For first-time thrifters, walking inside a local Salvation Army or Value Village can be very intimidating. There are multiple racks of clothing lined up aisle-by-aisle. You would stare in awe and ask yourself, where the hell do I start? How do I start?

Thrifting is great for many reasons: It’s great for the environment, you’re able to find pieces that you would never find in shopping malls and it’s affordable. If you couldn’t tell from our thrift challenge video, here at VERONDRÉ we love to thrift.

A majority of the time, when someone asks me where I got something, I say I thrifted it. Prescylla hates asking me where I got things. She would always be like: “Do NOT tell me it’s thrif—” “It’s thrifted.” I say, cutting her off.

I’d like to say I’ve mastered the art of thrifting. After a few solo shopping trips, I’ve found a lot of gems, one including a vintage Burberry camel coat.

Here is what I’ve learned throughout the years:

Don’t enter without a vision

Always have an idea of what you want to get. Have some inspo pics on hand, otherwise, you’ll get lost in the sauce.

Don’t confine yourself to the women’s section

The men’s section has some great finds especially when you’re into oversized clothing and love the fit of men’s pants. The kid’s section is perfect if you have a petite frame, especially with jeans. Usually, the biggest kid’s size would fit me.

If it costs just as much as it would in stores, don’t get it

Canadian thrift stores can carry very pricey clothing. Resist the urge to buy. You’re there to buy USED and AFFORDABLE clothing. If you’re able to, go on the 50% off sale days!

Look through EVERYTHING!

This is probably the hardest part about thrifting. Don’t just skim through racks. If you wanna find some hidden gems, you have to go through every single item and examine it. Get your hands dirty (literally), shift every hanger to the left, to the left *cue Beyonce vocals* (or right).

Don’t just look through clothes

Go look at some purses, shoes and even books (I bought the whole Shopaholic series and a few books for school from the thrift store).