My favorite thrifted items over the years

It’s no secret that one of my favorite things in the whole world is thrifting. Basically every weekend (and sometimes more than once a week), you can find me at a thrift store. Salvation Army, Goodwill, local thrift shops, I’m with ’em all. Since so much of my house is comprised of secondhand things, I thought I would share my favorite thrifted items with you all.

I do take pride in my ability to dig through every single item in the thrift store and find hidden treasures. Everyone knows I’m a damn good rummager. But I wanted to share some of my favorites with you all to maybe give you some inspiration and convert you to a thrifter if you’re stuck on the anti-secondhand wave.

a new favorite

I present to you the inspiration for this post. Just the other day, I was at Goodwill, doing my thing. And I came across this for $20. I’ve been searching all over the internet and thrift stores for the perfect desk chair so I could finally put one of my dining room chairs back. But they were all underwhelming and/or about $150. This one hyped me right up because it’s comfy, sturdy, and fits the vibe of the lounge chair in my office.

This honestly might be one of my ultimate favorite thrifted items. I’m sitting in it right now while typing this, and let me tell you. I feel like a real badass boss.

a diy’d favorite

If you read my when in quarantine home projects post, you’ve seen this. I really wish I had a before picture to show the difference. But this mirror is definitely a testament to the value of looking beyond what’s in front of you while thrifting. It started out as a boring, kinda beat up, dull gold mirror. But just a simple coat of yellow paint makes it a statement piece for guests to see as soon as they walk through the door.

it pays to go to the middle of nowhere

This is one of the several items that I got at a swap meet up north. Although the placement of it behind this couch is not ideal, I still love this piece. It’s sturdy, since it’s made of heavy iron, but still delicate with the glass and curved details. And I love the hairpin legs.

This did require a quick coat of copper-colored spray paint, to cover up the dull black brass, I’d say this was a pretty solid find for $7!

I love going to thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets, etc. in the middle of nowhere or in a small town. In the big cities, thrifting is all the rage. But in small towns, there’s less of a demand, so that means less competition to buy all the good shit.

my all-time favorite thrifted item

I found this clothing rack in the attic of this secondhand place in my hometown. On the main floor, they sell all of the refurbished stuff. But in the attic, they have all of the raw items that are definitely a little rougher and dustier than the rest. Tucked away in a little corner was this disassembled clothing rack. I think it was like $20, and I had to have it.

This was when I was in late high school or early middle school. And I still have it.

For the first several years of its life with me, it was a shiny chrome. But during quarantine, I had the idea to paint it matte black to make it match with the handles of my dresser and make it look a little less retail-y.

I have a feel this is going to stay with me for years to come.

So many accessories

Even if you’re not so lucky to find large pieces secondhand, there are always accessories. Search every single shelf, and you’ll find something almost every time. Basically my whole mantel is thanks to the thrift stores. Look for candle holders, little trinkets, mirrors, pieces of art, baskets. They usually got it all.

Hopefully I’ve made a good case for you to get on the thrifting wave now. Clearly, you can find some great shit, plus you’re saving money and helping to reduce waste in the world. How could you not thrift??

keep it thrifty, and
keep it homey, homies

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