget with ThriftSmart

• Make a list of what you are hunting for before you go. It can be overwhelming to weed through an entire store. Having a few things in mind will help as you scan and browse quickly.
• Look through every size. Sometimes items are misplaced or sizing runs differently for different brands. Browse through every size, especially for kids clothing. You never know what you’ll find!
• Buy forward. If I find a great $2 shirt for my son or $3 dress for my daughter but it’s a bit big, I buy it anyway and save it for later. If it’s a great find, it’s worth storing for the future. I keep buying forward to a minimum so I don’t have to store piles of clothes. You’ll know if it’s worth the closet space.
• Keep an eye out for high end brands. Even if they won’t work for your child, buy it anyway and share it with someone. I have several friends who make money buying and reselling thrift store finds on Facebook or other resell platforms. There are a lot of expensive clothing treasures to be found out there!

Speaking of treasures, hop on over to the ThriftSmart blog HERE to see what we found this week and read a few more helpful thrift store shopping tips!

Do you love to shop thrift stores for yourself or your kids? What are some of your best tips? What has been your best find?

This post is sponsored in partnership with ThriftSmart. I was given a gift card in exchange for a review of my shopping experience. We had a great time and came home with lots of amazing finds! A successful thrift store shopping experience for sure! We love ThriftSmart!