I love the looks on friends' faces when I respond to their "where did you get it?" with "Goodwill!" But, let me tell you, it's not easy, always. Sometimes there are gems, sometimes there are duds.
I can only speak to my town's Goodwill. I've poked my head in other local thrift stores, only to find a smaller selection of less-appealing, higher-priced items, so I find it's not really even worth my while to go anymore. I am lucky to live in an affluent community, full of college-aged girls. Granted, I can't wear leggings and Uggs to work, but there is still enough of a population donating high-quality clothes to Goodwill that I can almost always find something I am looking for. The less-obvious benefit of living in a community full of college girls is that there is usually a plethora of clothing on the smaller end of the size spectrum.
After weeding through the leggings and grandma-elastic-waist polyester gabardine pants, I have been able to replace many basics. I also keep a running list of more au courant items that I would love to find, so that when I shop, I can look for specific pieces. On the list currently is a crisp white button-down; sheath dresses; cardigans; and colored pants. I crossed "white pants" off the list a few weeks ago, with a fabulous pair of white bootcut jeans.
I'm still replacing basics, too. I have yet to find a pair of black work trousers. And I'm not 100% satisfied with the gray pair I have, but they'll do until I find the right pair. The beauty of shopping this way is that I can treat some of my clothing finds as disposable. They're inexpensive enough that I haven't lost out on my investment, even if I only wear them a few times before finding The Right Pieces to replace them with. Similarly, I don't find myself holding onto pieces if I don't continue to love them, or if they don't continue to fit, or if they meet with an unfortunate end due to an ironing mishap. Instead of keeping them in my closet, taking up space, I simply pass them on again.
But I don't have tiiimmmmeeee to do all that weeding! Neither do I. And it does take time. A lot of time. But, it can be as time-consuming as you want it to be. Sometimes I will go in with a definitive piece to find: a pair of jeans, for example. Then, if I'm in it for efficiency, I'm not even going to look at the other clothes, as tempting as they are. I've figured out that the best way to do it, unfortunately, is just to go through every.single.item.
You can do it quickly. Pass over the pants that are clearly too big. Or too small. Or not the right color. Or the right cut. If it looks promising, take a look at the size. If it might fit, put it in the basket to try on. All told, I'll take about 5-10 pairs of jeans in the dressing room at one time.
Then, it's like blitzkrieg. Put it on. Does it fit? No? Off they go. Yes? How is the fit? Is it passable or impeccable? Do I like the way they look? These are all split-second decisions I make when trying something on. Sometimes, I'll keep a pair out in the basket, and return everything else to the "put back" rack. Then, I'll usually go through the entire rack of jeans again. And sometimes, I'll see something I missed on the first round. I've become more discriminating now that I have built a comfortable wardrobe. I will pass up on items that aren't perfectly perfect, where I might have purchased them to bridge a gap in the past. And, if I'm only shopping for that one thing, I can usually manage to be done in an hour or so. But even combing through nearly every item in the store, casting out for new finds without any agenda, trying on probably a hundred pieces total, usually only takes an afternoon, at best.
And that's how I do it.
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