Thrifted Thursday- A Few of My Favorite Stores

Hello! Welcome to another Thrifted Thursday! I just realized that I don't have any pictures for you today... hmmm... maybe I need to make the rounds of some thrift stores in the near future!

In lieu of pictures, today, I wanted to share some of favorite stores with you:

*Goodwill- Since moving here to El Paso, I've come to LOVE Goodwill! And lucky me, there's one about 2 blocks from my house!! 
Some things to remember when shopping at Goodwill:
1. Clothing is organized by color, not size... which is nice if you're looking for a particular item (like a navy top), but not so nice if you have only a short amount of time and just want to look for your own size.
2. Every week, there's a certain color of tag that is 1/2 off. Always check when you come in what color that is- I've based several decisions about whether to buy something on if it was half off or not (I know, I know, I'm a cheapskate).
3. At least here in El Paso, Tuesday is military discount day!!! I don't know if that applies to anyone else reading this, but I can get an extra 15% off of regularly priced items on Tuesdays. Yay!
4. I've noticed that Target donates a lot of their "surplus" stuff to Goodwill, so sometimes you can find brand new Target brands at Goodwill for WAY less!
For a location near you, check out the Goodwill website.
Best finds- oh my goodness, I have found a TON of stuff at Goodwill... I guess the things that cmoe to mind are some Ralph Lauren leather pumps for $4 and a Kathy Van Zeeland purse for $2.

*Savers
1. Clothing is organized by size, which makes shopping a little faster.
2. Savers also has 1/2 off colored tags and military discounts (Wednesday).
3. Savers stores are usually a little more well organized, and have a larger inventory (at least that's what I've found here in El Paso).
4. The prices differ from item to item (instead of "all shirts are $4.75," there's a range depending on brand and condition), and I've found that sometimes, prices are a little high. For instance, at a Savers I went to recently, I found several items of clothing from Target that were over $10 a piece, but a Diane Von Furstenburg wrap dress for $6. So you just have to keep an eye out for good deals and pass on things that might not be a bargain.
5. The Savers here in El Paso have racks of jewelry at pretty good prices- I love combing through their selection for great finds!
6. If you take a bag of clothes with you to donate, you get a coupon for 20% off at that store! When M was here visiting, I had a couple of bags that I needed to take, so I took one and she took one, and we both got coupons. If you're going to donate something anyway, it's nice to get a little something in return. :)
Find out more about Savers here.
Best finds: A J. Crew leather jacket for N for $12.50 and a Jessica London dress for $3 (which I haven't worn yet because it's a "fall" dress, but when I do, I'll share pictures!).

*Consignment stores
When we lived in Sierra Vista, I loved Twice as Nice, and here in El Paso, I like Designer's Encore. 
1. These stores tend to be a little more "picky" in what they buy, so you're getting nicer things, but you'll also pay slightly higher prices. This takes away some of the "excitement" of a treasure hunt, but you can still be thrilled that you're getting great stuff for WAY less than you'd pay at a regular store.
2. You can take clothes in to sell and make a little money or get store credit. Twice as Nice buys your clothes outright, while Designer's Encore sells them and gives you a part of the selling price.
Best finds: Old Navy dress from Twice as Nice for $7 that I wear ALL the time, and Kate Spade sandals from Designer's Encore  for $14.

Of course, there are many other places to thrift- yard sales, online (ebay, threadflip, etc.), but I just picked a few of my favorite places. What are your favorite thrifting spots?

Happy thrifting!!

                                                                                                         -J