My Top 10 Thrift Store Shopping Tips: How To Decorate on a Budget (2024)

So, today I'm sharing my top 10 thrift store shopping tips to help you create a stylish home on a budget.
If I can do it, I know you can, too.You just have to get creative and be willing to get your hands a little dirty.

Let's get started.

#1. Look For Colorful Accessories:
When it comes to accessorizing your house, it's all about waiting for the right pieces and collecting things over time.

Nearly every dish in our kitchen has come from a thrift store, and I've ended up with a much cooler collection of dishes than I would have if I had bought everything new. Here's a peek inside one of our cabinets.

And my collection just keeps evolving over time as I find stuff I like.

If you're curious about those chalkboard cabinets, gohere.

One of my favorite finds were these gold mugs for $1.




#2. Keep An Open Mind:
Have an idea of the things you need, but be willing to adjust your plan if you find something amazing.
For example, a few weeks ago, I went looking for end tables and came home with a brass lantern. Sometimes you don't find what you're looking for, but instead find something else that you can use. I love repurposing old outdated chandeliers, and knew the minute I saw this one that I could make it amazing.

I ended up spray painting the lantern and hanging it in the office.

It was a super easy update and cost a fraction of the price that a new light fixture would have cost.

Spray paint tips here.

#3. Don't Be A Hoarder:
When you love thrifting as much as I do, it's a slippery slope to go from 'collector' to 'hoarder'. So, before you buy something at a thrift store, make sure it's something you need. Just because it's a great deal doesn't mean you should take it home and hoard it in your garage for 2 decades.
Like this bike.
My heart told me I needed it,but my brain said 'You haven't been on bike in a decade.
And the tire is flat.'.

#4. Go Often & Be Patient:
I don't always find something when I go thrifting. If I don't, it's okay. I just try again another day.
So, if all you see is this weird Alf lamp...

Just politely walk in the opposite direction and know that today wasn't your day.It will happen.You just have to keep trying.If at first you don't succeed, thrift, thrift again.

#5. Look For Quality Furniture:
Some thrift stores just suck when it comes to finding furniture with good bones. You know the sort of thrift store I speak of...the one that's been totally picked over.
But, they're not all like that.
I have the best luck finding goodfurniture when I visit the thrift stores near the nice parts of town. Don't get me wrong, you'll still find tons of junk in those, too, but your chances of finding the good stuff are much higher there.
Look for pieces that have good lines, are in good condition, and can be easily be refinished/repurposed. I like to look for solid wood pieces with a good shape.

Those pieces (above) are pretty typical of what I might find if I continually visit the 'good' stores for a few weeks. And below are a few ideas of what you can do with the stuff after you haul it home.
The possibilities are truly endless.
You can read about all 10 here.

The below picture is of a wardrobe I found last month for under $100. This would be a great piece to update with a little paint and some new hardware.

Or take this thrift store dresser I found for only $60. I didn't purchase it that day, but ended up getting an almost identical one on Craigslist months later.

Here's the nearly identical one I found. As you can see, all I did was paint it white with some chalk paint and update the hardware. All in all, a really easy fix that anyone can do with a little elbow grease.

Full tutorial here.

Another great example...this crappy little desk I found for $10...

I painted it and hung a mirror above it and now use it as a vanity table in mybedroom.

I did something similar with our bedroom dresser.

When I originally bought it for $50, it looked like this.

And now it looks like this.

Full tutorial here.

#6. Look For Classic Pieces:
Likea fancy gold mirror.

That badboy cost me $7 and I hung it in our guest bedroom.
Maybe I hung it a little high, but that's beside the point.

#7. Think Re-purpose, Re-purpose, Re-purpose:
See beyond what's there. See a chair with nice bones, but hate the upholstery? No problem...just reupholster it. And I realize that sounds easier said than done. But, I promise you can do it. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing the first time I tackled an upholstery job. It was kinda time consuming, and definitely made me want to cry half way through, but I eventually put that bad boy back together again. And now, with a few upholstery projects under my belt, it's really easy.
In fact, see that green chair in the above picture?

I did that one in just an hour or so. It looked like this when I brought it home:

And then it eventually looked like the chair you saw in the above picture.

You can gohereto see my super quick way to upholster stuff.

Speaking of chairs, last time I went thrifting, I saw these two chairs. They had great bones, but gross upholstery.
There's so many things you could do to spruce up these chairs. They had a beautiful wood back, so I would remove the upper cushion, reupholster the seat cushion, and spray paint the entire wooden frame a bold glossy color...think navy or red.

#8. Think Spray Paint:
When buying thrift store decor, spray paint is your best friend. If you like the shape of something, you can always spray paint it. This applies to almost everything: lamps, art, accessories, small furniture, you name it.One of my favorite things to spray paint from thrift stores is old lamps.
Here's an example of my latest lamp redo. All I did was spray paint the base silver and add a new lamp shade (with some black ribbon glued around the top and bottom).
Full tutorial here.

#9. Know Your Thrift Store:
Ask the employees when they get new stuff and when the sale days are. I find the best stuff on Tuesdays and Thursdays, because that's when my favorite store puts out new stuff. Every store is different.
Also, figure out the 'sweet spots' in your favorite store. My favorite store is huge, and I usually beeline to certain places when I first get there. Like the art wall.

You have to think creatively. I saw this boat painting (which reminds me ofthisprint that I found at this store years ago) and loved it. Had I bought it, I would have taken out the canvas, cut it smaller and framed it in a matted white frame. It would be really cool as part of a gallery wall in my hallway.

#10. Save Money on Frames:
I buy most of my frames at thrift stores and spray paint them. I save tons of money this way. Look for frames with nice detail and with a nice mat, then spray paint the frame AND the mat.
For example, I brought home this junker for just a few bucks.

Then I took it apart

Remember that frog they made you dissect in 8th grade?

Put that useless semester to WORK.

And then I spray painted the frame silver and spray painted the mat white.

And then I painted over the original artwork and added some sequins. And so this is just one idea of what you can do to old thrift store art.
Full tutorial here.

Another thrift store art idea? Just take an old painting (like this one) and paint right over it with some more vibrant colors and some gold leaf.