Thrift Shopping in Richmond: Come Shop With Me!

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I’ve loved thrift store shopping ever since I was a kid.

The idea that I can get something I need and only pay a fraction of the cost? Total win in my book.

The hurdle most people have to get over when thrift shopping is that middle stage, specifically the aspect that this item at the thrift store has been previously loved. Or to put it harshly, someone else (who might have lice and all sorts of other diseases) has worn this shirt, sat on this couch, and hung this picture on their wall!

Well, yeah. That could potentially happen. But then again, there’s always laundry detergent and cleaning products. So I for one choose to steel myself against a potentially nasty shopping experience in order to find some killer deals and save some mega cash.

After moving to Richmond this year, I scoped out several local thrift stores.

I have bought many items second hand, from furniture to cooking appliances.

“Hello, waffle iron. Meet bleach.”

But today, I’m going to show you some summer clothes I recently picked up for my husband, one of our kids, and myself. I’ll tell you brand names and let you guess the cost. Then, I’ll spill the actual amount I paid at the end.

Ready? Let’s go shopping!

1st stop: Salvation Army // 3807 Mechanicsville Tpke, Richmond

Little known fact: Many Salvation Army stores offer 50% off everything on Wednesdays. (Make sure you verify if your local store has this deal before planning your trip!) I popped in this Salvation Army store because my baby needed a pair of pants that would work for spring and summer. When I spotted these chambray pants from Old Navy, they immediately went into my cart.

   
Cost? I’ll tell you at the end of the shopping trip!

2nd stop: Goodwill // 10231 Washington Hwy, Glen Allen

I came to this Goodwill store specifically looking for shorts for myself. But while I was there, I remembered that my husband only had 2 pairs of shorts to his name and was lacking in tee shirts as well. So I popped over to the men’s section to see what was available. Here are the 2 outfits I bought for him:

 

And the outfit I bought myself:

Okay, I’m about shopped out, are you? Did you guess a total $ for these 7 items? Here’s the breakdown:

  • Old Navy chambray pants: $1
  • green American Eagle shirt: $2.99
  • gray Gap shorts: $2.99
  • blue Arizona Jeans shirt: $2.99
  • plaid American Eagle shorts: $2.99
  • khaki Loft shorts: $2.99
  • patterned Talbots top: $2.99

TOTAL COST: $18.94

I’m pretty sure there’s no way I could have bought one of those items for that price if I bought it at retail price! I definitely went away from these stores feeling like a total thrift store winner. And that’s the thing with thrift store shopping; some days it’s a total win. Other days, it’s just the opposite.

If YOU enjoy the thrill of the hunt + saving some cash, give your local thrift stores a try! And if you see a crazy mama in there with 4 kids along for the ride, please say hi. After all, there’s a pretty good chance it’s me. 😉