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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UMKC chapter.

Like my bio says, I love to thrift. Thrifting clothes is one of my favorite past times because while I love to shop, I also love not spending over 100 dollars on two or three items at one store. Have I been guilty of that? Many times. But, I always find myself going back to thrifting. Thrifting takes some time and patience, but some of the items you can find are truly one-of-a-kind.

Thrifting can be a bit overwhelming at times when you’re looking through hundreds of clothing items at one time, so before you jump right into any thrift store, try finding some outfit inspiration by scrolling through Pinterest and/or Instagram. You can even look through your friend’s closet! This will help you form an idea iof the style that you are looking for and what you will want to keep an eye out for.

Depending on where you live, there can be several different types of thrift stores ranging from Goodwill and Savers to trendy ‘80s and ‘90s vintage apparel stores. The vintage apparel stores will be a bit more expensive compared to a Goodwill because they have already done the digging for you and found those trendy one-of-a-kind pieces. If you are starting out in Goodwill or something similar, start by looking through the men’s t-shirts and women’s pants. Then move onto women’s blouses and other tops and after that, try and peruse through the belts and outerwear. Depending on what exactly you are looking for, consider walking through the dresses and maybe even shoes or purses. You never really know what you can find at a thrift store.

If you are thrifting at a vintage apparel store, go ahead and take your time and walk through all of the sections they have. Since they have already done the digging, you are not only going to find more items that are in decent condition, but also more pieces that you’re interested in. Some of the best things I’ve found while thrifting include vintage Levi’s jeans, denim jackets and endless graphic tees. If you are looking for some places to thrift, Plato’s Closet, Savers and Goodwill are some of my favorites.

The best days to thrift are Mondays through Wednesdays because most thrift stores are going to take at least 24 hours to put up all of the merchandise that they received over the course of the weekend. The process of thrifting is definitely a “don’t judge a book by its cover” kind of situation, but once you find your niche with thrift stores, you’ll get the hang of it in no time!

Emily is a writer for Her Campus UMKC. She is a senior currently studying environmental sciences and environmental sustainability, but loves writing creative content for different topics in life. She also has a podcast called "From Teens to Twenties" which you can find on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. In her free time she enjoys volunteering, studying at coffee shops, and thrifting like nobody's business.
Krit graduated with English and Chemistry degrees from UMKC. As the President and founder of UMKC’s chapter, she hopes HC UMKC will continue to create content that inspires students. Some of her favorite things include coffee and writing.